I want to reaffirm once again, in spite of the unfolding tragicomedy, actually because of it; ”that the greatest threat to our democracy, the greatest obstacle to our democratisation process with respect to deepening and broadening the democratic space, is our unruly, uncouth, administratively inept, politically narrow minded, congenitally light fingered, and vision-less Ruling Class”.
Why am i reaffirming this conclusion again? Election is a process, not an event, and in our case, it is a process that runs through four-year cycles.
One would expect that preparations for every general election, and off season or off cycle election should happen all through the cycle, beginning the day after the election, and concluding the day of the next election for every four-year cycle.
It follows that logistics and other preparations ought to be made well in advance and all through the cycle.
It follows for instance that the security agencies for instance ought to have Election Operations and Security Departments/Units/Divisions, which would be operational all through the cycle, and whose role and function will be to lead the preparation of the respective agencies for the elections.
It follows that we should have a system in place for placing orders in phases for all the election materials that will be needed such that what will be required is storage and receipt of materials close to actual elections.
It follows that INEC ought to be funded regularly each year to work towards these and meet these needs, not overwhelmed by funding needs a year to elections, and not inundated with a slush of funds to play catch up with respect to preparations.
The most shocking and amazing thing about the sudden rescheduling of the general elections for one week by INEC lies in the fact that those who have spent the previous six weeks or so to swear by the ancestors, that INEC was not prepared for a free, fair and credible elections, are the ones who have now also taken to the airwaves to denounce INEC for essentially accepting that they were right!
These same forces, who repeatedly went to town with manufactured falsehood to substantiate their assertions with respect to the lack of preparedness of INEC are now going to town, once again with manufactured stories about how INEC is actually prepared but is now being manipulated!
And both the Ruling and the Opposition parties, and their surrogates are each crying foul, competition with each other as to who could shout the loudest, and who would sound most angry and most convincing in this unfolding tragicomedy of historical Greek proportions.
At the other end, and on the other hand, the election management body – INEC, which has spent the last one year convincing us of its preparedness, has now suddenly woken up to its urgent need for more time to complete its preparation?
This Ruling class and all its factions is playing Russian Roulette with our destiny. We must not allow them. We must remain vigilant.
It seems to me that what is unfolding, as ruling class factions mount pressure on INEC, and as INEC tries to manoeuvre is the preparation unwittingly of the slide to a constitutional crisis.
Section 26, subsection 1 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended gives INEC the power to shift, reschedule or postpone elections. But the same section also gives the conditions under which this might be done to include the likelihood of breach of peace, natural disasters or other emergencies. And herein lies the big potential crisis.
From the reasons given by INEC, including weather conditions and logistics problems, can it be said that these conditions precedent have been fulfilled? Can it be said and proved that there is the likelihood of a general breach of the peace? Can it be argued that the weather conditions constitute a natural disaster?
And can it be said that there is a national emergency situation at hand? Whose statutory responsibility is to declare a state of emergency? Can this be done by INEC at all? Isn’t this the joint responsibility of the President and the National Assembly?
Doesn’t this step by INEC bring into doubt or question the legality and constitutionality of the now rescheduled elections? Could this legal and constitutional doubt not become a major ground for contesting the outcome of the elections by the losers in the event of their loss?
The ultimate solution however is to build a Mass Political Alternative to this rudderless ruling class and its discredited Establishment.
I invite you once again to join with us as we build the Coalition For 2023 to Take Back Nigeria – Inch By Inch, And Rebuild Our Country – Brick By Brick.
Jaye Gaskia is the convener of the Take Back Nigeria Movement.
