On the bizarre INEC somersault in Bauchi guber polls

Coming after the shift in the date of the presidential election by one week, literally hitting the nation like a bolt from the blues, the verdict of inconclusiveness in the governorship version in a number of states has particularly brought the nation’s electoral umpire under divergent scrutiny, perspectives and judgments.

The minority opinions who believe that the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led body is so far blameless in the quagmire around the elections, argue that INEC should be given the benefits of the doubt. INEC’s verdict of inconclusiveness that has generated a gust of disparaging remarks in some quarters, is explained as a position well within the confines of the Electoral Act while others argued otherwise.

To counter the opinion held particularly by members and supporters of the opposition that, INEC had only declared inconclusive elections in states where the ruling APC appeared to be losing or, has lost the elections in most cases, to the main opposition PDP, namely, Adamawa, Sokoto, Benue, Kano, and Plateau and until last Saturday, Bauchi, the argument of those disposed towards the INEC is that, if the INEC had “compromised” or “leaned towards the APC”, the election in Plateau state would not have been declared as inconclusive. This is because, the ruling APC flag bearer had garnered 583,255 votes against the 538,326 scored by his closest, challenger on the platform of the PDP. The state Electoral Officer explained that the exercise was inconclusive because, while the margin between the two is 44,929, with 49,377 cancelled votes.

However, going by details of the reported circumstances that, abnition, informedits declaration of inconclusive election and therefore, a rerun election, the last week-end INEC’s reversal of its earlier decision on Bauchi State, is as unfortunate as it is bewildering and confounding. For instances, INEC had hinged its position of inconclusive election on its reports of violence and disruption of voting and collation in parts of Ningi Local Government Area where 25,330 votes had to be cancelled. It also gave occurrence of similar incidents of mayhem in seven out ofeleven voting centers in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area where the electoral body said it had to cancel a total of 70,000 votes. Skeptics are yet to comprehend or accept as tenable the reason so far given by INEC on what have significantly changed to lead to the 360 degrees turnabout on the earlier decision of inconclusiveness and rerun election in the affected areas.

According to INEC’s Commissioner, Information and Education Committee, Festus Okoye, the reversal followed findings of a panel that, instead of the reported 25, 330 votes cancelled in Ningi, the actual figure of contentious votes was 2,533. Also, INEC explained that, the results from the affected poling centers in Tafawa Balewa, had been retrieved because they were all along, “available and in safe custody”. Apparently foreclosing the scheduled rerun election on the March 23, Mr Okoye announced the replacement of the Electoral Officer in TafawaBalewa, Mrs Domonion Anosike who he said, withdraw her services on the rather whimsical ground that “her life was under threat”.

There are several critical questions begging for answers from the somersaults by INEC that explanations by Mr. Festus Okoye did not address. For one, if the INEC reversal of its decision on Bauchi emanated from findings of a committee, why is it that similar review exercises were not carried out on the situations that allegedly informed the declaration of inconclusive elections in Sokoto, Kano, Benue and Plateau states? Secondly, given the sensitivity and volatility of the issue at stake, why did the INEC committee conduct its investigation or verification in utmost secrecy, surreptitiously without involving agents of the affected political parties, observers or other stake holders?

By its inconsistencies displayed in the case of Bauchi, what impression is the INEC beaming out to the wider public and the world at large, on the credibility and competence of its officials? What are the parameters and template used in the entire exercise? For example, in declaring the election inconclusive, the Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed Kyari, a scholar of repute had assertively declared that “the margin between the winner and opponent is less than the total number of votes cancelled” and that, his decision was appropriately “in line with section 26 part 53 of the Electoral Act”.

If in Bauchi State, the Returning Officer along with the Electoral Officer are now being portrayed by INEC as having got it wrong in their judgments, does INECexpected the public to key into assessments and attendant verdicts given by their counterparts in other states, especially, in states where the election have been declared inconclusive due also to reports of violence and disruption? In other words, something just doesn’t appear to be adding up with the role of the INEC unfolding tragic drama in Bauchi State.

Be that as it may, there are opinions that INEC may have simply succumbed to either the intimidation, armtwisting, inducement or the cacophony of propaganda by members of the opposition political parties and other stake holders and persons who had been very strident in their campaign to scuttle the second term bid of Governor Mohammad Abubakar. In the same vein, there is also the view in enlightened circles that Professor Mahmood Yakubu may have simply decided to make a sacrificial lamb of the embattled Governor. This, it is reasoned, will be seen by him as a strategy of shoring up his seriously lacerated image as one that has been playing to the dictates and tunes of the ruling APC.

On the whole therefore, it is pertinent that Professor Mahmood Yakubu and his colleagues at INEC should come up with more rationally convincing explanation on the emerging mix up and what looks like an outright double standard over the Bauchi election imbroglio. Besides averting the looming legal battle than looks inevitable, INEC’s sudden change of its decision in Bauchi has all the tendencies of giving the electoral umpire uncomplimentary and unsavory image that can devastatingly affect the integrity of the entire 2019 general election.

Ayuba wrote this piece from Toro, Bauchi State.

On the whole therefore, it is pertinent that Professor Mahmood Yakubu and his colleagues at INEC should come up with more rationally convincing explanation on the emerging mix up and what looks like an outright double standard over the Bauchi election imbroglio.