Review… Is Buhari establishing a legacy of inconclusive elections?

It is becoming a familiar trend. In fact, it is more or less becoming a tradition. Every election conducted under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch has been inconclusive.

It happened first in Kogi State. The November 2015 governorship election in the north central state was declared inconclusive.

Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress scored 240,867 while Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party garnered 199,514 votes. But the exercise was cancelled in 91 polling units. Though the late Audu was leading with 41, 535 votes, the electoral agency argued they were less than the 49,953 votes left to be contested for.

Unfortunately, Audu died few hours after the poll was declared inconclusive, leading to another rounds of controversies on his replacement. Eventually, APC presented Yahaya Bello, who came second behind Audu at the APC primary election. Bello went on to win the supplementary poll despite protestations from James Faleke, who was running mate to the late Audu.

The train moved on to Bayelsa State on December 5, 2015 for the governorship election. Two days later, INEC declared the exercise inconclusive again. By then, the terminology ‘inconclusive’ was becoming a fad in the nation’s political lexicon. The commission said the exercise was marred by violence, ballot-snatching and intimidation of electoral officials.

It said election in Southern Ijaw would hold at a later date. PDP’s Seriake Dickson was leading Timipre Sylva of the APC.

By January 9, almost a month later, the supplementary held in Southern Ijaw. It took almost two days for the commission to declare Dickson winner of the poll with 134,998votes to Sylva’s 86,852. By then, the state had become a theatre of war with voters harassed and electoral officials overstretched.

Last Saturday, the commission conducted the rerun polls for State and National Assemblies in Rivers. The trend continued.  Characteristically, the exercise was also declared inconclusive. The commission could only successfully conclude the exercise in 11 State Assembly and one Federal constituency seats.

The exercise in the remaining state and federal constituencies was marred by irregularities, violence and killing. Over 10 persons lost their lives with several others injured in the tension-soaked exercise. The volatile oil-rich state was practically grounded with political thugs and gunmen having a field day. Many electoral officials were abducted and forced to release results under duress.

The commission has since called off the exercise, saying the atmosphere was unsafe for its ad hoc staff and field workers. The latest case is a further dent to electoral conduct under the new INEC’s boss Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu.

Read also: APC wants INEC to conduct fresh election in Rivers

But it is even a bigger slap on President Buhari whose administration has never been able to pull off a successful electoral exercise without a supplementary poll. Observers are worried that inconclusive polls might have become permanent features under the new administration.

Chika Eze, a political scientist, wonders how Buhari will cope at the 2019 general elections if INEC under his watch could not conduct successful polls in few constituencies. “If INEC cannot handle elections in just a few polling units so far, how will it cope with the general elections in 2019? It shows clearly that the commission was never prepared for the elections. It is a big dent on the much-touted integrity of President Buhari,” he stressed.

Come September 10 and November 26, Edo and Ondo States will elect new governors. Will it be harvests of inconclusive polls again? Will INEC spend more resources and manpower to conduct an exercise that should not ordinarily take more than 48 hours?

Will gladiators be accorded more time and desperation to wreck havoc and precipitate violence with the declaration of supplementary polls?

So far, it’s been so bad for INEC. For Buhari, it’s been a harvest of inconclusive polls. Will this be the legacy he will pass on for the nation?

 

 

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