1. ANOTHER CASE OF AD-HOC THINKING
I have been following the Nigerian impending elections with a great keen interest just after my
two weeks of sojourning in Lagos and Abuja. Interestingly, I got a bit fascinated when a group of
young people I interacted with asserted that things are rosy when it comes to Ghana’s democratic
dispensation. I didn’t argue much on the case since that’s been the picture painted for the
international audience.
During my stay in Nigeria, I followed trends of conversation, especially about the viability of the
electorates going to the polls on the 14th of February to decide who leads them for the next five
years to the promise land economic prosperity and unabated security. On Facebook most
Nigerian citizens expressed fear of being insecured for the election whilst others were optimistic
about the election, stating that no evil will befall any citizen. Out of deep concern, some activists
and citizens called for the postponement of the elections. Those on the opposite side of the coin
vehemently refuted the argument and insisted the election goes on, on the said date.
There were two major concerns I gleaned from the calls for postponement of the elections in
Nigeria. One has to do with security and the other being the distribution of election logistics and
some processes rolled out the Independent Nigeria Electoral Commission. In my opinion, I
thought it was too late for the INEC to role in some of the technologies to help expedite the
electoral processes. Some electorates complained of not receiving their IPV cards, some were
concerned about the transfer of votes whiles others were also particular about knowing whether
their names were in the voters register. The interventions rolled in by INEC were good but came
at a wrong time in my opinion.
In an a appearance on the Youth Power Show on Kiss 99.9 FM in Abuja, I expressed my
sentiment linking their case to that of Ghana, where the introduction of the Biometric verification
system created a problem and was one of the main issues which the New Patriotic Party stood on
to question the validity of the current President John Mahama as the valid leader of the nation. I
however advised that, proper proactive measures be adopted by INEC to offset any adverse
contingencies.
All along, I was so concerned about the security situation in the country and how that will play
into the conduct of the elections. What threat did that have on the elections? What were the

2. measures being adopted by the Federal government to make sure that electorate are protected?
What assurance can the electorates have in order to turn out massively for the exercise of their
civic rights? The highly targeted or affected areas were certain states in the northern part of
Nigeria with cities such as Yobe, Maiduguri, Borno and other towns and villages constantly
threatened by the Boko Haram insurgency. What was the defense protocols outlined for such
areas? These were the many questions which flooded my mind as I brooded over the conduct of
a free and fair election for our sister-nation Nigeria.
With the Institute of Security Studies’ report on the volatile nature of security in the West
African sub-region and especially the recent rise in the operations of Boko Haram, I presumed
the largest economy on the African continent will arm itself adequately well leading into the
elections. What is happening now is just unfortunate and it is a clear indication of how the
African leader thinks. Knowing very well the task ahead, the federation could have sought for
military assistance from ECOWAS or the AU just to beef up security in the country ahead of
time. At the 42nd Ordinary Summit of the AU, a resolution was reached as AU prayed the
commitment of 7500 military personnel to help combat the operations of the Islamic Militant
group Boko Haram. That’s a worthless pursuit and rather should have been done earlier. It tells
me that, we do not place premium on the lives of the people; thus waiting for disaster to strike
before we think of a solution.
When Attahiru Jega, the Cheif of INEC announced the postponement of the February 14
elections, it did not come as a surprise to me. It was just a statement signifying the ad-hoc
thinking mentality of the African. Once again, the African is been painted as lacking the
discipline to plan, strategize and execute. This is quite a damning reputation to assume. When
was the date for the election set? What was the security situation then, in Nigeria? What did the
federation seek to do in the instance of knowing very well that the security situation was not
favourable?
Just after the announcement of the postponement, many concerned Nigerians have protested
against the decision by the INEC to reschedule the election dates. The main opposition party,
APC’s chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun thinks the move by INEC is provocative and a dent on the
democratic development of Nigeria. Some are also of the view that, the move is an attempt to
elongate Prez Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure office. One quite surprising of such comments came

3. from the US’ Secretary of State, expressing the United States’ disappointment at the turn of
events. In his view, INEC’s interference in the political process is unacceptable and that the
government should not hide under the pretext of security to block the democratic process. My
question, what would the US have done in such an instance?
Inasmuch as I don’t support the move by INEC, it is inherently important for us to also realize
the value of human lives. What’s the essence of democracy without peace, security and freedom?
SSD.