Against reason

The six-week postponement of the 2015 elections, originally scheduled to begin next Saturday, is endangering a crisis which requires every Nigerian to think clearly rather than react sentimentally. Although the cost and inconvenience to the public, political parties and aspirants is regrettable, no one should be unnecessarily upset that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) […]

The six-week postponement of the 2015 elections, originally scheduled to begin next Saturday, is endangering a crisis which requires every Nigerian to think clearly rather than react sentimentally. Although the cost and inconvenience to the public, political parties and aspirants is regrettable, no one should be unnecessarily upset that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed voting.
INEC have not brea-ched the Electoral Act which gives them power to set election dates within guidelines, so it stands to reason that we must all accept their decision. What doesn’t stand to reason and isn’t acceptable is the excuse given. It beggars belief that a President who has watched the North East burn for years, with terror reigning unabated, has just decided with eight days to go to elections to do something concrete about it!
Although many commentators say “better late than never” the truth is that generally speaking there are three reasons why incumbents facing re-election would agree to this timing. Either they feel they won’t be re-elected and want to ensure they hand over the territory they inherited; or considering their otherwise dismal performance they want to go to the polls on a high note in the belief that a successful military operation may garner votes; or they are just playing for time.
Most Nigerians believe that if the ruling party was truly confident of winning the elections, the polls would have gone ahead irrespective of logistical or security concerns.  The INEC Chairman made it abundantly clear that this delay wasn’t his wish but his “hands were tied”. This seems to be the story of our nation at critical points in our history. Apparently, security agencies told INEC that due to planned operations in the North East, they cannot provide security cover for the elections.
Considering our massive defence and security budgets over the years it’s a lamentable excuse. Decades ago during the Civil War, Nigerian Security forces were able to conduct military operations on three fronts simultaneously, maintain internal security within the federation as well as inside captured territories, while at the same time carrying out covert operations inside enemy territory. Today despite spending billions annually national security is apparently compromised when operations are to be conducted in less than 2% of local governments!
Recalling that less than three weeks ago the public was informed about a “strategic meeting” between INEC and the security forces, the excuse becomes less tenable. On that occasion, Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, inspired little confidence when he said “we are working round the clock with security agencies to ensure free and fair elections. I cannot give you further details”.
He however announced that soldiers would be barred from polling booths and only unarmed policemen used. It’s now evident he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about since INEC were evidently kept in the dark about the hatching of a plan which clashed with elections. It beggars belief that all our security agencies will be too occupied in the North East for the next six weeks to do anything else. Will the policemen who litter our highways extorting money from travellers now be absent for the next six weeks? Will checkpoints manned by only two or three soldiers which cause interminable delays to the public while in effect achieving nothing, now be dismantled and the troops sent to the front? Will the excess of security agents guarding elected officials, political appointees, well-known thugs and fraudsters now be withdrawn for six weeks?
The timeframe for postponement is illogical. It simply doesn’t stand to reason that military commanders can guarantee six weeks as an exact number of days in which successful operations will be concluded. What happens if setbacks occur and INEC is informed that a further six weeks is required? In a televised interview INEC was unable to give any assurance that this would definitely be the last postponement. It’s now apparent that the matter of when elections should hold is no longer a question of INEC’s priorities. So much for their “independence”. Professor Jega is coming to terms with the fact that as far as the ruling party is concerned his integrity and intellect count for nothing since he appears unwilling to conduct the election in the “correct” manner. No less a figure than Chief EK Clark has called for his immediate resignation or removal. Any such call is a disguised call for the elections to be cancelled.
Most Nigerians find it difficult to believe that this postponement isn’t simply the beginning of an orchestrated plan to abort the electoral process and frustrate the electorate. The decision that schools not close will disenfranchise practically all students because they didn’t register in their schools but in their home localities. Considering the bellicosity by ex-militants and all the offensive electioneering, the delay can only serve to further unnecessarily heat up the polity.
There is an adage that when you want to spit make sure you face backwards otherwise you will come across your spittle ahead, or a gust of wind may blow it back into your face. By causing a shift in the date for elections the powers that be have decided to spit forwards. Six weeks from now we will know whether or not they in fact spat in our faces.