2019 Elections and Security Challenges in Delta state and Nigeria
Being paper presented by Dr. N.I. Ezoem (FICA, FIPM,
AAA, MNAE) provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, chairman,
committee of provosts, colleges of Education in Nigeria.
During the award ceremony organized by association of
community Newspaper publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), Delta state. At Swiss Spirit
hotel, Asaba, Delta state Date: 5th July, 2018.
Introduction
Election as a process gives opportunity to citizens or
individuals to freely choose their leaders at periodic intervals. Election is
the right of the citizen to choose whoever they want to be in positions of
authority. The principal mechanism for obtaining and translating consent into
governmental authority is the holding of genuinely democratic elections. It
there means that all democracies hold elections, but the question is “are all
elections democratic”? Thus, for any democratically approved elected position,
there must be an election. So there cannot be democracy without election.
Election in Nigeria
Since the return to democracy in Nigeria in 1999,
there have been series of elections, majorly 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015
general elections. Onotola (2008) sees democracy as a system of government
characterized by the participation of the people through their freely elected
representatives, by which the recognition and promotion of the basic rights of
citizens, including the rights of vulnerable groups such as the minorities.
This therefore means that, democracy ensure that power actually belongs to the
people.
It is recorded according to Nta Lajo in edet and
Mohammad (2015) that democracy in Nigeria has been bedeviled with poor party
politics as a result of not only ethnicization of party politics, poor
political leader, excessive westernization of the concept “democracy”, party
indiscipline, lack of clear cut party ideologies, the politicization of the
higher echelon of the military profession among others but also and
worrisomely, lack of internal party democracy. Analyzing the extent to which
elections are credible in Nigeria, Osaghae, Ikelegbe, Olarinmoye and Okhonwina
(2011) captured relations between the political elite and the electorate and
argued that political interest abandon the youths. Amadi, Imoh-Itah, Obomanu
(2016) argue that the elite fail to fully recognize the reluctance of the
youths in the economic development of the region (Niger Delta), hence the
perverse rise in youth restiveness in the region which had taken several forms
in pre and host post-election periods including militancy, abduction, vandalization
of oil equipment etc. this trend has eaten into the fabric of the region as a
result and largely accounts for repeated electoral violence as the youths are
largely unemployed (UNEP, 2011). Ibeanu (2007) argued that insecurity in
Nigeria has been an issue of increasing concern, it is harder to see in this
argument how the argument how the guarantee of human security is during the
electoral process.
Since 1999, elections in Nigeria have been facing
security challenges as noted by Roger (2015) that 1999 and 2003 elections, part
of the violence and insecurity in the conduct of the election was a result of
the deployment of militants and cult groups. Aniekwe and Kushie (2011) contend
that the acceptance of the 1999 election results marred by massive rigging was
choiceness as there were no further options after over 30 years of military
dictatorship. They also argued that 2003 elections level of acceptance was not
based on its freeness but one of choosing from bad and worse. They argued that
2003 elections witnessed an unprecedented level of electoral violence. It was
marred by massive violence and widely described as the worst elections since
the return to democracy in 1999 (HRW) (2007). The 2011 general elections
offered indications that better managed election can be more peaceful. Despite
this recorded success, some part of the country recorded one security challenge
or the other.
Ogundiya and Baba (2005) argued that electoral
violence in Nigeria has been a central factor in evaluating the prospects and challenges
of democracy consolidation in Nigeria. They chronicled a number of electoral
crisis and violence pounding to the relevance of security.
Delta state and 2009 elections
It should be noted that Delta state is a Min-Nigeria
and whoever happens in Nigeria usually manifest in the state; if not at a more
dangerous proportion.
2019 general elections in Delta state and Nigeria at
large, going by the tend of elections in Nigeria since the return to democracy
in 1999, one should not expect anything different from what it used to be. This
is because the elections are going to be conducted in the same Nigeria, by the
same Nigerians, the same set of candidates with almost the same belief on how
to get votes from the electorate. With this, the appropriate authorities should
work assiduously to ensure security before, during and after the 2019 general
elections.
