By Adefolarin A. Olamilekan
As a follow-up to my last intervention article titled the LG polls “NASIEC Expedition for Credible, Free and Fair LG Polls” and Count down to October 6th LG Poll: All eyes on NASIEC” Which among other things charged the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) to work solidly in other to convince everyone that they mean business.
To this fact many Nasarawa state indigenes and residents are looking up to NASIEC conducting a credible, transparent and free fair LG poll come October 6th, 2021. There submission gave credence to the title of this my current intervention coming less than seventy–two hours to the October 6th, 2021 LG Polls. This we hope will happen without any change of date, especially as the poll as been put off twice before now.
Outstandingly,our is to see that Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) maintain an honest, competent and non-partisan umpire in the conduct of the LG polls. Even as
Governor AA Sule administration has affirmed that Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) has no other business than to deliver credible LG elections comes Wednesday 6th October, 2021.
Nonetheless, the Barrister Abdullahi Wanda lead Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) seems to be working solidly to convince everyone that they mean business.
Especially has the roadmap to the polls in the form of guard lines and date of schedule pre-election, Election Day and post election were all gazettes to public since July 7th, 2021.NASIEC, according to many observers is portraying impeccable credentials as a state electoral umpire.
Meaningfully, stakeholders are hoping that a functional system rather than an individual is to ensure sanitization of Nasarawa state political space to avoid vehicle of electoral fraud.
Regrettably, at the core of the malady of Nigeria electoral system is the dysfunctional activity of our electoral umpire. Electoral Umpire is very essential ingredients in a democracy. They connect the political parties and voter together. They also serve as a platform (in countries where they function well) for seeing successful recruiting of political aspirants for state policy development, implementation and governance in a modern democracy. As a point of departure, we hope NASIEC can progressively conduct credible, free and fair LG elections.
Furthermore adopting standards for the conduct of credible, free and fair LG elections in Nasarawa State is not rocket science, but integrity and accountability put to work. Curiously, they had to do this through; transparent systems so as to guard against corruption as an effort to prevent electoral fraud and electoral mal-practices.
Nevertheless, NASIEC is showing faultless credentials as a state electoral umpire. In my own assessment, the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) may however need to work hard to deliver acceptable LG poll.
Conversely, this will be possible from side to side of a functional system that recognizes stakeholder’s engagement, rather than an individualistic and selective approach. We believe strongly there is need to sanities a process that has become ‘a vehicle for electoral fraud.
Grippingly, it now in the court of Barrister Abdullahi Wanda lead Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) to be proof doubter wrong and show critics that NASIEC is truly a credible electoral body.
Many Nasarawa state indigenes and residents now understand that elections provide them with the power to freely participate in choosing their leaders and in providing the much-needed support and legitimacy to the state. This is very significant to people at the grass root level. And they must be ready to take advantage of the opportunity in participating actively.
Although, there are narrow-mindedness and prejudice toward the empire NASIEC conducting credible election.This has to do with the electoral processes and approach/procedure intriguingly perceived as an institutional mechanism for conferring political power on citizens in a democratic dispensation.
One may not blame critics and opponents of the Governor AA Sule administration, what is generally obtainable when it comes to LG polls in Nigeria since 1999 which is that state governors coerce state electoral body to declared result without ballot been cast.
Tentatively, Governor AA Sule and the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) has been assuring Nasarawa state indigenes and residents that the election is going to be peaceful, free, fair transparent, and credible.
On the other hand, NASIEC must administer all relevant laws applicable in the polls across board without favor or discrimination. Meanwhile, we charge political parties and their candidates, supporters as well Nasarawa state indigenes and resident’s political community to accept basic rules and regulations governing the contest for power. In addition, NASIEC must ensure the media, CSOs and Security agencies are carried along.
Further to this NASIEC and all political parties and teams of candidates must carefully sort out all pre-election disputes before polls date through independent judiciary to interpret electoral laws and settle election disputes. The sequence of events must be plausible from the pre, doing and post election time frame.
Specifically, indigene and residents must be armed with in-depth voter’s education. In the meantime resident and indigenes must show support to NASIEC to conduct Credible, Free and Fair LG Polls, as they look forward to there vote been counted.
Even though all eyes are on NASIEC, it must not disappoint stakeholders in the Nigerian Electoral Space.
Poignantly, understanding and proffering solution to grassroots democracy is a is our task in moving forward.
