Emeka Ibemere
No
doubt, this year’s general election was going to be the 5th election to be
conducted since the end of military rule in 1999. And it’s generating lots of
local, regional and international interests.
On
March 28, Nigerians would be filling out en-mass to elect the President,
Governors and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Before
now, the election was first scheduled to be held on 14 February 2015, but
postponed by six weeks, to 28 March 2015.
The
sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan would be seeking a second and final term
in office.
However,
the tension and excited actions or impressive display of the political class
and their followers away from the norms of the election process and campaign
utterances of candidates and their parties leaves much to be desired.
Several
surveys have predicted that the election wasn’t going to be ‘landslide victory’
as the usual ones. This has made the election pitted a struggling incumbent
president against an ex-military strongman, both of them using U.S. Democratic
political strategists to help their campaigns.
Report
said two firms that are political allies in America, are working on opposite
sides in Nigeria’s presidential election.
It
was gathered that one was the strategy group founded by former Obama campaign
manager, David Axelrod, AKPD Message and Media. The other is former Howard Dean
campaign manager Joseph Trippi of The Potomac Square Group. The two U.S.
consulting firms entered into Nigeria to advise campaigns, and do a work that
can win influence for their other clients.
J.
Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Atlantic Council, a
Washington-based think tank said the consultants have already become an issue.
“This
issue won’t by itself sway the minds of many voters so much as perhaps
reinforce their inclinations.”
Jonathan’s
campaign team is working with Trippi’s firm while the opposition party
reportedly hired AKPD.
AKPD’s
Nigerian work has already drawn media attention in the U.S. and Nigeria,
including reports of leaked emails that discussed the firm’s recent work for
Buhari’s party.
Jonathan,
too, is said to have faced backlash over a third U.S. public relations firm,
Levick Strategic Communications, which was hired in June, 2014.
All
of this occurred before Nigeria’s independent election commission last week
postponed the election from Feb. 14 to March 28, a decision decried by Buhari’s
supporters.
Some
foreign countries, expressed concern at the postponement of Nigeria’s election
until the end of March, with Washington warning that the government should not
use precarious security as a reason for stalling on democracy.
John
Kerry, the US secretary of state, said America was “deeply disappointed” by the
decision, and added: “It is critical that the government not use security
concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process. The international
community will be watching closely as the Nigerian government prepares for
elections on the newly scheduled dates.”
Philip
Hammond, Britain’s foreign secretary said the postponement was cause for
concern. “The security situation should not be used as a reason to deny the
Nigerian people from exercising their democratic rights. It is vital that the
elections are kept on track and held as soon as possible.”
Looming
large over both candidates is international pressure to make sure that the
election is free, fair and violence free.
Foreign
organizations and countries wouldn’t want the repeat of 2011, when Jonathan
beat Buhari with 59 percent of the vote. About 1000 people died in unrest
following that election.
The
two party’s effective actions are shaping and conveying messages which
apparently have attracted the eyes of International communities. Meanwhile,
European Union, EU has deployed Election Observation Mission in Nigeria, since
January, 2015.
In
response to an invitation by the Nigerian authorities, the European Union
deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the Presidential,
House of Representatives, Senate and then Gubernatorial and State Assembly
elections in Nigeria, before the elections were rescheduled for March 28 and
April 11. Federica Mogherini, High
Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
and Vice-President of the European Commission, was to head the team as Chief
Observer and Mr Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, a Member of the European Parliament.
"The EU stands with Nigerians in their
efforts to ensure democratic elections and respect of Rule of Law. This is all
the more critical as the country is confronted with the challenge of fighting
Boko Haram terrorism”, Mogherini stated.
“I
call on all stakeholders to work toward transparent and credible elections and
to reject violence. Under the leadership of Chief Observer Fisas I am confident
that the EU EOM will provide an important contribution".
The
EU’s EOM has already followed closely the early stages of the process with an
advance team deployed in November and December to assess the political parties'
primaries and the voter registration.
Newswatch
Times gathered that a core team of eight election analysts had arrived on 6
January in Abuja. On 12 January, they were joined by 30 long-term observers who
would be deployed across the country. A
delegation of the European Parliament and Nigeria-based EU diplomats would
reinforce the mission on election days.
The
EOM said they are going to remain in Nigeria until the electoral process is
completed.
