Too many avoidable incidents are intensifying doubt and anxiety about what might happen in next year’s general elections, writes Vincent Obia
The apprehensions about the coming general elections and the danger of loss of public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission are almost as stark as the pointlessness of some controversial decisions that have attended preparations for the poll. Currently, two issues – both completely avoidable – are at the core of a raging controversy that impinge on the integrity of INEC. One is the pronouncement by President Goodluck Jonathan that the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc. – popularly called The MINT – would produce the ballot papers for the general elections next year. The other is the contentious creation of additional 30, 027 polling units by INEC and their distribution across the country.
The controversy is hardly surprising. The contention over the creation and distribution of additional 30, 027 polling units across the country by INEC is strong. INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, has been hard put to explain the delineations. Strangely, the delimitations favoured parts of the country that have witnessed an exodus of residents due to security challenges against areas that have been relatively peaceful and have served as destination for most of those fleeing from insecurity in their region.
Jega says, “There is no sectional or parochial agenda” in the decision to create new polling units, explaining, “INEC’s decision to re-configure the structure of polling units as well as create additional ones is driven by our collective aspirations as Nigerians to reform and improve upon the electoral process for free, fair, peaceful and credible elections in 2015 and beyond.”
Not many people believe that explanation.
The bottom line is that many are now looking at INEC with a cynical air, a situation certainly not good for a country approaching a crucial general election.
Besides, Jonathan had on Augusts 28, while unveiling the new National Electronic Identity Card (e-ID card) scheme in Abuja, stated that security documents, such as ballot papers, will henceforth be printed by NSPM Plc. The president reiterated his earlier directive to the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to restructure The MINT.
“For the Federal Executive Council, we cannot give approval for any printing, whether passport or anything, except Mint says they cannot produce that. As far as Mint can produce it, we must produce everything in this country,” the president said.
It makes both political and economic sense to print the country’s security documents locally. That is under normal circumstances. But under the current circumstances, it is difficult to recommend such local printing.
There is a lot of misgiving about the credibility of NSPM Plc. In 2012, the company was rocked by a scandal involving the mysterious disappearance of N2.1 billion of newly printed N1, 000 notes from its vaults. The amount had strangely disappeared during production, and it was, allegedly, not the first time large sums of money would be missing from the company due to security breaches.
As if to further highlight the company’s accountability problem, there was conflicting information on the actual amount of money missing. While the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria said it was about N2 billion, the managing director of NSPM Plc. claimed the amount was N1.5 million, and the media adviser to the managing director said the missing money was N900, 000.
Nigerians are wondering how a company with so much credibility crisis could be given a task as sensitive as the printing of ballot papers for a crucial general election. This is a perfectly valid apprehension.
The recent dissolution of the executive management of NSPM Plc. by the board of the company was, perhaps, to address credibility problem. The dissolution was announced in an August 28 statement by the company secretary/legal adviser, Lawal Adamu, which also directed the acting managing director, Alhaji Bamali Ahmed, and two executive directors to retire from the company with effect from September 1 and approved the appointment of Mr. Joseph Ugbo as the substantive managing director/chief executive.
Some have argued that the changes at The MINT could be intended to employ persons who would facilitate underhand dealings in favour of a section of the political class with respect to the printing of ballot papers and other electoral materials.
But a more cogent point seems to be that the presidential directive to INEC to print ballot papers locally, irrespective of the commission’s assessment of the suitability of the idea, raises questions about the independence of the electoral body.
The federal government and INEC must do away with steps and actions that are capable of creating concerns in the minds of citizens as the country marches towards 2015.

Brb

Yuck!