2007 elections will be very peaceful--Prof. Iwu, INEC Chair

The job comes with numerous challenges. There are the challenges of priming the personnel at the Commission to meet the task of conducting a successful and credible election. There are the challenges of getting the law makers to pass the enabling laws for the Commission to effectively function and also appropriate the fund to successfully undertake the assignment. Then there is the big challenge of combating the deep seated cynicism in our society, which does not allow our people to believe in themselves anymore or believe that we as a people can still do things correctively. There are challenges, but I am convinced that we will eventually get it right. In fact, the country has no choice as it were than to get it right. It is high time we actualize the great potentials of this country. I do not have any regrets. I am a very focused person, I am aware that I have a date with history and that I am not here on a popularity contest.

There must be things you relish in your job as INEC chairman. What are they? Do you have any regrets?

One of the things we have done at the Commission is to open up the political space, to allow Nigerians far more opportunities to say what they want and how they want us to move to achieve the desired results of a successful election. In doing this we started the stakeholders’ election fora across the country. This programme has been inaugurated in all the state capitals. The local government and ward levels of the initiative are presently going on. The response of Nigerians to this dialogue has been most encouraging. Across the country, ordinary people, political leaders and traditional rulers are showing that there is hope for the country, contrary to what we are often made to believe in the disposition of few self-serving elite citizens who always take to the media to create impressions that are not reflective of what majority of the people truly believe. I have continued to see determination in the eyes of Nigerians, love for the country and a burning desire to make progress. These are the things I see which I relish. I am elated that we are bringing some innovations in the electoral system ad by so doing creating the framework for sustainable democracy in Nigeria. No, I have no regrets whatsoever. Why should anyone have regrets being called upon to serve his fatherland?

Technically and structurally speaking, which areas of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are prone to fraud, neglect, abdication of responsibility etc.? Why?

I do not think there is any particular area of the electoral process or the work of the Commission that can be isolated as being prone to fraud or neglect. Conducting election is a critical duty that requires commitment and attention to detail. Technically and structurally, what we have been doing is taking steps to strengthen the Commission’s operations in all areas. That way, there will be no room for negligence or abdication of duties. There is a conceptual problem which we are now solving, that is, before now we regard elections as an event and not a process or even cycles of various processes that require careful strategic planning and implementation.

The 2007 elections are around the corner. How is INEC getting prepared on the ground to ensure free and fair elections? Is INEC capable of conducting elections devoid of fraud?

INEC can and will conduct a successful election, free of manipulations and fraud. The problem of our society today is a high level of cynicism and self doubt, such that many no longer believe in our ability as a people to do anything well. But is that who we are? Our society has had its fair share of problems and self-inflicted drawbacks in the process of development, but which society has been without its own problems, now or in the past? So, INEC is preparing assiduously to conduct a successful election in 2007.We have the will, the capability and the track record to make a success of the assignment and it will be so. The preparations are on course. The Commission is doing its part quite well. There are other aspects of the preparation or essential requirements for the preparations that are outside the control of the Commission. I am referring particularly to the enabling law and the appropriation necessary for a successful conduct of the election. Once these elements are taken care of by the appropriate arms of government, everything will be ok.

Generally speaking, many Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora are pessimistic about INEC conducting free and fair elections. How are you going to combat this perennial cynicism towards INEC?

As I had said earlier, it is unfortunate that we have come to this rather pitiable state where our people no longer believe in themselves and where people doubt that anything good can and will come out of this society. The question to ask is this; the people who do not believe that INEC can conduct a free and free election, who do they believe can do so? If such people are in existence they ought to come forward and offer themselves to the nation for such a critical assignment. And it is not only in conducting election, it stretches to various aspects of our existence as a people. Who do we believe can do anything these days? Cynicism does exist, but it becomes very dangerous when it gets to the level of a people not believing that anything good can happen to them. But I bet you, it goes round. Any one who believes that only he or someone he nominates has the magic wand will be stunned by how others will also be cynical about what he represents. I don’t spend myself thinking of how to tackle anybody’s cynicism. I occupy myself with working to conduct a very successful, credible and free election. When we deliver on that those who are locked up in cynicism can go on. This country just has to move on and actualize its enormous potentials.

