Come February 25 this year, the Nigerian electorate go to the poll to elect a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who ceases to pilot the affairs of the country after May 29, as well as National Assembly lawmakers, while governorship and state assembly candidates know their fate on March 11.

Candidates slugging it out for the hot seat in Aso Rock have been on the campaign trail selling their agenda to the Nigerian public.

Political and international relations expert, Dr Moses Duruji, in this interview with Simeon Ugbodovon, scrutinizes the political landscape.

In less than two weeks, Nigerians are heading to the poll, what makes this year’s election significant?

Thank you for that question. The 2023 General Election scheduled for February 25 and March 1i 2023, is the seventh in the series under the 4th Republic dispensation. It is going to be significant because, unlike previous elections, the Nigerian electorate has woken from their slumber and the indicators are right there for everyone to see. Nigerians now believe in the power of their votes to determine those who occupy public offices and leadership positions at different levels. Thanks to the newly amended 2022 Electoral Act which has inspired confidence in Nigerians that this time, their votes will count in the coming elections.

Do you see the electorate as being enlightened enough to wield the power of their voter card, what percentage is this? 

Yes, feelers from the streets across the length and breadth of the country show that the Nigerian electorate is upbeat to vote on February 25 and March 14 this year. So we are going to witness an unprecedented turnout of voters in significant proportion compared to previous elections where apathy was the order of the day. We saw signs in the surge of eligible Nigerians during the exercise of continuous voter registration (CVR) and the high turnout in the collection of Permanent voters cards (PVC). We saw unprecedented campaigns by civil society groups, churches, market groups, and youths, urging people to go out and register as well as collect their PVCs and how the calls were heeded. This is unlike previous years when voters feel unconcerned about these exercises.

Are there factors that weaken the remaining percentage of uninformed voters predisposing them to manipulation? 

Definitely, there are factors hindering voters – mainly from the part of the election management body the INEC which continues to show inefficiencies in carrying out their mandate, particularly in their handling of the CVR and collection of PVCs. So many Nigerians got frustrated and withdrew quietly. The idea of centralizing these exercises at the 774 Local Government headquarters imposed untold high financial cost, time and inconvenience on eligible Nigerians.

Secondly, there are still some Nigerians who believe that their votes will not count as was the case in the past. So the heightened voter enlightenment campaigns fall on deaf ears – more so the performance of elected politicians in the past does not inspire these ones to queue into the wave of enthusiasm right now. They see all politicians as the same who make promises that they fail to deliver in the end.

Let’s come to the election umpire, INEC do you see it poised to deliver a credible election, and are there indices to indicate INEC’s preparedness or otherwise?

Well INEC the election umpire as always have kept assuring Nigerians and the International community that they are fully prepared to conduct hitch-free elections though they are expressing concerns with the security situation and fuel scarcity persisting in the country which is out of their control.

But INEC preparedness will be tested on a national scale on February 25th and March 14th this year. In the past, we saw logistic problems overwhelming INEC despite assurances and leading to postponement and other chaos that marred those elections. Even though INEC has improved with their recent outings in the Anambra, Ondo and Osun Gubernatorial elections as well as reforms in the system including the introduction of technology such as the Bimordal Voter Accreditation System BVAS and Electronic transmission of Results to INEC server and the INEC Results viewing portal IREV, all of which will be tested on the national scale come February 25th and March 11th, unlike the isolated exercises in few states warranting full concentration of INEC officials.

Another disturbing concern is the recent ruling of the Osun state Election Tribunal that annulled the result declared by INEC citing overvoting in about 744 Polling Units (PUs). Though disputed as that is the ruling of the court of first instance as appeals are allowed up to Supreme Court questions of how are being asked by Nigerians. How reliable are INEC servers? How prepared are INEC staff and are they adequately trained to handle their assignments and resist temptation from desperate politicians? But in all, BVAS and Electronic transmission of Results have come to stay and Nigerians are counting down to February 25th.

Simeon Ugbodovon

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