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The Commission, which I am privileged to chair, was
inaugurated on June 30, 2010. We immediately reviewed what we inherited
and in the little time we had, barely nine months before the scheduled
elections, we introduced some policies, programmes and projects aimed at
making the 2011 elections free, fair and credible.
In April 2011, we conducted the general elections, which have been
adjudged free, fair and credible and the best in Nigeria’s recent
electoral history. Immediately after the elections, INEC conducted a
comprehensive review of what we did and the challenges confronted, as a
result of which we introduced many policies, programmes and projects to
make INEC do better in the 2015 general elections. All of these have
been successfully implemented, giving us the confidence that we have
done a lot more than we did before the 2011 general elections and that
2015 general elections should be remarkably much better than that of
2011.
Current state of preparedness
This presentation focuses on the current status of INEC’s
preparations for the conduct of the February 2015 general elections. It
identifies the main issues that need to be accomplished by the
commission for the successful conduct of the elections and highlights
what has been done so far in respect of each one of them. To guarantee
successful conduct of the elections, there are many other things that
need to be done by other stakeholders, notably, security agencies,
candidates, political parties, voters, etc, which are outside the
control of INEC.
Publishing of the register of voters for the elections
Section 20 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) requires that INEC
prepares and publishes a register of voters 30 days before the date
scheduled for the election. We have prepared the register of voters for
the elections, which we published on January 13, 2015, within the
legally prescribed time frame. We have made copies of this register
available to all the registered political parties. The certified and
published register has 68, 833, 476 registered voters.
Indeed, the printing of the PDF hard copies of the register of voters
to be used for the elections in polling units and voting points has
commenced in virtually all the states. Initial challenges caused by
late delivery of new printers, which delayed commencement in some
states has since been overcome.
Production and distribution of the Permanent Voters Cards
The Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) (See Section 16 and 49(1)
requires that INEC issues voters cards (PVC) to voters, which they have
to present to the presiding officer at the polling unit on the day of
the section. INEC has endeavored to produce PVCs for all the voters on
the register.
As of Monday, February 2, 2015, the total number of PVCs for the 36
states and FCT, which have been proceed, delivered and taken to them for
distribution to voters is 66, 323, 850 or 96 per cent of the total. As
at this date, there are balances of Continuous Voters Registration
(CVR) cards for seven states, which have been produced and shipped, but
would arrive thus, for four states expected on February 3, and for three
states, expected on February 4. The total number of cards in this
category is 1, 365, 552 or 1.98 per cent of the total.
There are PVCs, which have been stolen before they were collected by
their owners, or which were damaged, or which were for people who have
done transfers, and which the commission has decided to reproduce. These
are being done here in Abuja. The total number in this category is 1,
144,074 or 1.66 per cent.
As at February 3, 2015, out of the 66, 323, 850 PVCs already taken to
the states for distribution, a total of 45, 098, 876 or 65.81 per cent
of the total have been collected by voters. Thus, about 34 per cent of
the PVCs are yet to be collected by the voters.
Our initial methodology for distribution of PVCS, given budgeting
constraints, was: to distribute PVCs at the polling unit level, where
registration took place, for three days; at the end of which, the
remaining PVCS were taken of INEC LGA offices, from where voters, who
could not collect, would be able to collect them until January 31, 2015.
Evidently, many voters did not, or could not collect at the INEC LGA
offices.
In the past three weeks, in response to public complaints, we have
introduced additional measures to help increase the rate of collection
before the elections. For example, we have extended the period of
collection on weekdays and introduced collection on weekends; we have
further decentralised collection from INEC LGA offices to the ward
level; and we have shifted the deadline for collection from January 31
to February 8. If necessary, this can be further extended, but we prefer
to cross the ridge when we get to it.
We have also introduced innovative web and SMS-based facilities, that
would enable voters to find out whether they are on the register of
voters, which poling unit they re registered in, and which ward they
could go to collect their PVCs.
There are a couple of key questions to address: first, should INEC
not conduct elections until every registered voter has collected his/her
card? It is virtually impossible for every register voter to collect
his card (ill-health, travel, apathy, indolence, death, etc.) Second,
what rate or percentage of collection is acceptable for an election to
take place? (51%? 75%? 90%?) In this case, whatever percentage is agreed
upon, it would imply that a date for the election could not be fixed
until it is attained.
