INEC's Off-Cycle Elections Scorecard

INEC may have failed to deliver on it's promise that it would deliver a hitch-free elections on February 25, 2023. But they had not always been unsuccessful, especially considering their records in previous off-cycle polls since the regime of Professor Yakubu Mahmood as it's chairman.

The governorship elections in Edo and Ondo (2020), Ekiti and Osun (2022) had been well conducted with Nigerians hailing the despatch in which results were collated and announced. They were impressed by the fact that the use of the BVAS machines, as well as the manner of electronic transmission of results made it virtually impossible for anyone to attempt to rig or falsify the results.

The Edo elections were particularly intriguing as the electorate voted massively to support the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki who had defected from the APC on allegations of marginalisation by former governor, Adams Oshiomhole whom he portrayed as being overbearing and high-handed.

He had thus won the sympathy of the people as they gave him their unflinching support, thereby giving the ruling party at the centre a black eye.

The same thing happened in Osun where the PDP's Ademola Adeleke defeated the sitting governor, Adegboyega Oyetola. That INEC played, to the hilt, the role of unbiased umpire, not bowing to pressure to rig the elections in favour of the incumbent all served to raise their profile in the eyes of the people.

These successes had done a lot to fire their enthusiasm about similar outcomes in the 2023 General Elections, especially when INEC themselves assured that they would be transmitting results to their portal for all Nigerians to see in real time on election day.

That INEC failed to keep their promise and resorted to making excuses, alleging  technical glitches on election day more than served to quench such enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the Electoral Act which gave INEC the latitude to decide in what means it wished to transmit election results also unwittingly put road blocks in the way of those who demand electronic transmission of results as a way of achieving utmost transparency.

This has been the crux of the matter as cases challenging that part of the Electoral Act before the courts and tribunals have repeatedly fallen flat on their faces.

It is hoped that Saturday's elections will be well conducted in a such a way as to restore hope and confidence in the electoral process ahead of future elections.