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Independent National Electoral Commission And Democratic Consolidation In Nigeria
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For instance, political
campaigns in the pre- election period were often heated and non-issue
based. In several states across the country, the pre-election period
therefore recorded varying degrees of election related violence. Indeed,
the election was generally, described as the most keenly contested
election in the history of Nigeria. The INEC itself came under severe
criticisms for the decision to introduce an electronic accreditation
process which critics described as too premature, given the country’s
poor state of infrastructure particularly with regards to power supply.
Critical to the introduction of the card readers were the issues of
disenfranchisement which elicited apathy and loss of interest in the
democratic process.
Against the foregoing background a number of
issues concerning INECs performance in the administration of the 2015
general elections are germane. What are the basic steps in the election
administration process? Which of these steps have been the most
controversial and problematic aspects of the elections conducted by INEC
from 1999-2011, and how has INEC fared in the administration of the
2015 general elections? Interrogating these issues are critical for
understanding the trajectory of election administration in Nigeria and
the role INEC is playing in the consolidation of democracy in the
country.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Elections in
Nigeria continue to elicit more than casual interest by Nigerian
scholars due to the fact that despite the appreciation that only
credible election can consolidate and sustain the country’s nascent
democracy. As observed by most scholars, over the years, Nigeria
continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension
inability to conduct peaceful, free and fair, open elections whose
results are widely accepted and respected across the country (Igbuzor,
2010; Osumah and Aghemelo, 2010, Ekweremadu, 2011). The above
observation is not out of place because given that elections conducted
in Nigeria since independence have generated increasingly bitter
controversies and grievances on a national scale due to the twin
problems of mass violence and fraud that have become central elements of
the history of elections and of the electoral process in the country.
Despite
the marked improvement in the conduct of the 2011 elections, the
process was not free from malpractices and violence (Bekoe, 2011;
Gberie, 2011; National Democratic Institute, 2012). Thus over the years,
electoral processes in the history of Nigeria’s democratic governance
have continued to be marred by extraordinary displays of rigging, dodgy,
“do or die†affair, ballot snatching at gun points, violence and
acrimony, thuggery, boycotts, threats and criminal manipulations of
voters' list, brazen falsification of election results, the use of
security agencies against political opponents and the intimidation of
voters (Bekoe, 2011).
In fact elections remain one of the leading
notable sources of conflict which often result to confrontations that
continue to threaten the political stability and peace of the nation
(Omotola, 2010). Scholars have attributed this problem of election
credibility in Nigeria to the weak institutionalization of the agencies
of electoral administration, particularly the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), the political parties and security agencies
in the country arguing that elections can only engender the
consolidation of democracy in Nigeria if the electoral processes are
reformed in ways that fundamentally address the autonomy and capability
of INEC to discharge its responsibilities effectively and the security
agencies high degree of neutrality, alertness, and commitment to
maintaining law and order in the electoral process (Omotola, 2010;
Idowu, 2010).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study investigated the impact of the INEC as an electoral management body on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. This was premised on the observation Nigeria continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension as to its inability to conduct peaceful, free, fair and open elections in which results are widely accepted and respected across the country. The objectives of this study were among others, to examine the impact of the introduction of electronic accreditation process o ... Continue reading---
