The Nigerian Civil Society Election Situation Room commends the people of Ondo State for the orderly manner in which they conducted themselves during the 20 October 2012 gubernatorial election in the state. From the figures released by INEC, voter turnout in the election was 645,597, less than 40 percent of the 1,638,950 registered voters in the state. The voter turnout in this election leaves room for improvement, considering that over 60 percent of the registered voters in Ondo State did not turnout.
The Nigerian Civil Society Election Situation Room commends the people of Ondo State for the orderly manner in which they conducted themselves during the 20 October 2012 gubernatorial election in the state. From the figures released by INEC, voter turnout in the election was 645,597, less than 40 percent of the 1,638,950 registered voters in the state. The voter turnout in this election leaves room for improvement, considering that over 60 percent of the registered voters in Ondo State did not turnout.
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The Situation Room notes the enormous resources that were devoted to ensure that the Ondo governorship election was peaceful and successful. For instance, two Deputy Inspector Generals of Police and three Commissioners of Police relocated to the State to coordinate security. In addition, about 11,000 policemen and unspecified number of military and paramilitary personnel were redeployed to the State to police the election. While many of the security agents posted to Ondo State carried out their duties in a professional and commendable manner, the Situation Room maintains that excessive policing of elections in Nigeria is a drain on the economy and may portend dangers to democracy in the country. Militarization of elections and restriction of movement on election days could discourage some voters from turning out during elections, increasing voter apathy in Nigeria.
Network of observers working with the Nigerian Civil Society Election Situation Room reported that election officials and security agents were deployed in sufficient numbers in most polling units in Ondo State. Distribution of materials and commencement of accreditation were reportedly timely in most areas, although some centres experienced delays in commencement of accreditation and voting. Unlike the past elections, there were no reports of large-scale disenfranchisement of voters following the omission of their names in the voters register. One major innovation introduced by INEC in the Ondo governorship election was the display of voters register at polling units before the commencement of elections. This facilitated the accreditation process, since most of the voters cross checked their names in the register and noted their numbers in the list before appearing for accreditation. Another innovation introduced by INEC was the accreditation and issuance of identity cards to party agents. This deterred party agents from engaging in misconduct and improved election security.
The Situation Room, however, received reports of flaws in INEC’s preparations. Firstly, some polling units were reportedly overcrowded with as much as over one thousand voters, making it difficult for the election officials posted to the units to control the voters and efficiently manage the election. Despite the enormous resources put into preparations for this election, INEC failed to see the need to split these overwhelmingly crowded polling units into voting points, thereby exposing the officials deployed in the units to enormous pressure of crowd control and threatening the success of the process.
Secondly, the Situation Room notes that the late redeployment of Electoral Officers constituted a major challenge due to the inability of some of the redeployed officers to locate and arrive at their new postings on time. The late arrival of these officials delayed the commencement of accreditation in some areas. The Situation Room is concerned that INEC is still not able to effectively deal with logistic and operational challenges arising during elections despite the huge resources available to the Commission, and the fact that elections in several states, including the Ondo gubernatorial election, are now staggered.
Thirdly, the Situation Room is particularly disturbed by reports of unprofessional conduct by some election officials. For instance, in PU 20/02, Ago Itunu, Ward 7, Ondo West Local Government Area, it was reported that the Presiding Officer in the polling unit accredited voters without ensuring that they were physically present. In PU 011, High Court in front of Adegoroye office, Adesupa Road, Akure South, it was reported that the Presiding Officer could not account for the quantity of the electoral materials distributed to the unit. INEC has a responsibility to improve on the training and supervision of the election officials since their conduct has a direct bearing on the credibility of elections.
To improve the conduct of elections in Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Society Election Situation Room calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission to make concerted efforts to address the challenges and complaints arising from the gubernatorial election in Ondo State. INEC should review its internal logistic and operational procedures, looking specifically at issues such as late redeployment of election officials and late distribution of materials. These issues have serious impact on timely commencement of accreditation and voting. We also urge INEC to pay special attention on the training and supervision of election officials, particularly the ad hoc staff, as the conduct of these officials can question the credibility of the electoral process. Finally, we call on political leaders to exercise maturity and patriotism, and to avoid making unguarded statements that could create tension. Candidates and political parties have a responsibility to abide by the electoral law in dealing with complaints arising from the election.
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