Issues as INEC clears coast for 2019 polls
Not a few Nigerians were taken by surprise last week when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced dates for the conduct of the 2019 general elections. While fixing Saturday February 16 for the conduct of the presidential election, the commission also said the governorship/state assembly/ federal Capital Territory Area Council Elections would hold on Saturday March 2, 2019.
National Commissioner in charge of the South-West, Prince Solomon Soyebi, who briefed journalists after a meeting of INEC management last week, said the decision was taken in order to ensure certainty in election dates.
Citing some advanced democracies in the world, Soyebi said: “Our democracy is maturing and the commission believes that there should be certainty with regards to timetable for elections. For instance, in the United States, general elections always hold on the second Tuesday of November in the election year. In Ghana, it’s the 7th of December of the election year while in other places like Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Costa Rica and Switzerland the dates are also known.”
Being the first time INEC is announcing dates for general elections about two years earlier, not a few Nigerians were surprised at the development. Indeed, some expressed the fear that the move was capable of heating the polity.
Although the Nigerian Constitution provides for elections to hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to the end of the incumbent’s tenure, no electoral umpire had announced dates for election this earlier.
For instance in 2007, INEC under the chairmanship of Professor Maurice Iwu came out with the final time table for the general elections in October 2006 which indicated the conduct of elections six months in advance.
The timetable provided for the conduct of presidential elections on April 21, 2007 while governorship and state house of assembly elections were fixed earlier on April 14.
Expectedly, some political parties have expressed divergent views on the early announcement of 2019 general election dates by INEC.
The founder of the National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP), Alhaji Umaru Mohammed Maizabura, said he had never seen a time when election dates were announced two years to the election year.
“This is really curious because INEC is running faster than its shadows; they are simply telling us to start campaigning and this means the government in power will change its focus. Politicians would be running here and there looking for money to start campaigning”, Maizabura said.
But the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) welcomed the development saying it was fully prepared for the 2019 general elections. National publicity secretary of APC, Bolaji Abdullahi said the release of the timetable would not heat up the polity because it was a statutory routine duty of the electoral body.
But for the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party, there were discordant tunes from the two factions with regards to the development. While the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff led faction welcomed the development, the rival National Caretaker faction led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi opposed the early announcement of election dates.
Spokesman of the Ali Modu Sheriff led NWC, Bernard Mikko said: “For us in the
In what appeared to be a sharp departure from the past, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last week rolled out dates for the conduct of key elections in 2019, a development some analysts fear would create rumbles within the polity.
PDP we believe that the announcement may have been in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act. This is a wakeup call for us in the PDP; we have to put our house in order and key into the timetable in order to win the presidential election”, he said.
On the contrary, the spokesman for the Ahmed Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee; Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the timetable fell short of expectation.
“We are opposed to the timetable. Why are they not holding all the elections in one day? Do they want to manipulate the
Expectedly, some political parties have expressed divergent views on the early announcement of 2019 general election dates by INEC.
elections? Why is INEC even rushing? The Ekiti governorship election is to be held in 2018 but there is no timetable yet; why the rush for the 2019 general elections?” He queried.
Many analysts believe that INEC has more tasks ahead in order for politicians not to create confusion and heat up the polity in the build up to the 2019 general elections.
For instance there is a provision in the Electoral Act with regards to electioneering campaigns but the founder of the National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP), Alhaji Maizabura, said: “They are simply telling us to start campaigning and this means the government in power will change its focus…”
But the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, allayed such fears saying the move was rather intended to put every stakeholder on notice so that all issues bordering on the 2019 elections would be adequately addressed.
“It will certainly not heat up the polity. I think INEC should even be commended for taking the bold step. Don’t forget the 2019 elections are less than 500 working days away”, Oyekanmi said.
Indeed, going by Going by the divergent views expressed by the political parties who are critical stakeholders in the electoral process, it is apparent that the next round of meetings proposed by INEC with stakeholders would be interesting. On Tuesday this week INEC will be meeting with political parties as part of its routine consultations ahead of 2019 general elections.
This will be followed by a similar meeting on Wednesday March 15 with civil society organizations while Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) will take its turn with the commission on Friday March 17.
Certainly, these meetings promise to be stormy sessions, especially the one with political parties, as the issue of dates announced by the commission for conduct key elections in 2019 will generate heated debate by political parties with differing positions.
Many Nigerians are, however, watching out with keen interest to see how the political actors will carry on in the build up to the 2019 elections.