Our assumption is that, since in the recent verifiable electoral
history of our country, voters turnout in any election has never come
closer to 65 per cent, PVC collection rate of this irreducible minimum
percentage point would or should be acceptable for the conduct of
sections. More so because, by the scheduled first date of the 2015
general elections, i.e. February 14, the rate of PVC collection would
have by far exceeded this.
In any case, the Commission would appreciate advice on this matter.
Card readers
For the 2015 general elections, the commission has decided to
introduce the use of Card Readers (CR), which will be used on the day of
election in very polling unit an voting point, to verify and
authenticate the PVC presented by a voter. This is so as to eliminate,
or at least drastically minimise multiple voting and confer additional
credibility to the electoral process.
The Commission ordered for the production and delivery of 182, 000
customised CRs, sufficient for the 150, 829 voting points (VPs), plus
redundancies. Out of this number, 154, 500 have since been delivered and
distributed to the states and FCT. The remaining 27, 5000 have been
produced and shipped and are expected on Wednesday February 4.
Configuration of the CRs sent to the states commenced last Thursday,
January 28, 2015 and is now virtually completed, with minimal
challenges. We have tested the durability and functionality of the CRs,
using internally acceptable standards of quality assurance (QA) and
are satisfied by the results. We have worked out the modalities for
using the CRs, which have been endorsed by the political parties, and
which have now been incorporated into the guidelines for the 2015
general elections.
Using the CRs has enormous advantages. First, once configured, it can
only read PVCs issued by INEC. Second, it reads the embedded microchip
in the card, not the barcode. Third, it enables authentication of the
identity of the voter by matching his/her fingerprints with that stored
on the chip. Fourth, it keeps a tally of all cards read, all cards
verified/authenticated or not, with all their details. Fifth, this
information can be sent to a central server using an SMS. Sixth, the
stored information on the server would enable INEC audit results from
polling units, as well as do a range of statistical analyses of the
demographics of voting, something INEC has never been able to do
effectively. Seven, the RA/Ward Collation Officer can use this
information to audit PU result sheets and determine whether
accreditation figures have been altered (a common feature of electoral
fraud).
Using the CRs has two main challenges; What if a Card Reader fails?
What if a person is verified but his fingerprint cannot be
authenticated? We have worked with political parties and agreed on what
to do if any of these arises. In the highly unlikely event that a CR
fails, we have enough spares to deploy before the end f accreditation at
1 p.m. and adjust the time to gain lost time. If we cannot replace
before end of accreditation, then election in that voting point would be
postponed to the following day when a new CR would be provided. If a
voter’s PVC has been read and his details verified, but his fingerprints
cannot be authenticated, or he/she has no fingers, an incidence form
would be written by the Presiding Officer of the voting point and the
voter would then be accredited. Party agents and observers would be
there to testify to this.
The nation has invested a lot in the CRs and PVC technology and the
Commission believes that using them in the 2015 general elections would
confer remarkable transparency an c readability tot he electoral
process.
There have been demands that the Commission should revert to the use
of Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) issued during the 2011 registration and
the subsequent Continuous Voters registration (CVR). The TVCs have no
chips and therefore, cannot be verified/authenticated by the CRs. Also,
there are more than four million cases of multiple registration; people
with TVCs, who have been removed front he certified register of voters
for the 2015 elections. Once the use of TVCs is allowed, many of these
would inundate polling units on elections day, their names will not be
in the register, and they would start agitation that they have been
‘disenfranchised,’ as was the case during he Anambra State governorship
elections in November 2013. In any case, people who collected PVCs no
long have TVCs because they used them to exchange for PVCs.
Additionally, a high percentage of voters had to use the attestation
forms provided to collect their PVCs due to loss of TVCs on account of
floods, insurgency, etc.