How accurate is the voters register? Has it been updated lately?

We cannot talk at the moment of an existing accurate voters register because it does not exist. This again is one of the key aspects of our focus with the electronic voters register, which is a component of the Electronic Voting System which a lot of people do not yet appreciate. What we used to have in the country is a situation where every time there will be an election, we embark on completely fresh voters registration. And the register so produced virtually lapses after each election. With the electronic voters register we will have a permanent register that can only be upgraded at relevant times. With this, citizens who reach the age of voting will simply walk into the appropriate registry and have their names enrolled. Also names in the register which are no longer tenable, such as the dead, will be expunged. The voters register revalidation will commence soon, to be precise by the beginning of April. The exercise had been scheduled to commence earlier, but then we had to wait for appropriation to enable us do so, among other things.

INEC is planning to introduce E-Voting for the 2007 elections. How prepared is Nigeria? Has the system been field-tested to remove the potential bugs? Is the electorate ready to use the e-voting system?

What we are talking about is the Electronic Voting System (EVS). It is important to clarify that this is different from e-voting per se. Nigerians are ready for the electronic voting system. They are not only ready; they deserve to have credible documentation of voters and credible balloting and credible results of elections. To go through it once more, the electronic voting system consists of four components. There is the electronic voters register, which I explained few moments ago. Then there is the authentication of voters. This will also be electronically driven. This simply means that the system we are setting up will ensure that only the person who registers to vote will vote. Nobody else can use your voters’ card to vote because the card will have sufficient details as will authenticate whether the person who comes to vote with it is the real owner or an impostor. And you can only vote at the exact center where you are registered to vote. This is the second arm of the EVS. The fourth component is the automatic transmission of the election result. Using dependable communication technology, we will ensure that the results from the various polling stations across the country are transmitted instantly and quickly released. Like the first two arms of the EVS, we already have the capability for doing this for all parts of the country. We are only fine-tuning the system. Now, the question is, what is wrong with these improvements in our organizing election? What aspect of these outlined procedures are Nigerians not ready? There is nothing high-tech about these as far as the voters are concerned. It requires no higher education or sophistication than was hitherto the case.

I purposely skipped the third arm of the electronic voting system, so that we will discuss it last. This is the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).This is the very aspect of EVS which some people have picked up and without understanding it fully, have gone about running down the whole EVS because of it. First, the electronic voting machine is not dependent on electricity supply. We have said that severally. Secondly; its use does not require any higher education or sophistication from the voters than they presently have. With the electronic voting machine, the voter will have the same access to the balloting tool. The difference is that where he used to have a piece of paper before him which can be abused and undermined, he will now have a flat board before him which will have the logo of the parties and the image of the candidates. The voter will simply thumb print on the candidate of his choice and pronto the vote cast will be transmitted to the various centers of documentation. That way, there will be no ballot box to carry and the votes cast will register in at least three different centers simultaneously. There will be no room for manipulating the results in this case. Now, the EVM is the aspect of the EVS which we have not taken a final decision on. We have said it severally that we are ONLY conducting a pilot scheme to test out our possible options and the logistics of using it in Nigeria. The other three components of the electronic voting system will be in use in the 2007 election. That is already there. After piloting the EVM, if Nigerians are satisfied with it, we will use it. If it is found unsuitable for now, we will defer its adoption. So all these hair splitting over the EVM is not necessary. But let me make it clear here, those who are mounting all sorts of campaign against the EVM because they believe it is only thing standing between them and rigging election are missing the point. With the other aspects of the electronic voting system, they will be checkmated. Such people should not continue to deceive Nigerians by telling them the EVM is not good for them. The EVS as a whole is not good for those who plan to cheat in the election.

