CELEBRATING THE ANAMBRA

ELECTION: SETTING TOO LOW A

STANDARD FOR NIGERIA!
The Civil Liberties Organisation is concerned at the unwonted jubilation over the
Anambra gubernatorial elections of February 6, 2010. The election again
highlights the urgent need for electoral reform in Nigeria. Even as everyone
heaves a sigh of relief at the relative success of the election, we cannot but note
that this was only because the scale of electoral violence and malpractices fell
below what everyone feared. Yet there were enough of these to show that all is
still not well with Nigeria’s electoral system. There were reported cases of ballot
box snatching, intimidation and assault on election monitors, violence against
electoral officers, insufficiency of election materials, late commencement of
polling, and other such problems. To celebrate because their actual scale did not
meet our fears is to set too low a standard for Nigeria and to suggest that we are
incapable of achieving the higher standards that the community of democracies
has come to accept as definitive of democracies.

While it is indeed desirable to celebrate every achievement in Nigeria’s

democratisation process, the CLO is obliged to point out that the success of the
election was not due to any new mastery of electoral logistics by INEC, security
planning and implementation by the police, or political etiquette and internal
democracy by the parties. It was not due to a true levelling of the playing field
for all contestants: for money, the ability to mobilise physical force, and access
to power brokers – all of these threats to the equality of candidates in the
electoral contest – featured both overtly and covertly in the elections. Then
there is the matter of those political parties and associations that probably
desired but could not participate in the contest because they could not muster
the daunting magnitude of financial and political resources that the present
electoral system makes necessary. These groups and the social interests they
represent were thus excluded from the political process by systemic conditions.

All this bespeaks the need for the prodemocracy forces to intensify the push for
electoral reform. The claim by Acting President Jonathan Goodluck that the
Anambra election vindicates the electoral reform programme of the present
government makes a mockery of the sacrifice of those who fought against
military rule for more than ten years and depreciates the intelligence of those
who have insisted that the Uwais Panel recommendations be implemented. For
the Yar’Adua-Jonathan government has not implemented any electoral reform
that anyone can see. As there is little hope that the government will of its own
volition pursue the reform with anything near the vigour that is required, the
onus is squarely in the civil society and the people of Nigeria to make this
happen.
If anyone is deserving of congratulation on the success of the Anambra
gubernatorial election it is the people of Anambra State. That the election
passed without major instances of mayhem and destruction of lives as all had
feared was due in the final analysis to their determination to have a peaceful
election. The election was a success – to the extent that it was – primarily
because the people decided to put behind them the inglorious electoral history of
the state and make a new future for themselves. To the people of Anambra
State the CLO says, “Congratulations.” But we also say to them, there is still
much work to do. They must not so soon forget the mayhem unleashed upon
the state in 2004 beginning with the kidnap of Governor Chris Ngige by Chris
Uba with the connivance of the police. We urge them to be vigilant to protect
this achievement they have recorded on February 6, 2010 in the gubernatorial
election.

Igho Akaregha, President and Osaze Lanre Nosaze, Executive Director