On Benue elections

But did Ugbah ever really stand a shot at beating Governor Suswam? Incumbent Nigerian governors seldom, if ever, lose their elections. Nigerian electoral institutions have a reputation for not being neutral. In the case of Benue State, the conduct of INEC leaves much to be desired. Nigerian electoral law stipulates that a Resident Electoral Commissioner […]

But did Ugbah ever really stand a shot at beating Governor Suswam? Incumbent Nigerian governors seldom, if ever, lose their elections. Nigerian electoral institutions have a reputation for not being neutral. In the case of Benue State, the conduct of INEC leaves much to be desired.

Nigerian electoral law stipulates that a Resident Electoral Commissioner conducts state elections and announces results. These officers are chosen by the chairman of INEC, who in this case is Prof. Attahiru Jega, who is himself appointed by the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

As the elections cycle in Benue commenced, Ugbah and his party complained to the INEC chairman, Prof. Jega about some questionable conduct several times.

As Ugbah goes to court to challenge the announced results of the Benue State elections, he has again called for Mr. Ayilara’s removal as the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue due to the total loss of confidence in his ability to be an impartial umpire of the state’s elections. Oddly enough, Ayilara’s boss, Prof. Jega, is yet to act, or even investigate Mr. Ayilara’s conduct. Neither has Prof. Jega’s boss, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan done so.

But in closing, and as the United States celebrates the conduct of Nigeria’s elections, a lot of questions about the so-called credibility of Nigeria’s electoral institutions ring louder now than ever before. For institutional rigging, away from the lenses of camera men in major Nigerian cities, towns, and village still appears to be the order of the day in the Nigerian hinterland with Benue being a classic example.

And as the United States picks and chooses where to support agitations for democratic values, it ought to take a closer look at the potential consequences of American support for institutionally rigged electoral outcomes in Nigeria.

Jossy Uvah wrote from Chicago, USA