INEC, Stakeholders, CSOs Harps On The Need To Close Ranks In Sustaining Public Trust

By David Lawani, Abuja

In a sheer zeal and determination to sustain public trust for the protection of the image of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Stakeholders, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs and experts have agreed that all hands must be on deck because Nigerians and the international community are at the receiving end of the outcome of any election hence called on the media and journalists to assist in remaining a gatekeeper of the choices made by the people.

Addressing participants at a one day interactive session which was organised by the International Press Council, IPC, in collaboration with the EU-Support To Democratic Governance In Nigeria ( EU-SDGN; Component 4: Support To Media”, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Mary Nkem in a remark noted that the Commission cannot do work alone.

She  explained that the Commission operates an open door policy, a situation where the INEC is ready and willing to open up its books for scrutiny adding that there is no major decision taken by the Commission without getting the stakeholders involved.   She said the upcoming Bye- and Re-run elections have the inputs of all stakeholders.

According to her: ” The Commission operates an open door policy. We have our ears on the ground. We listen to advises.  We listen to criticism, constructive ones. We listen to recommendations.  Every major elections in any general election immediately after it, the Commission does what it calls a review. We have been reviewing election reports.

” We do not only review with the commission members. We involved every stakeholders. In the last general election, the Commission did a review. Even our EOs and field officers at the local government areas reviewed it with Resident Electoral Commissioners. We had meetings with the media and CSOs. The political parties. Why do the Commission do this?

” We do this so that we can engage. What did we do right? What did we do wrongly? What are the ways that we can improve on it? And a lot of recommendations came up. It will interest you to know that most of the policies that came out from the 2023 general election emanated from the review we had from the 2019 general election. For the 2023 review, all the reports and recommendations have been harvested. The Commission will look at them critically.  Those that can be implemented we will implement in the next election.

Speaking further on the people that have been arrested, Mrs. Nkem said the Commission doesn’t have the power to make arrest. She said election is a multi-stakeholder responsibility, a situation where INEC cannot do it.

” If INEC doesn’t play its part and stakeholders didn’t do their own, there will be issue”, she said.

The Lead discussant, Jide Ojo, a public consultant and public affairs analyst noted that the need to sustain public trust is a responsibility for all. He reiterated the need for joint efforts because once a body saddled with a task is not living up to expectations, it will certainly rub off on others thereby giving room for suspicion and sundry reactions.

Also contributing his expertise and knowledge on how best public trust can be sustain, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, an Election Administration Expert stated that lack of trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, makes the public to lose confidence in the electoral process. He said the best way for the Commission to regain its trust is to ensure that the ballots and choice made by the people are respected at all cost.

He said: ” Lack of trust in inec making public to loose confidence in the electoral process. The ballots and the choice that the ballot wxpress is the most important. There are three dimensions of these trust. The extentbto which those who ask for votes and which we cast these ballots. Those promises they make prior the time they receive the votes. If people promise that they will deliver things and they failed.

” The content value of the ballot.  If in the process of election, the outcome of election are manipulated in such a way. That what they got from what they cast in the ballot, sure that it will reduce the public confidence. How we reconstruct trust in the electoral process. From.what I have just discussed, all of the above thag I mentioned all have a role in the institution of the process. The level of trust in the process”, he said.

He expansiated on five things the public need to know about trust in the electoral process in Nigeria.

According to him”: ” In a society where there is a general deficit of trust. That society will definitely rub off on the trust in the electoral process. There seems to be a wide spread trust deficit in the institution.

” What other agency do or failed to do is more important than what the electoral agency do. If you look at the crisis in the electoral process, you will see that political parties have failed in the election of their party candidates with the judiciary.

” Every election tends to worsen the process. This is not difficult to understand. Every election those who loose and their supporters will have low expectations on the system.

” It is not trust deficit that is the problem. But it is always almost there. But what is critical is that when that trust is beyond a threshold, it becomes a problem to the system. There are series of researchers reporting this.

” The attempt to deperonalise the trust deficit by technology will not work. The assumption that we can use technology in place of humans is quite misleading.

” The success of any democratic process rest squarely with the  stakeholders”, he said.

The Convener and Executive Director of International Press Council, IPC, Lanre Arogundade earlier in his position noted that he is glad this opportunity has presented itself in rebuilding the trust of reserved critical stakeholders from the electoral processes and other institutions.

He maintained that the overriding interest of the framework is to strengthen the role of the media in promoting democratic governance through fair, accurate, and inclusive governance for electoral processes in Nigeria.

” The traditional and online media play major roles in engaging the electoral process through professional coverage and reportage for electoral process”, he said.

He explained that looking at this project, it is not accidental that there are two organisations that are involved in this Component 4 of this project.