2019 Elections And Security Challenges In Delta State And Nigeria
Security challenges during election period abound.
Some of the security challenges during elections in Nigeria according to Agoha
(2015) include:
1. Inadequate legal framework
2. Number of registered voters as against total number
of accredited voters in determining the need to run for supplementary elections
3. The role of the judiciary in determining the voting
outcome
4. The powers of the collation officers in determining
the voting outcome
5. Deployment of military during elections
6. Financial autonomy viz a viz independent nature of
electoral management body
7. Timing of the electoral risk management tool
application and the depth of buy-in
8. Sustainability challenge
9. Monitoring and evaluation
10. Issue of migration, internal and external.
Most of these security challenges are likely to
resurface during 2019 general elections as many of the challenges are yet to be
attended to. Agoha (2015) points the following causes of electoral insecurity:
1. Poor performance of the electoral management body:
public perceptions of INEC and allegations of bias by the commission;
2. Inadequate operational planning: Non-existence of
operation level of implementation of the operational plan;
3. Inadequate funding, financing and budgeting:
disbursement of funds to INEC for electoral activities and appropriateness of
budget lines for the conduct of elections.
4. Inadequate electoral security arrangements:
Non-existence of training plans for security and level of implementation of
security training plans.
5. Poor training for election officials: Non-existence
of operational planning for training of INEC permanent and hoc staff and
sufficiency of training materials and manuals for poll workers training:
6. Poor voter information campaign;
7. Problematic voter registration:
8. Problematic registration of candidates including
party primaries;
9. Conflict relating to changing power dynamics;
10. Presence of non-state armed actors: insurgency and
internally displaced persons (IDPs);
11. Environmental hazards: Outbreak of infectious
disease eg Ebola and report of inclement weather and flooding;
Conclusion
This opinion of mine cannot be concluded if I do not
relate a harrowing experience I had with two politicians from Delta state. I
happened to be in the same flight with two of them from Abuja to Benin. The two
happen to come from the same local government area and the younger man
(politician of note) went and bowed to greet the older one with hands stretched
forward. The older politician all of a sudden went into outburst, insulting the
younger man with unprintable words. The intervention of another former senator
from another ethnic group in Delta state did not help matters. I was
tongue-tied and overwhelmingly bemused because if this can be done now when the
wood is green, what will happen when it is dry. No elections now and this is
being done. What will happen when elections come? So the politicians, who are
the drivers of democracy, are usually the creators of insecurity during
elections. While the electorate is planning for a free and fair process of
electing their leaders, these politicians are busy planning to win at all cost
irrespective of the regards for sanctity of peace and human soul. The major
question is – if politicians are truly and selflessly serve the people that
elected them to office, can they struggle to get to power at all cost? The
answer is NO.
Conclusively, 2019 elections will be the sixth general
elections in Nigeria since return to democracy in 1999. Other elections since
then have been facing one security challenge or the other. Going by this,
strict security measure should be taken INEC to curb the security challenges in
the fourth coming 2019 general elections. Similarly, students/youths should
note that being used as canon-folders by politicians during election for
thuggery has never paid off- and can never pay off. At the end of every election,
some lose their lives while others become abandoned like dust bin until next
election. Please students/youths wise-up and avoid being used. Concentrate on
your education because knowledge which is power will forever govern ignorance.
In the same vein, our politicians should know that politics should not be a
do-or-die game. Blood should not be split because of one’s selfish interest in
acquisition of power at all cost. They should remember that life is not
permanent how much more what life aspire for. Without the politicians, there
will be no insecurity during elections because according to the Latins – “Nihil
est in intellectu quod non est prius in sensu”. Nothing passes to the intellect
without first getting to the senses. Be wise and fear God. I am done.
Thanks for listening.
