Nosike Ogbuenyi
4 December 2008
Lagos — Last Sunday, a thanksgiving mass and a reception were held in honour of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu at Okigwe in Imo State. Nosike Ogbuenyi, who was there, writes that the event was essentially geared to showcase the brighter side of the controversial chief electoral officer of the nation
The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu has for the past two years remained a fertile topic for political debate. To many he is a villain that conducted one of the country's most controversial elections. To others he is a hero who through courage, uncommon determination and resilience narrowly took Nigeria through one of its most trying historical periods.
Till date, Iwu remains different person to different people. The approach to the April 2007 general elections can be described as tension-soaked. As the nation's chief electoral officer, Iwu got all the barbs for the foibles and incongruence of that period. It is incontrovertible that the approach and actual conduct of the elections were dodged by horrendous apprehensions, bickering, confusions and protests.
Those who hold him solely accountable for the sundry imperfections of the polls dismiss his frequent stunts as mere petulance and theatrical delusion. To them, the only rationale option left for him is to resign his seat with ignominy and bury his head in shame.
But the above is not the complete account. There is the other side to it. Indeed, there are a good number of people who insist that the 2007 elections though far from being perfect, were trail-blazing in some respects. To them, the INEC Chairman deserves praises and not condemnation for breaking the greatest jinx that had stunted Nigeria's democratic growth for over 40 years- the inability to transit from one democratically elected central government to another democratic civilian government. The crux of their argument is that if not for Iwu's doggedness and bravery, the 2007 elections would have been aborted and the country plunged into anarchy and possible dismemberment.
The proponents of this theorem feel so indebted to the professor of pharmacology that they decided to stage a national reception and thanksgiving mass in his honour at Okigwe, the headquarters of his senatorial district in Imo State last Sunday, November 30, 2008. The serene town played host to a variegation of dignitaries that day. It was organised by a National Committee made up of well wishers who believe that Prof. Iwu has served the nation diligently with steadfastness and so deserves an honour.
It was a grand event that attracted several dignitaries including Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, many governors, senators, honourable members of the House of Representatives, ministers, former governors, other top-profile politicians, traditional rulers, the clergy and a host of others. Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu who delivered the keynote address at the ceremony was among state chief executives that graced the occasion. The Talba of Minna is one outstanding governor from the North whose intellectual flair is gradually rubbing in across the nation. His speech at the event was quite revealing about the country's democratic progress
Others included the host governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, his Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Magartada Wammakko, Abia State governor, Dr. Theodore Orji, Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu and Governor Timipre Sylva Bayelsa State.
Also in attendance were the deputy governors of Kaduna, Rivers, Borno and Ebonyi states as well as top industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Champion Newspaper publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, former Ebonyi State governor, Dr. Sam Egwu, former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, Chief Andy Uba who served briefly as Anambra State governor last year and Chief Rochas Okorocha. The Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole was represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. The reception held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Okigwe was equally attended by thousands of ordinary citizens from Imo State and across the country. It was preceded by the thanksgiving mass for Iwu and his family members. The building of the gigantic cathedral which is still in its foundation stage is being passionately pursued by Prof. Iwu who is also a Knight of the Catholic Church. Donations were solicited from guests for the multi-million naira project during the reception. Iwu said his commitment to the project was an expression of his gratitude to God for blessings on him over the years.
Vice President Jonathan who chaired the ceremony was full of praises for Iwu for guiding the country through one of its most difficult periods. He carpeted those calling for the INEC Chairman's neck saying there can never a perfect election anywhere in the world. He enjoined various State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to emulate INEC's example in conduct of elections saying that if not for the resilience and determination of Iwu and his team, the 2007 elections would not have taken place and Nigeria probably would have been plunged into crisis.
Jonathan rated the ability of SIECs to conduct hitch-free elections low, insisting that, the INEC under the leadership of Iwu, would have conducted better elections at the local government level if that responsibility were to be undertaken by the central electoral body. "Let people go and examine the local elections that have been conducted by the various state electoral bodies (SIECs), including the states that are controlled by PDP, ANPP, and other parties. If you compare those elections with those conducted by INEC, I believe you will still put INEC over and above any other electoral commission" he argued.
According to the Vice President, INEC has been successfully shouldering the huge responsibility of conducting elections at state and federal levels while most SIECs have failed to manage the small responsibility of overseeing local government elections. He said: "We have 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and one commission, headed by one person to conduct elections to the State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, the Senate, the Governorship and the Presidential."
The number two citizen called on Nigerians to begin to appreciate the type of efforts and sacrifices made by the INEC boss, the National and State Electoral Commissioners and other staff of the commission in successfully and conclusively conducting the 2007 elections. He said his judgment was in no way influenced by the fact he is a member of the ruling PDP and the Vice President but the desire to stand by the truth.
Vice President Jonathan further used the forum to give assurance that the recommendations of the National Electoral Reform Committee headed by former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, would be thoroughly considered and appropriate measures taken to ensure that future elections fare better than the previous ones. "Elections are very challenging and serious business. That is why the Federal Government set up a committee to look into the complaints made by the people," he stated.
Delivering the keynote address, Governor Babangida Aliyu said Iwu deserves honour for managing the electoral process that led to a smooth transition from one democratically elected administration to another despite the numerous challenges he faced. He said he was proud to be associated with Iwu while describing him as "a man who will go down in history as the one who organised the most successful general election ever, which was not annulled despite numerous handicaps, orchestrated problems and calculated impediments in 2007".
