(MENAFNEditorial) ABUJA Nigeria April 1 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Historic Elections
On Tuesday March 31st at 17:15 incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan conceded the Nigerian presidential elections to Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Upon his inauguration on May 29th Buhari will serve as Nigeria's president for a four year term from 2015 to 2019.
The elections are widely seen as an unprecedented success in Nigeria's democratic history. Although there were pockets of violence and some reports of electoral manipulation the voting process proceeded peacefully freely and fairly at the vast majority of the 150000 polling units. Moreover upon conceding defeat President Jonathan became the first sitting president in Nigeria's history to be defeated in an election.
As Hussaini Abdu Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria says: 'These elections have changed the course of democracy in Nigeria; for the first time in this country's history the people have born witness to – and participated in - a truly democratic electoral process. We will no longer accept anything less.
'That said these elections were not perfect. Although the few instances of electoral manipulation did not affect the overall credibility of the elections they are undoubtedly of concern and need to be appropriately addressed as we move forward as a country and grow as a democracy.'
The Challenges the President Will Face
According to Abdu 'This president will inherit more serious challenges than other presidents in Nigerian history. The world has heard about our widespread corruption and the Boko Haram insurgency but sadly that is only the beginning of the country's problems.'
Abdu explains: 'Nigeria has risen to the top as the largest economy in Africa but more and more of its people have sunk into poverty. Approximately 69% of Nigerians are currently living in poverty and 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school. The state of public services like health care water education and electricity is abysmal and the revenue needed to address these public service issues is dwindling. We have relied too heavily on oil which has plummeted in price our currency has been repeatedly and steeply devalued and endemic corruption in the public sector has stolen billions directly from the public purse. Then of course there is the issue of security; despite recent advancements Boko Haram continues to kill kidnap and displace men women and children in the north eastern part of the country. Over 3 million people have been displaced. It is safe to say that the challenges that the new president will inherit are immense.'
What Issues Should the President Prioritise
While there are a great number of issues that undoubtedly need to be urgently addressed ActionAid believes that security poverty eradication and the tackling of corruption should be those prioritised by the newly-elected president.
'Addressing poverty must be an immediate and long-term priority for the new president. The current levels of poverty in this country are completely and utterly unacceptable' states Abdu. 'We are the richest nation in Africa and yet over 100 million people live in poverty. It is deeply unjust but more than that it is dangerous.
'Boko Haram was able to take hold in Nigeria as a direct result of the impoverishment and marginalisation of the people. It is no coincidence that the insurgents' stronghold is the north-east of Nigeria where poverty is at its worst. Thus while an immediate military response is needed to push the insurgents back the effective implementation of pro-poor policies is needed to defeat them.
'To bring an end to poverty and insecurity in Nigeria Buhari must vastly improve public services and infrastructure tackle the corruption that plagues this country and look for alternate revenue sources such as the proper taxation of foreign companies. Currently Nigeria loses an average of 15 billion USD a year to illicit financial flows of which most are harmful tax practices. This lost revenue could put millions of out-of-school children back in a classroom.'
Holding the Government Accountable
While the president is ultimately responsible for the state of the country in the next four years citizens also have a key role to play.
'Nigerians are a very politically aware people' states Abdu 'but for too long we have chosen to discuss our political opinions and complaints with friends neighbours and colleagues rather than actively engage in the political process. This needs to stop. Citizenship comes with responsibilities as well as rights; it is now the responsibility of Nigerian citizens to spend the next four years holding Buhari and his government to account.
'With this election Nigerians have born witness to the power of a vote now we must carry that sense of empowerment and responsibility forward into months and years ahead. We must realise that democracy is not an election democracy is an ongoing process.'
Call for Post-Election Peace
Nigeria is all-too-familiar with post-election violence. In the 2011 elections hundreds of people were killed and properties destroyed when the results of the presidential elections were announced.
The electoral process in 2015 was relatively peaceful overall with the greatest act of violence coming reportedly carried out by Boko Haram not voters. But there have been incidences of electoral abuses and when this is embedded in the context of a hotly-contested race there is risk of post-electoral violence. However by graciously conceding to his opponent the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan has all but omitted the risk of wide-spread violence.