“Its
long-term presence will help provide an in depth-assessment of the process. The
EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement shortly after each Election Day and a
Final Report with recommendations at a later stage”, EU statement reads.
“The
EU has been very much engaged in supporting electoral processes in Nigeria and
previously deployed EOMs in 2003, 2007 and 2011. The mission complements the European Union’s
support to the Nigerian election authorities and civil society”.
“At
the invitation of the Nigerian authorities to observe the 2015 Presidential,
National Assembly, Governor and State Houses elections of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, the European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU
EOM). The EU EOM is led by Chief Observer Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, Member of the
European Parliament from Spain. The mission comprises a core team of nine
analysts, 30 long-term observers, a delegation of the European Parliament and
diplomats in Nigeria”.
The
EOM said they are committed to deliver a comprehensive long-term assessment of
the highest quality on the entire electoral process, including voter
registration, party primaries, the campaign, the election administration,
election days, complaints and appeals. The EU has sent observation missions to
the last three general elections.
On
March 28, elections would take place for the President, the Senate and the
House of Representatives. Two weeks later elections for the Governors and the
State Houses of Assembly would take place.
The
EU has described the general elections in Nigeria as a test for the country's
democracy. The EU team also stressed the need for electoral justice, urging
Nigerian voters to remember that violence does not change the results of
elections.
The
EU’s chief observer, Santiago Fisas, made the comments at a press conference in
Abuja. He disclosed that the observer team would be looking at the entire
process over an extended period with more than 90 observers on election days.
“In
my meetings with senior representatives they talked of honoring the Abuja
Accord, for the elections to be peaceful”, he said. “Violence does not change
results. It is also of course critical that the elections are fair, transparent
and credible, and there is electoral justice. It is up to the institutions, the
political parties, and the people of Nigeria to make this happen,” he added.
The
EU observer also stated that the elections are a crucial and challenging test
for democracy in Nigeria, adding that the polls are important not just for
Nigeria and its neighboring countries, but also for the European Union.
“We
already had advance analysts here for the primaries who noted that they passed
relatively peacefully, but the system is problematic with restrictions on the
right to stand and therefore reduced choice for voters on election day,” said
Mr. Fisas. He stated that his monitoring group plans to stay longer “as the
petitions process is critical.”
According
to him, the EU would “observe and analyze each component of the process,
carefully considering how those competing and voting in the elections are
served. We will give our preliminary assessment two days after each Election
Day. A final report, including recommendations for future elections, will be
published at a later stage. The EU EOM will always be impartial and objective
and will not interfere.
Areas
to be covered in the EU-EOM’s comprehensive evaluation of the elections will
include the following: assessment of the legal framework; the performance of
the election administration; voter registration; candidates’ nomination and
political parties primaries; campaign activities; respect for fundamental
freedoms; access to and conduct of the media; voting and the counting; the
announcement and acceptance of results; and complaints and appeals.
“We all know there are technical challenges with
this election, with the collection of voter cards, the use of new technology
with the card readers, and delays in the petitions process.”
Meanwhile,
the EU and the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
the monitoring of the elections. The event, which took place at the Tafawa
Balewa House, Abuja, had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, who signed on behalf of Nigeria,
while the Charge d’Affaires of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Alan Munday, signed on behalf of
the EU.
In
his remarks, Sheni said Nigeria welcomed the EU as observers of the forthcoming
elections because of the importance of neutral observers in the electoral
process.
Sheni
noted that such observers lend credibility to and legitimacy of the elections,
saying that was precisely the reason Nigeria was willing to sign the MoU with
the EU delegation.
While
saying that the EU observed the 2011 elections, which he said was declared one
of the freest and fairest elections in Nigeria, Sheni stated that the Chairman
of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega,
has confirmed that the 2015 elections would be conducted under the best
international practices.
“We,
therefore, count on our partners to continue to assist INEC to live up to its
place as clearly expressed by the chairman,” Sheni said. “I want to stress that Nigeria is committed
to having free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful elections,” Sheni
declared.
On
his part, Munday said the reason why the EU was willing to observe elections in
partner countries each time it was invited was due to the fact that democracy
is the cornerstone of the EU. “We support democracy in all our partner
countries where they wish to, and in the case of Nigeria, in a young democracy,
to strengthen the democratic process, the democratic principles,” Munday said.
