Imo , Kogi, Bayelsa Gubernatorial Elections Will Suffer Credibility Deficiency – HURIWA
BY CHIBUEZE CHUKWUMA, Owerri
Count down to the upcoming off-cycle Governorship elections scheduled for November 11, 2023, in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States, the Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has expressed deep reservations and disappointments regarding the integrity of the electoral process in Nigeria.
HURIWA also said due to the manipulations and electoral robbery that characterized the February 25th, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly election, the off-season election in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi will witness massive voters apathy due to unfulfilled promises and expectations from the ethically challenged election management body- INEC under Yakubu Mahmood.
This was made known through a statement made available to newsmen by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recently announced its plans to conduct a mock accreditation exercise for these elections using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
According to the human rights group, while this is a welcome step towards enhancing transparency, they cannot ignore the failures of INEC in previous elections, particularly the Presidential Election held on February 25th, 2023.
While revealing that during the February 25th Presidential Election, INEC had promised to use BVAS to announce results simultaneously from polling booths, which would have significantly bolstered the credibility of the electoral process.
However, the civil rights group pointed out that these promises were left unfulfilled, and the voters, were left in the dark about the real-time progress of the election.
The group highlighted that Such unfulfilled promises erode trust in the electoral system and leave us disillusioned.
“Moreover, the series of annulments of elections by different Tribunals following that election only serves as a collective vote of no confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections. We fear that this lack of confidence in INEC’s leadership may cast a shadow over the upcoming off-cycle Governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa States.
“We are equally concerned about the performance of the security agencies, particularly the police, during the electoral process. Past experiences have shown that the security forces often fall short of their duty to maintain law and order, which further undermines the credibility of the elections. There is a real risk that the poor performance of the police could continue and, in fact, worsen during these upcoming elections.”
They submitted that In light of these concerns, “We call upon INEC to demonstrate unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and the use of technology to enhance the electoral process. We urge the commission to ensure that BVAS is effectively deployed in real-time during the forthcoming elections, to prevent any doubts about the credibility of the results.”
HURIWA also called for greater oversight and accountability in the operations of INEC and the security agencies involved in election security. The rights group stressed that It is imperative that the electoral process is free from undue influence, corruption, and ineptitude.
“As Citizens who value the principles of democracy, we remain vigilant and committed to holding our electoral institutions accountable. We hope that our concerns will be addressed, and that the upcoming off-cycle Governorship elections will be conducted with the utmost transparency, fairness, and integrity.”
