New Electoral Act: Equity and meritocracy on the rise

In the 21st Century, nations will prosper on creativity and innovations, not natural resource endowment alone. But creativity and innovations blossom in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity guaranteed by a stable government. A stable government comes on board when there is freedom, liberty, and every interested citizen is given equal opportunity to contest for […]

In the 21st Century, nations will prosper on creativity and innovations, not natural resource endowment alone. But creativity and innovations blossom in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity guaranteed by a stable government. A stable government comes on board when there is freedom, liberty, and every interested citizen is given equal opportunity to contest for elective offices in free and fair elections.

The National Assembly deserves commendations for being responsive to its constituency and constituents for delivering an Electoral Act, 2022, that will ensure the government of the people for the people and by the people. Major tasks of this administration have been to give Nigerians civilized levellers of inequality and ladders of social mobility like education, food security, energy security, health care, national security, among others. Concomitant to that, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) signed into law the new law that will level the political ground to stand the tests of time.  

Inequality, whether economic, political, social, biological, or geographic, remains the greatest challenge in a democratic and market economy. This was echoed recently by Jeremy Grantham, when he said, “The greatest evil in society is inequality”. Recognising this, PMB gave Nigerians an Electoral law that provides an equal political opportunity. The environment for creativity and innovations needs creative and innovative citizens at the helm of affairs that were in turn elected (CREATED) in their respective constituencies by constituents not imposed (MADE). Unlike the old law that gave permission slips for the executive to single-handedly nominate candidates for the people, the new electoral law guarantees a level playing ground and political equality for contestants at primary and general elections.

This new law avoids the most unpleasant, painful, but greatest leveller of inequality: social catastrophe (God forbids) or even war (God forbids). Masha Lipmann of the Carnegie Centre said, “A political change brought by crisis is certainly not going to bring more tolerant people to power”. The resultant crisis begets another crisis.

PMB will have a lasting influence in Nigeria because of his dexterity, resilience, and patience exhibited in forming a formidable political party that at the first attempt, the party won a presidential election, majority of governorship seats, a majority in Senate, a majority in the House of Representatives and majority Houses of Assembly. Other reasons are that he has been right on the biggest and most intractable issues of his time: Indiscipline, drug trafficking, profiteering, insurgency, corruption, revamping an economy, and an electoral law that midwifes a liberal and secular democratic Nigeria. Nigeria will now be at ease with itself.

Ayuba Buba Kinafa, a management consultant, writes from Gombe