Aliyu declared that by his performance, the INEC Chairman "has debunked the widely held notion that only political scientists or professors of political science can conduct successful elections". He noted that in spite of the numerous challenges inherent in the operating environment, especially of heading an institution like INEC with many structural defects, he refused to be cowed, discouraged or intimidated because he was "engaged diligently and honestly to make things better for Nigeria and Nigerians".
The Niger governor extolled Iwu as follows at the occasion: "I salute you for your principles, values, ideas and beliefs which we share in common in many areas. I respect you for the positive things you have been involved in during your lifetime. Of particular interest to me is the fact that, like me, you have been involved in responsible professional, trade and student union activities. I am also impressed with your prolific writings, your eloquent presentations of over 200 academic papers, your publication of more than 100 research articles, as well as your authorship of four books.
"Most importantly we seem to share common ideas and concerns on the maladies afflicting the electoral process and the democratic trends in Nigeria today and how we can move this great country of ours out of the quagmire. We celebrate you today as a transformational change agent, who is very concerned with the welfare of his people, worried about the backwardness of his environment, disturbed by the selfishness and greed of few members of the elite class."
Imo State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, on his part, renamed the popular Works Road, Owerri as Maurice Iwu Road. Ohakim declared that if not for Iwu's courage and resilience, the 2007 elections would have been impossible and Nigeria would have relapsed into a monumental civil strife that would have threatened its very existence.
At the occasion, Iwu revealed more traumatic experiences he went through before and during the period of the conduct of the 2007 elections. He said that apart from the well reported hiccups that confronted the commission and almost truncated the 2007 elections, some serious family challenges he faced at the time could have cowed him. He said that if not for his faith in God, he would have been able to overcome the trials and undertake the critical national assignment of conducting the elections.
According to him, exactly one year before the elections, his aged mother was involved in a fatal motor accident and was critically injured alongside other family members with her in the vehicle while the driver died. He said the vehicle was so mangled and reduced to wreckage to the extent that those who saw it could not believe that there were survivors. After his mother was discharged from hospital and few months to the election, his immediate junior brother died in mysterious circumstances. He stated that he took the tragedy with Godly calmness so as not to be distracted from overseeing the conduct of the elections. "The good LORD gave me the courage to be able to go home, quietly bury my brother and continue with the elections".
He further revealed how some people who were desperate to instigate a national uprising stormed a mosque in Kano and attacked the Imam on an election day, all in an attempt to abort the transition.
Since the conduct of the 2007 polls, Iwu has often outlined challenges he faced before and during the elections. Chief among them are the tenure elongation campaign (third term), frustrating delays in releasing funds to INEC ahead of the elections, physical pressures and threats by those who did not want the elections to hold, the strong push for the establishment of an interim national government and other sabotaging acts by powerful forces who were bent on making the conduct of the polls impossible.
For Prof. Iwu, the honour comes as a soothing departure from the familiar torrent of barbs he had been receiving since the conduct of the last general elections in April, 2007. As the nation's Chief Electoral Officer, he faced daunting challenges, some of which were unprecedented in Nigerian political history. Somehow, he has survived the heat trudging on even if precariously sometimes. Indeed, many may not hesitate to consent that Iwu's tenacity and resilience proved vital in ensuring that Nigeria for the first time succeeded in transiting from one democratically elected government that completed two terms in office to another elected government. That is without prejudice to the protests that greeted the transitory polls especially by the opposition political parties. In fact it is on record that many election cases are still pending at the tribunals while many had been decided.
The senatorial candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Orlu senatorial district, Prince Obinna Okwuaka, whose case challenging the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate is still pending at the election, surprising served on the organising committee for the reception in honour of the INEC Chairman. Okwuaka, former Imo State Commissioner for Finance and one time chairman of Orsu Local Government Area said that Prof. Iwu's tenure as Chairman of the Electoral Commission has seen the introduction of various reforms in the electoral system, all aimed at jump starting a troubled political system. He listed some of the reforms in the nation's electoral system pioneered by Iwu as including the provision for the electronic transmission of election results to three locations simultaneously as a means of ensuring that the result entered in the result sheet is not altered under any condition, the Direct Data Capturing (DDC) Machines to among others curb multiple voting and the continuous voter registration exercise.
It should however be clarified that some of the reforms are still in their embryonic stages and are expected to yield more salutary results in future polls. Chief Elvis Agukwe, one of those behind the Okigwe reception for Iwu reasoned that "his dedicated service and tenacity" were major stabilising factors in Nigeria's politics and government today. Iwu to him looks like the kind of electoral chief Nigeria needed at this stage to wade through her most turbulent stages of democratic evolution. He therefore believes that this is the time for Nigerians to give honour to whom it is due.
The present attempt to spotlight the positive side of the INEC Chiarman is sure to provoke further debate about the conduct of the 2007 polls. Iwu's supporters have continued to argue that the problems associated with elections in the country are more institutional and societal than personal. They point to such structural ills as monetization of election by politicians, illiteracy, godfatherism, pervasive poverty in the country, violence, poor civic education and widespread corruption in the polity as some of the real obstacles to free and fair elections in the country.
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