An Evaluation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC and Its Role in General Election)
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
- To determine the nature and role of INEC in the conduct of the 2015 election.
- To determine the nature of the 2015 presidential election
- To examine the level of success recorded by the INEC in the management of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria
- To determine the problems associated with the conduct and management of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
INEC has been responsible for organizing election in Nigeria since 1999 however, the 2015 general elections was very unique in the anal of Nigeria’s electoral cycle for several reasons. It was in 2015 that the super powers had predicted that Nigeria will divide along different ethnic nationalities thereby marking the end of the Nigerian State. This election also was the first time that there was power turnover at the national level since independence. It was the first time an incumbent would concede defeat without resorting to litigation or people resorting to violence. It is against this background that this paper takes a critical look at the role of INEC at achieving this great feat and playing the role of a stabilizer in Nigeria’s match to nationhood and democratic consolidation.
Elections are for two main purposes in a democratic state. First it gives the voters the freedom to choose candidates to manage their affairs and secondly, it gives the candidates the opportunity to canvass for the votes of the electorate in a free and fair duel. “Elections provide essential validation for democracy by increasing the confidence of individual citizens in their ability to meaningfully participate in public life.” However when the citizen electorate faces repeated episodes of election rigging, political violence and disorderly administration, their fundamental trust in the institutions and processes of electoral rule may aptly dissipate and the benefits of election may turn to deficits. To avoid this ugly scenario the impartiality and fairness of the machinery and institutional processes put in place to regulate and conduct this contest becomes not only imperative but essential for a legitimate democratic rule. Unfortunately, elections in Nigeria have been replete with the twin malady of malpractices and violence that have severally threatened and many times successfully truncated democratic rule. Since the nascent democratic rule in Nigeria, the various succeeding elections of 2003 and 2007 were embroiled in controversy, rejection and legitimacy crisis given the massive fraud and violence that attended them. Although the blame for the electoral malfeasances witnessed in these two elections may not be completely laid on the shoulders of the electoral management body INEC, nevertheless INEC through acts of omission and commission contributed largely to the wide scale malpractices that characterized the 2003 and 2007 elections and the crisis of confidence they generated among the electorate as to the suitability of electoral democracy as a mechanism of choosing leaders and the ability/ impartiality of the electoral body to conduct a free and fair contest. Consequently, the 2011 election started on a pessimistic note as many Nigerians doubted the sincerity of INEC to conduct a credible election not minding the President’s repeated promise to conduct a free and fair contest and the appointment of Prof Attahiru Jega, a man known in various circles for his honesty and integrity as the new INEC chairman. Despite the high rating received by Prof Jega from Civil Society organizations and prominent Nigerians, many members of the public remained apprehensive that like most Nigerians the integrity of the new INEC boss will be jeopardized or ruined once in office as he may not be able to resist the pressures that come from the political class. Thus pessimism greeted the initial policy statements by the INEC boss that he will conduct a credible election in 2011. When he reported that INEC shall need about N85 billion to run a credible election, many Nigerians saw this as another opportunity to waste public funds. Nevertheless this request got the approval of the President and the National Assembly. This pessimism was not helped by the initial hiccups experienced during the voter registration exercise in which many of the registration machines fail to accept finger prints of prospective voters and thereby slowed the process and inculcated the fear that many prospective voters may not be able to get registered. INEC eventually rose to the occasion and improved the process that enabled many Nigerians of voting age to eventually get registered for the election Nigeria’s changed in political history is bedeviled with the gory tales of electoral malpractices which have significantly impacted negatively on the nation’s polity.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to evaluate the independent national electoral commission.
SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
- Primary source and
- Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment, the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on the study an evaluation of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC and its role in general Election). 200 staff of independent national electoral commission (INEC) was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
INTRODUCTION
It is pertinent to note that this research was aimed at evaluating the role of independent national electoral commission, thus the topic “An Evaluation of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC and Its Role In General Election”.
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges associated with electoral violence in Nigeria.
SUMMARY
We need to collectively renew our commitment to democracy and seek to place our country on an irreversible path of democratic governance. The INEC need to be strengthened to be truly independent to discharge its duties impartially. Democracy as Amartya (1999), argued guarantees freedom and development and is indeed, the sure antidote to war and hunger. The plausibility of democracy and its correlation with qualitative human development is evidenced in the World Bank (1989) study which discovered that out of 24 richest countries in the world, only 3 of them were not democratic and out of 42 of the poorest world countries, only 2 of them had never experienced democracy. Hence, the visible correlation between democracy, wealth creation and security has made democracy attractive to the world (Kukah, 2015). For instance, in 1973, only 32 per cent of the world’s population lived in free, democratic societies. Between 1990 and 1994, the member soared between 38 and 58 per cent; today, the statistics hover between 60 and 70 per cent consequent of China population. The essence of democracy is competition, inclusiveness and civil liberties. Democracy will die if it fails to serve as a platform for creating opportunities, managing diversities and encouraging the attainment of the common good. Over the years, Nigeria has been apparently defined in terms of Christianity, Islam, Northerners, minorities et.c, but General Buhari’s victory at the 2015 general elections has shown clearly that coalition and consensus building is imperative to election success and that no group can achieve it all alone.
CONCLUSION
Nigeria is still-fledgling democracy, political parties are important for performing system maintenance functions such as interest articulation and interest aggregation. Beyond these, they are important tools for managing diversity in a divided society like Nigeria, and play crucial roles in the sustainance of democracy in the face of centrifugal forces from the larger society. In the midst of individual level and aggregate or institutional factors affecting the credibility of Nigerian elections, we aver here that the altered political party configuration since the 2011 elections was a signal factor in assessments of the credibility or otherwise of the 2015 elections, and of the role of INEC in this process. Therefore, going forward, this propensity for the dominant political parties to make or mar the credibility of INEC and the electoral process must be systematically addressed by maintaining an active inter-party advisory council which works with INEC throughout the electoral cycle, and by better monitoring and closer regulation of media organizations which exploit the party differences to the detriment of citizens‟ positive perceptions of electoral integrity in Nigeria
RECOMMENDATION
The study recommend that INEC as an institution that conduct election in Nigeria should be holistically independent (in the appointment of the chairman and the finance of the body should be within the confides of the consolidated account of the federation which will ensure sincerity of purpose concerning free and fair elections in the country); INEC should work with the National Assembly and other stakeholders towards reviewing the relevant sections of the constitution and the Electoral Act to address all gaps and problems in the legal framework of electoral governance in the country. Such review should be concluded before the end of 2014. This is to ensure that the legal framework guiding subsequent elections is concluded in order to facilitate better understanding of the electoral process and enhanced electoral administration; INEC should be restructured in relation to its recruitment and staffing with emphasis placed on the definition job roles recruitments and the matching of such roles with relevant skill. Such restructuring should address the issue of staff redundancy and underutilization of personnel. Also, there should be definition of the duties and responsibilities of INEC department with regard to the discharge of the mandate of the commission; and electoral crime commission should be established to serve as a watchdog of the electoral commission.
REFERENCE
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