By Kachi Okezie
Delivering a FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTION, is to all intents and practical purposes, the sole raison d’tere of INEC, the INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (uppercase supplied for emphasis).
This, as a national strategic goal for the institution, includes being seen to be doing so.
However, it would appear so far that on all issues of controversy or obvious impropriety identified and highlighted, often by the media, INEC’s response has failed to be proactive and decisive. Rather the institution has been reticent, slovenly and foot-dragging, to put it tamely.
Today I saw a petition going round calling on INEC to sack or redeploy a Resident Electoral Commissioner alleged to have made threats potentially amounting to incitement to hate crime and genocide, crimes against humanity in both municipal and international law.
Yet, we’ve seen no swift and decisive action befitting such weighty allegations such as suspension pending investigation or an incident report to the police.
This petition is travelling across the world; it was forwarded to me from a law firm in Washington DC! What an absurd way to advertise your independence and impartiality to the watching world!
Similarly, another issue, which ordinarily would be a no-brainer, is the rumour making the rounds that a known individual whose unflinching loyalty to one the main contenders in the Presidential election and whose disposition to thuggery and violent behaviour is public knowledge, is to be put in charge of logistics for delivery of the sensitive materials! What a scandal of a notion.
Such a person shouldn’t even be in any way remotely involved with any aspect of the official process let alone being seised of any materials, sensitive or not.
But, as yet, true to form, INEC has not delivered the robust and timely rebuttal and repudiation that should clear the air, dispel the rumours and leave no one in any doubt as to its commitment to being an independent and impartial arbiter in this all-important national event of global significance.
It is understood at the time of writing this commentary that at least one of the top contenders in the Presidential election has written to INEC demanding these actions and responses, but to no avail, yet.
The gripping question then is this: who will INEC blame for any loss of confidence in its ability to deliver a free, fair and credible election in 2023? Is it the media – the usual suspects?
No, INEC needs to come to terms right now with the fact that should it fail to deliver a free, fair and credible election in 2023, it would have only itself to blame for wasting the huge financial, economic, political and intellectual resources invested in it to deliver what it promised to deliver.
It will stand in the dock of both legal and moral trials and face judgement for these failings.
And there will be further consequences, including lawsuits using innovative jurisprudence of an order not yet known in the Nigerian legal firmament. The evidence gathering is already on, and it is granular.
Let no one be under any illusion about that.
Kachi Okezie, Esq . is an Abuja-based Legal Practitioner
