By Alex O. Akpodiete Atawa”
Finally,
the electorates are calm after endless rumours of election postponement and
purported resignation of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega. Late last Saturday night, the chief
electoral referee of the nation, dispelled rumours of resignation, stating
categorically that he is not biased and will not resign. He went further to
announce that the Presidential and national Assembly elections have been moved
from February 14 to March 28, 2015, while the governorship and State House of
Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday, April 11 instead of the original
date of February 28.
The postponement was very
prudent because INEC is tasked with the responsibility of making sure the
elections are “free, fair & credible.” There can be no fairness if a
segment of the population is disenfranchised. The postponement is within the
purview of the law. Section 26 (1) of the 2010 Electoral Act which states “Where a date has been appointed for the
holding of an election, and there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely
to occur if the election is proceeded with on that date or it is impossible to
conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies,
the Commission may postpone the election and shall in respect of the area, or
areas concerned, appoint another date for the holding of the postponed
election, provided that such reason for the postponement is cogent and
verifiable.”
The
reason proffered by INEC was clearly “cogent
and verifiable.” What amazed some of us was why anyone would have been
opposed to a postponement, when all was not well. INEC has stated that the
reason for the postponement was security challenges in the North East, posed by
the terrorist group Boko Haram. Apparently, this was after consultations with
the country’s security chiefs. This is buttressed by the fact that the European
Union (EU) has stated that none of its over fifty (50) election monitors will
go to the North East because their safety could not be guaranteed. However,
there are other valid reasons for the postponement, especially as it concerns
PVC.
PVCs
have become a common word in Nigeria lexicon since last year. However, PVC has
been around in the scientific community for some time. According to a
publication called The Economic Benefits
of Polyvinyl Chloride in the United States and Canada, “Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a versatile thermoplastic material that
is used in the production of hundreds of products that consumers encounter in
everyday life … PVC is used in an enormous variety of applications and competes
with a diverse range of substitute materials. For example, PVC pipe holds a
commanding share in large diameter pressure water and sanitary sewer pipe
because of its low initial cost, ease of installation, long and reliable
service life, and its low replacement and repair cost.”
Now back
to our recent use of PVCs in Nigerian lexicon. PVC represents Permanent Voter’s
Card which INEC has stated must to be sine
qui non for voting in any of the upcoming elections. The problem here is
that millions of PVCs have yet to be manufactured, while over 25 million PVCs
that have been manufactured, but have yet to be collected. The secondary point
is that even INEC ad hoc staffs have not been trained on the use of the
electronic card readers and election regulations.
When I
was a Professor at a University, I encouraged my students to register massively
during the previous registration exercise of 2011. So, it will not be “do as I say, but not as I do”, my wife
and I registered at the University polling unit. Prior to contesting for the
House of Representatives primaries, I applied to transfer my voter’s
registration from the University where I was lecturing to my hometown.
Unfortunately, more than four months (4) after, I was informed by INEC that my
transfer has not been effectuated. In fact, even a particular governorship
aspirant did not have his PVC. We are of course aware of the fiasco surrounding
Governor Fashiola of Lagos State.
Why will anyone be in a rush
to conduct an election when doing so will result in disenfranchisement of a
large population, unless there is an ulterior motive? Is it that those who were
opposing the postponement of the election were afraid that they will lose the
elections if all PVCs were manufactured and collected?
PVC related statistics
|
Number of Registered voters
|
Number of PVC produced
|
Number of PVC not produced
|
Number of PVC collected
|
Number of PVC not collected
|
Number of disenfranchised
Nigerians
|
|
≥72,383,427
|
70,383,427
|
2,000,000
|
≤45,098,876
(66%)
|
≥25,284,551
(34%)
|
≥27,284,551
(37%)
|
I refuse
to be disenfranchised and will not allow my fellow Nigerians or members of my
constituency to be denied their right of suffrage.
Now that
the elections have been postponed by six (6) weeks, the following must be done:
1.
INEC
must ensure that all PVCs are manufactured and distributed;
2.
All
stakeholders and community leaders must make sure to sensitize their
constituents so that the PVCs are collected;
3.
Security
agencies and all citizens must collectively fight the Boko Haram Scourge to
stabilize the North East because it is everyone’s responsibility.
Time is
ticking again. Six (6) is not very far. Now is not the time to slack off,
procrastinate or cast aspersions.
*Rev. Atawa, a public affairs
analyst writes from Asaba. He is also a member of Media/Publicity Committee of
the State PDP Campaign Organization. Contact him on 08138391661 or Profatawa@gmail.com,
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