'Nigerians are a passionate people' says Country Director Hussaini Abdu. 'We are passionate about our country and we are passionate about our politics. But we must never let passion overrun our logic and reacting to the results of an election with violence is deeply illogical. Reacting with violence would undermine the democratic process and negate everything Nigeria has worked for as a nation. By conceding the presidency and calling on his party supporters to accept the results Jonathan has demonstrated that he supports this view. It was an enormously important act in upholding democracy and peace in Nigeria and we applaud him for it.'
'ActionAid urges all Nigerians to accept the results of the elections as fair and credible so that we as a united nation can move forward in building a better Nigeria. For those who reject the credibility of the elections we encourage them as Jonathan did to take appropriate legal action. Violence will not resolve the issues; it will only create new ones. '
The Electoral Process - Turnout and Security
The turnout of eligible voters on Saturday March 28 appears to have been relatively high. At most of the over 150000 polling units the process was conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner.
'Across the country Nigerians braved hours in the rain and the heat and in the north the violent threats of Boko Haram in order to cast their votes. On social media we saw a gravely ill man being brought to vote by nurses and an elderly individual brought to the polling unit in a wheelbarrow. It was an election where citizens seemed to understand that their vote could truly make a difference. The collective sense of purpose was almost palpable.'
Unfortunately in a few areas this positivity of the people was undermined by acts or threats of violence. In a few circumstances the violence was externally motivated – such as the attacks by Boko Haram in Gombe State. In a small number of other cases violence arose as frustrations set in due to electoral delays or abuses. The largest reaction was in Rivers State where thousands took to the streets to protest against the absence of electoral officials and materials. A few isolated acts of violence occurred during these protest.
'Although the electoral violence was relatively limited violence in any form for any reason and to any degree is unacceptable and must be condemned and the persecutors held to account' says Abdu. 'But while we condemn those who instigated it we must also commend those who defy it. In the North-East thousands of women and men who have experienced the terror of Boko Haram first-hand defied all warning by the insurgents and came out in great numbers to participate in the democratic process. These people are inspirations to the democratic process.'
The Challenges and Credibility of the Elections
Although ActionAid sees the electoral process as being credible overall there were a number of issues that are of concern and need to be addressed before the next presidential elections in 2019 and ideally before Nigerians head to the polls again on April 11th to elect State Governors and members of the State Houses of Assembly.
The most serious issue is that of electoral abuses. Polling units in different areas of the country reported various types of electoral interference from the destruction of ballot papers and boxes to the use of scare tactics such as firing weapons into the air to disperse potential voters.
'It must be stressed that although we view the elections as free fair and credible overall this does not mean we are overlooking or tolerating the electoral abuses reported from numerous polling units' states Abdu. 'These acts are unjustifiable and must be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. Moreover we must learn from the weakness in the process that permitted these acts and seek to correct them in future elections.'
The second issue was with the improper use of new electronic devices that read and accredit permanent voters' cards. The Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said only 1% of the polling units faced significant delays because of the card readers. In almost every case it appeared as if the issues were improper handling and use of the machines or the use of faulty cards rather than machine malfunctioning. While these may be statistically insignificant to the credibility of the elections these weaknesses should be rectified moving forward.
The third significant issue was that of logistical delays. Officials and materials were late to arrive at a significant number of polling stations despite previous preparations.
ActionAid is part of a consortium of civil society organisations that has been monitoring the elections and collectively we have brought forward our concerns to the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission (INCE) and other relevant bodies. Our statements on these issues can be found here: www.situationroom.placng.org
Was Buhari the Right Choice?
As a neutral organisation ActionAid has no opinion on which candidate or party we would prefer to have in office. The organisation respects the will and decision of the collective people.
'ActionAid does not align itself with any political party or candidate' states Abdu. 'We align ourselves with people living in poverty. As Buhari enters office we will continue to work in solidarity with the poor to bring the issues that affect them to the attention of the president and his government and to hold the government to account. We urge Buhari to engage with civil society to ensure that effective policies and programmes are created with the needs of poor and marginalised people at their centre.'
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