L-R: Mark, Jega and Jonathan
CHARLES ABAH in this piece aggregates stakeholders’ opinions on the just released 2011 election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission and writes that there is still a mix of optimism and skepticism in their comments The release of the fresh timetable for the 2011 elections by the Independent National Electoral
Commission the other day, no doubt, has been eliciting excitement from across the citizenry, particularly from political commentators and analysts. For many analysts and public commentators, the fresh timetable, finally, is an indication that the electoral umpire under the superintendence of Prof. Attahiru Jega, is indeed willing to conduct another poll in the country. In other words, the announcement has helped to douse stakeholders misgiving about the possibility of shifting the poll once more.
Interestingly, before now, tongues have been wagging over the preparedness of the commission to conduct fresh elections given that the poll earlier scheduled for January was cancelled, just as the voter registration was shifted without any fixed date. INEC had on September 7, 2010 released the cancelled timetable for the poll.
Besides, the citizenry were worried that the insecurity and the ongoing controversies in the amendment of the constitution and electoral act as well as other sundry issues in the polity would stall the poll.
These doubts, no doubt, existed despite the fact that the Federal Government had released about N74bn for the smooth operations of the 2011 poll even as President Goodluck Jonathan had, moments after INEC released the initial timetable last September, promised that votes would count in the elections so that the nation‘s democracy can survive.
According to Jonathan, the vexed issue of godfatherism and other negative practices in the country will not be allowed to scuttle the Federal Government‘s attempt to conduct free and fair and elections.
He said, ”The promise I make to you today is that we will do all within our powers to promote open, fair and transparent election. This government will insist on electoral justice and there is no going back on that.”
But with INEC rolling out the new election timetable that put the presidential poll for April 9, 2011 and the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and governorship poll on April 2, and 16 respectively, public affairs analysts and commentators have expressed divergent views on the timetable.
In fact, a school of thought holds the view that the timetable brings with it not only a ray of hope on the horizon, but a pragmatic approach to accomplishing a successful to poll next year.
But some other commentators and groups argue otherwise. For instance, the Save Nigeria Group likened the timetable to a well orchestrated coup. Speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, SNG said the National Assembly and the Presidency deliberately programmed the timetable to suit them.
Beyond that the group faulted the April dateline for the poll, saying it will expose politicians and litigants to another season of unending litigation. He posited that with the April date, stakeholders would have only one month to the May 29 handover date to resolve all court cases.
According to Odumakin, the sure way of the overcoming the loopholes and guaranteeing a free and fair poll is to take recourse to the Modified Open Ballot System.
However, Odumakin and his group are not alone in canvassing this idea. In fact, the former Governor of Kaduna State and a member of the Coalition for New Nigeria, Balarabe Musa, took the pessimism on the timetable to an extreme level.
He said, ”INEC is only acting a script written by the Presidency and the National Assembly. It is still doubtful whether the poll will hold next year given that the National Assembly is still deliberating on the amendment of the Electoral Act.
”I think it is a deliberate plan to avoid the 2011 poll. They think that they can continue after the May 29 date. Again, you see why I suspect conspiracy is that 90 per cent of the members of the National Assembly are all PDP members, so I see where the NASS and the Presidency are engaging in a scratch my back and I scratch your back game.”
The former governor also frowned on the sequence of the election timetable, saying it has the likelihood of producing a bandwagon effect on the outcome of the poll. He specifically criticised the idea of the National Assembly and the Presidential poll coming ahead of the other elections.
But unlike the SNG which recommended the Modified Open Ballot System, Musa canvassed that all the election be held in one day. In his thinking, conducting the poll the same day will save the nation a lot of money, just as it will forestall incidence of bandwagon effect on the polity.
However even as SNG, Musa and others are sounding pessimistic and making insinuations of a failed timetable project, members of Peoples Democratic Party National Working Committee have already met in Abuja to deliberate on the elections guideline. The party, has indeed, set up a three-man committee headed by its National Organising Secretary, Prince Uche Secondus, to study the calendar with a view to mapping out fresh strategy for the party.
Indeed to give support to this belief, the Publicity Secretary of the party in Lagos State, Dr. Wale Ahmed, said the schedule so far released by INEC was in order.
He said, “Prof. Jega has no option than to roll out the timetable. There are laws in place that stipulate the specific timeline for the poll. Definitely, the poll should be scheduled in such a way to conform to this and I think the INEC boss has done this.”
Ahmed also wondered why the opposition is having reservations about the INEC programme, dismissing their fears as unnecessary.
He added, “Are the opposition who initially hailed the appointment of Jega as the INEC helmsman now saying that he is no longer in control of the affairs of the commission? Are they now saying that Jega has suddenly become a lackey of the Presidency and therefore cannot conduct a credible poll? I think what any serious party should be doing now is to map out a strategy that will enable it to emerge victorious in the forthcoming poll.”
Source:punchng.com
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