While
noting that the objective of any observer mission was not to criticize, Munday
stated that it was to deliver an independent report to the authorities of the
inviting countries, with a view to, in the future, if there are things that
could be made better, to again improve the democratic processes.
The
international bodies accredited for observing the 2015 elections include the
diplomatic missions of nine countries in Nigeria: the United States of America
(USA), Australia, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland,
Japan and Switzerland. Other major non-state international bodies accredited
for the elections are the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
(IFES); the International Republican Institute (IRI); the National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs; the United Nations Democratic Governance
for Development Project (UNDP-DGD); UN Women; the European Union Delegation to
Nigeria; the ECOWAS Commission; and the African Students Association of
Ireland.
Some
of these international groups have already started working in refining and
deepening Nigeria’s democratic process. For instance, the delegations of the
National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the IRI, led by former US Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mr. George Moose, have already
concluded a five-day pre-election mission to Nigeria.
It
was reported that during the mission, the teams visited different parts of the
country and assessed the preparations for the general elections. They have also
not been shy in bringing to the attention of the authorities any lapses they
have noticed so far in the run-in to the elections.
One
of such areas which, they observed that require urgent remediation is the
delayed distribution of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) by INEC. The
international observers urged INEC to complete, as a matter of urgency, the
distribution of the permanent voters’ cards to all eligible voters. They also
urged INEC to complete urgently the procurement of card readers and
simultaneously communicate relevant information on these issues to the
electorate as soon as possible.
The
delegation also urged INEC to embark on an extensive voter education campaign
to demonstrate to the public the use of new technology such as PVCs and card
readers. The group also advised INEC to accelerate the recruitment and training
of polling officials and explore ways to increase voting by internally
displaced persons (IDPs).
The
group reportedly observed that unlike the three previous elections conducted in
1999, 2003 and 2007; the 2011 elections were successfully conducted, marking a
“turning point in the country’s democratic trajectory.”
The
UN secretary general, Ban Ki‑moon,
urged officials to take all necessary measures to enable Nigerians to vote “in
a timely manner”, including rapid distribution of voter cards. “This is imperative for
ensuring a credible, free and transparent election,” his spokesman said.
Also,
a team from the Political Section of the High commission in London visited Jos,
Plateau State from 11 – 12 December, last year.
The
delegation also met with The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Plateau State,
Mr. Habu Zarma, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Nasiru Oki, and various
representatives of Civil Society, many of which are engaged in various
community cohesion related project activities. Discussions focused on the
security situation in Jos and the upcoming elections. The delegation was saddened by the suicide
bombings in central Jos that occurred on the evening of the visit and took over
30 lives.
A
student of International studies, Joseph Akondu, said a violence or political
impasse could affect the foreign countries because of the position of Nigeria
in Africa. He said with the rampaging Boko Haram activities, such political
crises could potentially destabilize neighboring African countries and
compromise U.S. interests in Africa.
According
to him, Obama’s administration has little interest over Nigerian politics,
which is driven by domestic factors and even less leverage over the Nigerian
security services.
Nigeria
was disappointed by the United State for not giving her support to counter Boko
Haram.
It
would be recalled that there was a November 2014 Council Special Report:
"U.S. Policy to Counter Nigeria's Boko Haram", where US recommended
long-term steps the United States should take to encourage a Nigerian response
to terrorism that advances democracy, rule of law, and respect for human
rights. In the short term, vocal U.S. support for democracy and human rights
both during and after the elections could help discourage violence at the polls
and after the results are announced. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a
preelection visit to Nigeria, has already underscored the importance of free,
fair, and credible elections to the bilateral relationship.
Nigerians
who spoke to our correspondent said US and their allies shouldn’t take side in
the internal democracy of Nigeria and avoid making utterances that could even
worsen the political tension.
Observers
from the National Democratic Institute and the International Republic Institute
are likely to issue preliminary assessments immediately after the polls close.
So, too, will observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the
African Union. There are expectations that there will be media pressure for
early, official comments.
Two
of Nigeria’s top diplomats vowed Wednesday that their nation’s postponed
elections will occur March 28, and accused the Obama administration of
promoting a false narrative that President Goodluck Jonathan is bent on using
the security crisis around the terrorist group Boko Haram as a ruse to stay in
power.