Electoral materials
For general elections, INEC procures and distribute to the states and
FCT for use, huge quantities of what are referred to as non-sensitive,
as well as sensitive materials. The range of non-sensitive materials
include: biros, gum, envelopes, forms, aprons, vets, bags, calculators
twines, posters, voting cubicles, etc. Sensitive materials include:
ballot papers, result sheets, presiding officer official stamps, etc.
The current status of delivery in respect of key among these is
highlighted in the following subsections.
Non-sensitive materials
We have prouder all that needs to be produced and are now busy
distributing these to INEC state and FCT offices, while they too are now
distributing to the LGA offices. INEC has a central storage facility
in Abuja and six other zonal stores nationwide, one in each
geo-political zone. Generally, procured items are taken to these stores
before being distributed to the state offices. There were delays in
respect of sending the materials to Borno and Yobe states, but we have
to keep them longer in the zonal store until adequate security
arrangements have been made to transport them to the states. A couple of
months ago, INEC’s state office in Yobe was damaged by insurgents and
11 Hilux vehicles carted away and we have only recently renovated the
office.
Although timelines have been missed in respect of the supply/delivery
of some of the non-sensitive materials to the states, in general, as at
now, all the essential materials required for the successful conduct of
the elections have been procured and are being distributed. The
distribution would certainly be completed well before the scheduled
dates for the election. The commission receives daily feedback through
Election Management System (EMS) platform and meetings with Directors.
Sensitive materials
We have had to procure additional ballot boxes for the 2015 general
elections. We have planned to use three separate ballot boxes for
February 14 elections, one each for the presidential, senatorial and
House of Representatives elections; and two ballot boxes for February
28, one each for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
Virtually all of these have been delivered to the states, who are busy
distributing them to the INEC LGA offices.
We have also, since the middle of December 2014, finalised
arrangements for the production of ballot papers and result sheets.
Indeed, deliveries of these have commenced on schedule and the deadline
for deliveries of all the sensitive materials is February 10 (For the
last batch of elections scheduled for February 28).
Printing and publication of guidelines, manuals, etc
Printing of guidelines for the 2015 general elections and code for
conduct of election officials has been completed and they are being
delivered to the states, to be completed by February 7. Production of
all manuals, maps, etc, is virtually completed and delivery is ongoing
for states completed.
In any case, electronic copies of all INEC publications, guidelines,
regulations, manuals, etc, are uploaded onto our website:
www.inec.gov.ng
Recruitment and training of ad hoc (temporary) election personnel
INEC has planned to use four ad-hoc staff (Presiding Officer and
Assistant Presiding Officers) per polling units and voting points, to be
recruited primary from the NYSC scheme and our tertiary education
sector. In contrast, in 2011, we used an average of three ad hoc staff.
Together with Returning Officers, Collation Officers and Supervisory
Presiding Officers, INEC requires a total of approximately 700, 000
temporary election duty personnel.
We have been able to gather information and establish a database of
over 867, 210 who have indicate interest to do the job. The state
offices have screened these, in close collaboration with the authorities
of the NYSC and the tertiary institutions and are now finalising the
recruitment. A cascade-training programme has commenced Already, TEI
certified master trainers, state trainers and SPOs have been trained;
and EOs have also been trained. POs and APOs are to be trained from
February 7-9; APOs to handle CRs will have an additional hands-on
training on February 10, file training of COs and ROs is the last in the
series; and all arrangements are on course for these.
Given that larger number of ad hoc staff will be used in 2015
compared with 2011, the training is slightly more challenging. For the
POs and APOs in particular, we have planned to do a three-day training;
one day devoted to hands-on, practical training as against the two-day
training we did in 2011. With the benefit of hindsight, and given the
news technology of PVC and CR, we could do with more days of specially
hands-on training for POs and APOs. Regrettably, we can’t do that due
to funding constraints. Also, a more decentralised LGA level training
with smaller numbers in a classroom would have been ideal, but can’t do
that due to funding constraints.
