Nigeria tightens voting procedures for April polls
Africa’s most populous nation holds a parliamentary election on Saturday, a presidential poll on April 9, and governorship elections in its 36 states a week later, all of which are expected to be fiercely contested.
There has already been localised violence in the run-up to the elections and the credibility of the process will be key. Allegations of fraud against either side could spark unrest.
“It is our national honour at stake,” said Kayode Idowu of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC has registered more than 73 million voters on a new register, meant to be more credible than the previous electoral roll which included false names such as “Nelson Mandela” and “Mike Tyson” and omitted legitimate voters.
The presidential race pits incumbent Goodluck Jonathan against ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari and two other main candidates, whose supporters hope they can force a run-off.
Voters will have to be present at polling stations to confirm they are on the register by midday (1100 GMT) so that the number of accredited voters at each unit can be publicly announced before polling begins.
They will then mark their ballot paper in a private cubicle before dropping it into a transparent box in full view of everyone at the station, in a bid to prevent multiple voting Results will be publicly announced by the presiding officer at each polling station immediately after the count and any unit with a higher number of votes cast than accredited voters will automatically have its results annulled.
“Any attempt by unscrupulous persons to stuff ballots or snatch boxes will be futile, as there is no way that stolen ballots can be factored into the official result,” Idowu said.
HUGE TERRAIN
There are just under 120,000 polling stations spread across Nigeria, from villages in the humid mangrove swamps of its southern Niger Delta to its sand-swept northern towns in the Sahel, the strip of arid savannah on the edge of the Sahara.
INEC said it would use planes and boats to carry voter materials to remote areas, while polling officials and security agents would camp in electoral wards the night before to ensure the process begins on time.
The commission said it had worked with the security forces to ensure local threats were taken into account, rather than applying the “one size fits all” approach of the past.
Attahiru Jega, a respected academic chosen by President Jonathan to head the electoral commission last year, has won praise for the conduct of the voter registration process, achieved despite a short time frame and logistical challenges.
But the toughest hurdles lie ahead.
Some of the tighter voting procedures were used in Nigeria’s 1993 elections, generally deemed to have been its most credible vote ever. But the results were annulled by former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, paving the way for dictator Sani Abacha to seize power a few months later.
“The test isn’t INEC’s alone,” said Idowu.
“The election body is only a midwife of the process and an umpire on the playing turf.”