Nigerian
Foreign Minister Aminu Bashir Wali and Ambassador to Washington Ade Adefuye
asserted that Nigeria badly wants to buy American weapons to fight Boko Haram
but continues to be stiff-armed by the Obama administration because of concerns
of the government’s human right record.
The
two diplomats said Washington’s overall relationship with Nigeria, which boasts
Africa’s largest economy, has grown stronger in recent years, but they said the
relationship has suffered from poor communication and miscalculated public
pronouncements from top Obama administration officials.
The
Nigerian officials said Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s public condemnation
this month of INEC’s decision to postpone the election by six weeks, early this
month fueled hysteria about a failure of democracy. What’s worse, Mr. Bashir
Wali and Mr. Adefuye claimed, the State Department itself had helped fund a
report that outlined how Boko Haram-related security risks could have ruined
the election had it not been postponed.
The
report, prepared jointly in January by the International Republican Institute
and National Democratic Institute, said mayhem being sewn by the Islamist
terror group in northern Nigeria would “mean the disenfranchisement of a large
number of voters,” a factor that would “well call into question the legitimacy
of the election.”
“Holding
the vote as planned on Feb. 14 would have been a catastrophe in view of the
challenges that were enumerated in the report,” said Mr. Adefuye. Mr. Kerry’s
statement “was oblivious of the facts of the report,” he said.
“American
opinion is highly respected in Nigeria,” the ambassador added, noting that
Nigeria’s lead opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, has “harped on
the statement to make these allegations” first made by Mr. Kerry.
Mr.
Kerry suggested on Feb. 7 that U.S. officials were wary of the Jonathan
government meddling in the election process, warning that “political
interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission is
unacceptable, and it is critical that the government not use security concerns
as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.”
Mr.
Bashir Wali rejected the insinuation. He also pushed back against U.S. news
reports citing anonymous officials in Nigeria who claimed President Jonathan’s
ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is putting heavy pressure on the
election commission’s leadership to delay the vote.
“We
have nothing to hide,” he said. “This is propaganda by the opposition, when the
reality is that the PDP and President Jonathan are totally committed to
democracy in Nigeria.”
Mr.
Bashir Wali added that Nigeria’s elections were similarly postponed but with
far less fanfare at the last minute in 2011, and that the delay this time
around was justified by multiple factors.
Among
them, he said, is the fact that thousands of Nigerian military personnel would
not be able to provide security at polling stations because they are fighting
Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. He also said the election commission is
woefully behind in distributing required voter identification cards to millions
of the nation’s citizens.
Mr.
Bashir Wali said he is confident both factors would be resolved by late March,
and said that there is no question the election would take place on March 28.
Meanwhile,
the Federal Government cautioned members of the diplomatic community against making
what it termed “unguarded utterances” on matters that are strictly within the
domestic jurisdiction of Nigeria.
Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, gave the warning in Abuja, at an
interactive session with the diplomatic community over the shift of the general
election.
Wali
expressed “the strong displeasure of the Federal Government with the conduct of
some heads of mission”, who have continued to breach the laid down diplomatic
channels of communication.
According
to him, some heads of mission “have continued to behave in an imperial manner
and in clear breach of the channel of the diplomatic communication.
“A
situation, where a head of mission takes on the role of a government, seeking
to impose the views and perspectives of his government and making unguarded
utterances on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of the
host country is totally unacceptable.
“It
is only in this country that I have noticed some envoys, who have taken it upon
themselves and without recourse to the government to embark on social causes
and political advocacy that are totally unrelated to conventional diplomacy and
representational duties of ambassadors.”
The
minister pointed out that Nigerian envoys abroad do not behave in such manners.
“It
is, therefore, unacceptable for envoys to abuse their privileges and immunities
by behaving in a manner that would have been met with the opprobrium in their
countries were Nigerian ambassadors to behave in like manner.
“Let
me be clear on this, the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the
excesses of such heads of mission.
“They
are, hereby, advised to operate within the norms and etiquette of diplomatic
intercourse,” he said.
The
minister declared that with the support of Nigerians and the international
community, the elections would hold as rescheduled and in a peaceful and
violence-free atmosphere.