Public enlightenment, sensitsation and voter education
In a country the size and complexity of Nigeria, public
enlightenment, sensitisation and voter education are circumscribed by
enormous challenges. This notwithstanding, INEC has done its best under
the circumstances. For example, we have a new communication policy and
strategy. We have more funds budgeted, compared to 2011, and the
development partners, especially EU through the UNDP-managed DGD
Programme, have provided needed support and assistance. We also partner
with civil society organisation and other stakeholders to do
sensitisation and voter education. Our messages ranges from information
on election time lines, to advocacy for collection of PVCs, for
peaceful, non-violent conduct by all, especially the youth, to
explanation about voting procedures and other electoral regulations.
We currently use multiple media channels and outlets for these
activities, from radio, TV, newspapers, traditional media to on-line
Internet resources. We also use posters, leaflets, handouts, etc.
Conclusion
From the preceding review of the state of preparedness of INEC, in
respect of matters under its control, it is clear that in spite of the
discernable challenges, things are not as bad as they have been made to
appear in recent media coverage and public discourses. We are doing our
best under very difficult circumstances.
In determining whether or not INEC is adequately prepared to conduct
the February 2014 elections as scheduled we should separate what is
under the control of the commission and what is outside its control. For
the things under the commission’s control, our accomplishments are to
such a degree that we can conduct the election, in spite of the
identifiable challenges. Compared with the 2011 general elections, for
instance, our systems are definitely more robust now. Among others, we
have a greatly improved register of votes, having removed over four
million multiple registrants, voters will use PVCs and accreditation
Card Readers will reduce the likelihood of fraud.
Consequently, although our state of preparedness may not be 100 per
cent or perfect, and although a bit more time of additional preparation
would enable us improve and perfect the current level of preparedness,
we believed that we’re ready for the elections as planned. However, we
also believe that it is necessary to take into context the things
outside the control of the commission, such as the attitude of
politicians, political parties, candidates and voters; and significantly, security
for election personnel, materials and voters, especially in areas under
insurgency, which, on the appropriate authorities, can definitively
speak on.
No matter the extent of our readiness if there are serious security
concerns, the successful conduct of free, fair, credible and peaceful
elections would be greatly jeopardised. INEC has been working with these
authorities, especially under the Inter-agency Consultative Committee
on Election Security (ICCES), but our concerns have not been assuaged. I
am sure that this august body will also be apprised to the security
situation for the elections by the responsible authorities. Yesterday,
for example, we received a letter from the office of the NSA, informing
us of recent developments in four of the North East states, stating that
safer and security cannot be guaranteed during the proposed election
period, adducing reasons this is so, and strongly advising that INEC
considers rescheduling the elections by at least six weeks, within the
provisions of the electoral legal framework, and within which time span
it is hoped to restore sufficient normalcy for elections to hold. This
is a new development that INEC cannot certainly ignore or take lightly.
I thank you for the opportunity to provide this briefing.
AN
advocacy group, ‘No Baga’, has called on all Nigerians not to resort to
violence at the forthcoming general elections in the country, in spite
of the tension in the air.
One of the Nollywood stars and member of the group, Mr. Kanayo O
Kanayo, explained that the group’s main objective is to ensure a
peaceful and united Nigeria, before, during and after the elections.
While stressing the need for Nigerians to love one another, the
Nollywood star counselled that it has become imperative for everyone to
desist from making statements that could ignite violence; since no
leader in the country is worth dying for.
“In the coming days, before the elections, I urge you to observe the
airports and see the categories of people who will be flying out of the
country. As I speak to you, most politicians’ families are out of the
country. And these are the people that want power at all costs.
In the event of war, everything about you is reduced. Make no mistake
about it, the forth- coming election is about your future and the power
to decide your future is in your hands. But all you need to do is to
vote right by voting for candidates of your choice,” he stated.
While decrying the spate of violence and mass killings in the
country, the initiator of the group, Peace Anyanwu argued that while it
is in Nigerians’ fundamental rights to choose a leader of their choice,
this, she added, must however be done in a way that such exercise is
conducted without infringing on other people’s rights.
Anyanwu also questioned the insensitivity of the Nigerian society to
the heinous crimes being perpetrated by insurgents in the country,
stating that “In November 2014, 2000 Nigerians were killed in a place
called ‘Baga’, 28, 000 Nigerians have died by the activities of a
terrorist group called Boko Haram and the society feels indifferent
about it. Where is the soul of Nigeria?”
