Charles Ajunwa
3 November 2009
Lagos — Last week Thursday's launching of the 'Face of a Nation: Democracy in Nigeria, Foreign Relations and National Image' written by Dr. Zimako O. Zimako, at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, opened another window for Nigerians to chart a new course for the nation's problematic electoral system. The current efforts at reforming the nation's electoral system formed major part of the discussion.
The main auditorium of NIIA was filled to capacity with people from different parts of the country, who thronged the venue despite the heavy down pour in Lagos. In his opening remarks, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi who presided, set the ball rolling by drawing attention to some issues in the electoral reform and the need for the elected National Assembly members to ensure the completion of the electoral reform before 2011 general elections. He also made comparison between Option A4 and open-secret ballot system, insisting that the latter is the best system for the electoral system in the country.
"There is now a consensus that it is the better part of wisdom for the National Assembly to concentrate on just electoral reforms than lump them with constitutional reforms. 2011 is too critical for the survival of this country for us to miss the opportunity to put a credible electoral system in place, at least a year before the actual elections start. Therefore, I appeal to the National Assembly to forgo the exercise of a wholesale revision of the 1999 Constitution and concentrate on the various electoral reform bills before it.
"Secondly, we need to be careful that the solution which we propose will not do more damage than good. Let me say with all the emphasis at my command that Option A4 is not the solution. It is inappropriate and inapplicable. The historical facts are that Option A4 was used for party primaries and not for the national presidential elections. What Option A4 did for party primaries was that contests started at ward level, local government level and state level before the national primary. Any candidate who did not scale the ward level could not proceed to the local government level or state level or national level. So much has been said about voters queuing behind pictures of candidates. It did not happen all over the country. The common feature in all the elections was the use of the open-secret ballot system. That is what we should be emphasizing and advocating. The use of the open secret system, where ballots are marked secretly but cast openly, is the best system," Akinyemi declared.
Former Senate President Senator Ken Nnamani, in his own presentation submitted that every development starts from the ballot box, not necessarily election, even as he admitted that the 2006 Electoral Act passed under his leadership in the Senate omitted certain things that would have helped the electoral process in the country.
He listed four things the National Assembly should endeavour to include in the electoral reform namely: appointment of the chairman of the electoral body not be done by a sitting executive as recommended by the Justice Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee, no candidate must declared winner until all judicial interventions have been concluded, onus of prove should be on the candidate not the electoral management body and the Independent National Electoral Commission should be autonomous.
Apart from appealing to the National Assembly to conclude everything on the electoral reform before 2011 election, Nnamani said the Electoral Act is not the problem but the inability to apply it properly by the relevant institutions entrusted by law with such power noting that the electoral process would be better if things are done accordingly.
"It is the business of all Nigerians to pray hard and put pressure on the National Assembly members who are the trustees of the people to conclude the electoral reform before the 2011 general election as this will usher in development in Nigeria," Nnamani declared.
Former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Part(ANPP) in the 2007 election General Mohammed Buhari in his speech said the elites in Nigeria are the major problem of the democratisation process in the country saying that whichever way Nigeria goes, the elites should be held responsible.
The elites, according to Buhari, should go back to their constituencies to enlighten the people properly, adding that they should talk to their people respectfully for them to earn their respects.
"I appeal to the Nigerian elite to go back to their constituencies to enlighten them, we must get the elite from all the constituencies to go and teach their people, give them the respects they deserve and beg for their supports and talk to them respectfully before earning their respect,"
According to Buhari, the nation's problem is not electoral reform but how to ensure a free and fair election in the country, noting that the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Acts of 2002 and 2006 are good enough to achieve real democratisation in Nigeria.
The former presidential candidate said that democracy is the only thing that can hold Nigeria together using example of the United States of America, he attributed all the development in America including the emergence of President Barrack Obama to democracy.
"Without real democracy entrenched in the country, we are going to remain slaves for the rest of our lives," adding that Nigerians should make sacrifices in defending their mandates just like the people of Kano, Bauchi and Lagos states did in 2003, 2007 elections respectively.
"We want democracy to endure and we mean it Democracy in Nigeria is the only thing that will hold us together. This is what we are hoping in Nigeria but we are different. The only way we are going to make progress is to do like America. Our problem is not electoral reform, our biggest problem is the lack of free and fair election in the country," Buhari said.
According to Dr. Joe Nwodo, who reviewed the book, the nexus running through the three faces of democracy, foreign relations and national image, is how the regime of bad governance wrecked democracy in the country, destroyed the credibility of foreign policy and battered national image.
Apart from describing Zimako as a patriotic Nigerian, brilliant scholar whose erudition and scholarship has put together a monumental work, Nwodo said Zimako's book has opened a new intellectual gateway towards a rapid comprehension of the Nigerian crisis.
"This is a path breaking book that provides us with the much needed framework for opening up a meaningful analysis that may help us in diagnosing the way forward in dismantling the system of bad governance in Nigeria thereby opening up the eventual development of Nigeria and its emergence from third world to the first world," Nwodo said.
Among the notable Nigerians that attended the launch include former Health Minister, Debo Adeyemi, who represented former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Others are Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, who was the chief presenter and Chief Pini Jason, who represented Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim.
Also presnt are former Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Alex Ogbemudia, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, former Nigeria Ambassador to United States of America, Professor George Obiozor, Chief Mike Ahamba, former Director General of NIIA, Professor G. Olusanya, Professor Osisioma Nwolisa, Rev. Author Nwadike and others.
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