It may also be interesting to note that the EVM was first endorsed by the National Political Reform Conference in 2005, not INEC. Then in 2005, without any request by INEC, a provision was made by the National Assembly in the 2005 budget for the Commission to conduct a pilot project on electronic voting machine. It was also some members of the National Assembly that invited the first vendors to demonstrate the equipment to their members. While we will consider the use of an appropriate balloting method, we have not yet decided on the method for 2007 elections. Further more, regardless of the method used, there will be a paper trail. The question is whether we should use ballot previously printed papers (as in 2003) or use in-situ machine generated ballots. That is a determination we shall make after the pilot study. Technological intervention is not a prerequisite for a credible election; it is only an appropriate response to a troubled system. In the Gambia, pebbles dropped in individual party boxes are used for elections and the whole country accepts it as a true reflection of the voters’ intent. We must change. Elections are not “do or die” affair.

Thanks for the clarification. How could Nigerians in the Diaspora help you to achieve your goal for Nigeria? What role would you want Nigerians in the Diaspora to play?

Nigerians living outside the shores of the motherland are as critical in national development as those living within. Indeed, in many instances where those citizens living abroad have better exposure due to the level of sophistication of their places of abode, such as those living in USA and Europe, there is a responsibility on these citizens to help in pulling the rest of the society along. What I mean is that in areas like enlightening Nigerians and availing them of information, I expect Nigerians abroad with the advantage of the sophistication of the society they live in, to play a key role in getting the rest of their compatriots better informed. I will also like Nigerians living abroad to do more marketing of Nigeria in its positive attributes to the world. Already, many Nigerians are doing this through their work and the quality they offer in their various professional fields. There is need for more concerted effort to get our country to attain its potentials. We have more credits than negatives.

Many countries allow their citizens living overseas to vote through absentee balloting – by mail or at their respective embassies – in their national elections. Ghana allows its citizens living abroad to vote in its national election. Why are Nigerians in the Diaspora not allowed to vote by mail, in Nigerian embassies/consulate and or by electronic voting?

The issue of citizens abroad voting in their national elections is a constitutional matter. Unfortunately, our constitution does not make provision for that at the moment. It will be nice to have Nigerians abroad express their wish also in the choice of the national leadership. May be, the citizens living abroad should take up the matter with the legislature, with a view to having an appropriate constitutional provision. But then, you can see the extent of harm done to all of us by what you call perennial cynicism? If as is the case at the moment some people are mounting campaign against the adoption of electronic voting system to enhance our electoral operation, what do you think such people will say if we propose to allow Nigerians living overseas vote either through mail or electronically? They will input all sorts of motives to the proposal. Such is the problem we contend with.

What is your response to President Obasanjo’s anti-corruption actions? Is the campaign convincing? What more do you expect in any such campaign against corruption in the country? Is INEC free from corruption?

I believe it will take a little while before Nigerians fully appreciate the world of good done to them and the country by the President’s spirited fight against corruption. Virtually all the problems that drag this country back today are related to corruption, one way or another. The war against corruption is clearly recording positive impact in the society already, but as I said earlier, in due course, Nigerians will appreciate more the good, albeit challenging work the President has taken on. Every patriot should be in full support of the war. At INEC, we are doing our part, our utmost best to have an institution that is not bugged down by inefficiency and selfish considerations. The encouraging thing is that the system is imbibing the wholesome ethics of our aspiration.

How better off is the image of Nigeria now before the world? What are your responsibilities as the chairman of INEC to ensure that Nigeria’s image abroad keeps improving?

You are actually in a better position to tell how the outside world presently views Nigeria, since you are living outside. I am inside. Going by the positive reaction of various international institutions to the country, I can say though, that the image of Nigeria before the world is quite good and improving. The present government has done a lot of good work to turn around what was not exactly a flattering image of the country few years ago. My assignment in leading the Independent National Electoral Commission is to administer the country’s electoral process. As with every other top functionary of the state, I am aware that what the institution I lead does impact on the profile of the country, one way or another. When we must have delivered a successful, credible election in 2007, therefore, I am sure, we would raise Nigeria’s profile by some appreciable notch.

What legacy specifically would you like to leave at the end of your tenure as INEC chairman?

