*Hold INEC Accountable for Standard of Elections to Improve in Nigeria*

Saturday, February 23, 2019

*Awka, Nigeria:* Today, I performed my civic duty as a citizen of Federal Republic of Nigeria by casting my votes to elect the president of Nigeria, and 2 federal lawmakers (federal senator and federal house of representatives). I voted at Awuda, Nnobi in Idemili South local government area, Anambra State, Nigeria. With this, I accomplished one mission for which I traveled from my base in New York City, United States to Nigeria this time.

This is the first time I voted in Nigeria in a very long time. The last time was 1979 election which produced President Shehu Shagari, Governor Jim Nwobodo and others.

The question now is how was this election process, how do I see it?

I can only speak about my empirical observations. I can only speak about what I saw. I don't know what is happening in other polling stations. But if what I observed is what happened in polling stations across Nigeria, the I will say that INEC have done a very poor job when it has no reason to.

*Experience at the Polling Stations*

I got to polling station at Awuda Hall at 8.56 am. INEC officials just arrived, and were seen arranging to start attending to voters. There were 2 long lines of voters ready and eager to vote. Paper Lists of voters in the polling station were pasted with glue on the wall. I notice the paper lists kept falling down on the floor because the glue were weak. Seeing the frustration on INEC workers' faces, I asked them why can't they try using tape instead of glue. They said they don't have tape. Unknown whether INEC bought tapes and the workers forgot to bring them along to the polling station.

I could not find my name on the lists. One of the election workers directed me to another polling station at Nnobi Girls Comprehensive Secondary School. On getting there at 9.32 am, INEC officials just arrived. I noticed some people who came there to vote leaving in disappointment that voting had not started. I inquired if that was actually the right polling station for me. I found out it was not the polling station for me. I was directed to go to St. Mary Catholic Church.

On getting to St. Mary Catholic Church at 9.58 am, there were 2 long lines. Polling booth 011 was mine and voting has started. The other line was not so lucky. A young man eager to vote raised his voice asking a lady on Youth Corper uniform when will voting start because he has something to do, so he wants to vote and leave. The Youth Corper was equally loud responding that they are waiting for someone to arrive. She added that she has no control. The man and some other voters on that line got so frustrated that he called for the attention of policeman on duty. The anti-riot policeman went over there calmed them down. I was relieved.

A young man came to my line and told us on low tone to vote for a particular candidate. A fellow on the line cautioned him that campaigning at the polling station is illegal.

When it was my turn, I showed my PVC, the scanner machine could not read my fingerprints, but the lady on the register verified my name. My nail was marked with ink, I was given 3 ballot papers: one for President, one for Senate and the other for House of Representatives. I went to the booth, thumbprinted on the part of my choice candidates, folded the papaer as instructed, dropped them in respective ballot boxes and I left the polling station.

*Conversation with Taxi Driver*

I boarded a local transport (Keke) and left. I engaged the driver in conversation. He stated that people started trooping to the polling stations very early, very eager to vote, but because INEC officials arrived late, many people had left. He added that given that voting will end at 2.00pm, he fears that not everyone will be able to vote. That got me very upset. The facts and thoughts that people will be disenfranchised because INEC failed to arrive on time INEC scheduled, and upon arriving late and will close early, and people will be denied vote because of that is absolutely totally unacceptable.

*Way Forward: Probe INEC and Hold Leadership Accountable*

Let me first of all address some people who will say I'm using "US standard to judge Nigerian standard".

That will be excuses of people who wish to perpetually defend mediocrity and lackluster performance, people who will want Nigeria to remain in this messy hole forever.

People who will not see anything wrong with INEC collecting humongous amount of money in pretence to deliver top class services, promising to deliver class 'A' services, but instead delivering woefully sub-standard shoddy jobs, and find tens of reasons to justify their incompetence and perhaps criminality.

Failure to conduct smooth, free and fair elections from beginning to end after collecting huge sum of money requested for, is nothing but fraudulent act and election fraud. It should be crime (either common or special crimes) to do this. Any clumsiness by an election body like INEC which cause people not to vote is overt, covert and subliminal vote suppression, vote denial, vote refusal, fraud and should be crimes to do these things. If Nigerians and the world don't hold election body like INEC responsible and accountable, it will continue to give lousy services while collecting huge sum of money from the treasury.

The fact that INEC will collect such a huge amount of money running into hundreds of billions of Naira to enable it conduct standard job, only to be arriving late, and arriving unprepared and thereby cause people not to vote eventually, is sufficient to probe INEC leadership for incompetence, for voter frustration, for suppression, for failure to deliver, failure of leadership and perhaps see whether crimes were committed. It's about time INEC is held responsible and accountable. That's one of sure ways to get them do what they are given money for and supposed to do.

So there should not be anything like US standard, UK standard, EU standard or Nigerian standard. It's just unacceptable by any standards.

*Conclusion*

I'm really very excited to perform my civic duty by voting in this election. And I hope my votes will count.

Bonaventure Ezekwenna
B. A. Political Science.
United States based human rights activist, anti-corruption advocate, anti-slavery/abolitionist.

the people that should prob inec are friends of it