I believe firmly that God who chose me for this job did so for a purpose. As I keep saying, it could not have been because I am the most capable or the brightest or the most courageous that I was appointed to do this job at this critical juncture. I believe that God who brought me here will enable me to deliver on the job, to the glory of his name and to the best interest of our people. At the end of the day, all I want is to do the will of God and to play my part not only in developing the electoral system of the country, but also in restoring the belief in our people that Nigerians are capable of doing things the right way and decently too. At the moment I can see a certain unfortunate lack of confidence in Nigerians on their ability to do things properly. That is the root of this stifling cynicism all over the place. We have begun the transformation of the entire system; we have established an Electoral Institute of Nigeria, which will produce the first set of trained electoral professionals in Africa. We have also started the Stakeholders’ Election Fora at national, state and local government levels aimed at promoting the participation of an informed and responsible citizenry. This was initiated because of our belief that voters need to understand their rights and responsibilities under the constitution and the electoral act so that they can fulfill their obligations in an informed manner. I may be remembered as the person who initiated the reform of our electoral system but most importantly, I will like to have a credible election in 2007.

Proliferation of political parties may not be healthy for Nigeria’s democracy. What is your position on that?

There is nothing wrong with the emergence of as many political parties as there are tendencies in the society. Indeed, it is healthy for democracy that as many people as desire to have platform for contesting for power or having a say in the administration of the state should find that platform. This is the reasoning behind the Commission’s present policy to open the political space and allow as many parties as meet the requirements to come into being. We have continued to register the parties that meet the requirement for registration. If there is one thing I would wish for in all that, it is that there will be clear and robust, ideological character for any emergent party. That is not exactly there at the moment. Hopefully, we will get there in the future.

In Nigeria only political parties stand for elections. Is it possible to have individuals stand for elections for various offices instead of going through political parties?

There is presently no provision in the Constitution for independent candidates in our elections. If the constitutions provides for that at any point in time, we will deal with that. For now, it is not on.

States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) want financial independence. Do you support the idea and why?

The constitution makes provision for the existence of the States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs). The question of whether any body supports financial independence for them or not is mute. If the SIECs have to exist, they have to exist. Simple.

How independent is INEC?

INEC is as independent as those who lead it. The basic foundation of the Commission is quite robust, compared to many other equivalent institutions I know across the world. There is always room for improvement and we submitted recommendations for some improvements in the electoral act to the National Assembly. Those will help strengthen the Commission more. But I still maintain that to a great extent, the electoral commission is as independent as those who lead it want it to be. This is without prejudice to the financial autonomy point that has been made.

INEC has made public statements in the past that it would guarantee free and fair election come 2007, especially if adequately funded. As the chairman of the Commission, is it feasible to have free and fair election in today’s Nigeria?

It is feasible to have free and fair elections in Nigeria. Not only that, we will have a free and fair election come 2007. There is always the issue of perception and then the disposition of the people. Here we are, we have been doing it one way for the last 73 years and each time, we never get it quite well. There are always ample rooms to suspect manipulation of the process. Now, we want to strengthen out the system and minimize to the barest minimum, if not completely eliminate the room for human manipulation of various aspects of the electoral system through having the electronic voting system and some people are going around inciting people that it is not good for them. You begin to wonder then, what exactly is good for us? If the old system had been serving us well, what was the basis for all the hue and cry? We shall get it right, I assure you. The key issue is that we shall bring to the fore the nexus between elections, democratic governance and the provision of basic needs or alleviation of poverty in Nigeria. As I had stated earlier, we want our politicians to sing a new tune and the electorates are writing the script, which insists that democratic governance should be inclusive of moral and political order. Political parties must not be seen as investment clubs in which the share-holders expect dividends of material gains and appointments.

How peaceful would 2007 pools be? Any assurances?

2007 will be very peaceful. It will be an anti-climax. Those who expect that the heaven will fall will wake up to find that the election had come and gone and the country is standing firmer. I believe that the average Nigerian is peaceful and will not allow anybody to use him/ her to destabilize the country. The Commission has adopted a zero tolerance to violence and with good voter education we shall succeed. As Amil Cabral has argued, ordinary people do not fight for ideas, but concrete material gains in freedom, a better standard of living and above all a better and more secure future for their children. The narrow class interests of the ruling elite and the constant quarrel in the leadership are the fuel for violence in elections and our solution is an informed electorate.