By George Odok

Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, has tasked Nigerians to set aside their differences of the just concluded general elections and chart a way forward for nation building.

Gambari said this on Thursday in Calabar while delivering the 35th convocation lecture of the University of Calabar.

The topic of the lecture was: “The Leadership and Followership Question in Nigeria: Imperatives of an Ethical Re-Orientation”.

He said that the 2023 polls have been conducted and winners have emerged, adding that Nigerians should join hands in building a better country.

According to him, the convocation lecture was taking place at a time when the country was going through a transition that will culminate into the inauguration of a new leadership on May 29.

He noted that as the inevitable work of national healing, reconciliation and rebuilding inevitably begins, the convocation lecture offers us all an excellent opportunity towards nation building.

Gambari said that it was time for Nigerians to collectively have an introspect in order to carry on the work of national advancement with a renewed vigour and a shared commitment.

“Our journey of nationhood and statehood began in earnest at independence in 1960 amidst high hopes that, as the biggest concentration of people of African descent, we had a manifest destiny to lead Global Africa on its journey of rebirth and transformation.

“Our hopes were bolstered by a number of other factors that were at play. These included the rich resource endowments with which we were and are still blessed, and the giants of political leaders who worked to usher the country to independence.

“These political leaders were remarkable as much for their vision and commitment to national development and progress as for the integrity and sense of responsibility with which they conducted public affairs.

“The high hopes of that led to independence and early post-colonial years gradually began to wane amidst rising acrimony, dissension and discord among the leaders of the First Republic,” he said.

He noted that at a time Nigeria was locked into a cycle of ethno-regional recriminations, inter-religious suspicions and generalised instability.

“I have never by any stretch of the imagination subscribed to the pessimistic school of commentators who exaggerate the problems of our country and downplay its successes as a vocation.

“However, few are the Nigerians who will fail to acknowledge that from a promising start, we have lived through a prolonged season where the country has, overall, not been able to live up to the promise of its founding ideals.

“It is partly in recognition of the underperformance that came to characterise governance and development in Nigeria that such developments as military incursions into the governance arena began to be witnessed, those interventions being presented as necessary “corrective” actions.

“Ironically, those interventions became part and parcel of a spiral of instability that only ended in 1999 with the birth of the Nigerian Fourth Republic.

“While it lasted as a norm in the administration of national affairs, the military in government experimented with various social engineering initiatives designed, among others, to curb corruption in high public office, wastefulness and indolence among government officials, and loss of the national moral compass,” he said.

He maintained that the leadership that leaves a lasting imprint on society is one which is anchored on the humility before the followership and an exemplary ethical compass.

He added that followership that succeeds in nurturing and throwing up quality leadership is one that is engaged in public affairs with an overriding spirit of what is best for all.

The Chief of Staff urged leaders to enlarge the circle that unites the country and use its natural resources to make it great.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

INEC on Wednesday in Abuja presented Certificates of Return to National Assembly members-elect of the April 18 supplementary elections.

Some of the lawmakers-elect commended INEC for a job well done and described their successes as victory for democracy.

Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa (APC), member-elect for Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State, described his victory as exceptional.

Doguwa said he had gone through a lot of elections since 1992, but that of 2023 was exceptional.

“We went through a lot of predicaments; name calling and a lot of unusual things; but putting all things together, I want to say that we are grateful.

“I am grateful to our people who once again gave me the mandate to continue to represent them in the business of legislation at the National Assembly,’’ he said.

Doguwa said that he believed INEC secured a pass mark in the 2023 general elections, but still has a lot of areas to improve upon.

“Pass mark in the sense that it was transparent enough and very prompt. Within 30 days it was able to organise the supplementary elections.

“In areas where there were some challenges, they did not result from institutional inadequacies, but through manipulation by one or two persons.

“Where you have a mistake committed, whether deliberately or otherwise by an individual, that should not be extended to the institution.

“I want to say without any fear of contradiction that INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is doing well,’’ he said.

On his view about the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, Doguwa said that as a loyal member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) he would wait for the decision of the party.

Chief Billy Osawaru (APC), member-elect, Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency in Edo, described his election as free, fair and credible.

Osawaru promised to deliver dividends of democracy to his constituency.

“The people deserve to enjoy the dividends of democracy which I am bringing on board. Those are not just promises; I will do everything within my ability to make sure my people enjoy everything that is due to them.

“Before now, we have a representative who did very well. I am going to take a cue from him and I am still going to try as much as possible to bring in my own expertise,’’ he said.

Bashir Gorau (PDP) member-elect, Gada-Goronyo federal constituency, Sokoto, described his victory as a tough battle against a ranking lawmaker who had been in the House for 16 years.

The 33-year-old member-elect promised to contribute to enactment of laws that would boost youth development.

“I am just 33 years old. We have a lot of passion for young people across the country. As an activist, I travel across Nigeria and I know virtually the problems of the Nigerian youth.

“We are going to work to ensure that things get better for Nigerian youths,’’ Gorau said.

Ibrahim Idris, (APC) Senator-elect, Zamfara Central Senatorial District, said though there were challenges, he appreciated God and his people for the victory.

Idris expressed determination to use his mandate judiciously to deliver the dividends of democracy to his constituency and to Nigeria.

Muhammad Shehu (NNPP), member-elect, Fagge Federal Constituency, Kano State, described his victory as a long journey.

Shehu pledged to contribute to the enactment of laws that would enhance Nigeria’s development.

Sulaiman Gumi, (PDP) member-elect, Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency, Zamfara, said INEC should be commended in spite of perceived gaps in the 2023 general elections.

“There are a lot of gaps here and there, but I think overall, INEC did well. It should learn from mistakes made at the 2023 elections and correct them in the future,’’ he said.

Gumi said those arrested for electoral violence and malpractices should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Alli Hakeem

2023 elections: Democracy and elections in Nigeria

A news analysis by Ismail Abdulaziz, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Democracy is said to be a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

Many democracies that transition into the 21st face challenges in their path of successful consolidation including economy, unemployment, inequality in income and wealth and inflation.

Many challenges facing democracies in Africa and Nigeria can be attributed to the lack of proper enlightenment of citizens to the tenets of democracy and rule of law. The winner is supposed to take all while the loser is expected to resist.

In spite of these challenges to democracy, a system is taking shape in Nigeria to strengthen democracy. The National Peace Committee comprising statesmen and elders have taken it on themselves to forestall after election violence and commit candidates to peace before, during and after elections.

The accord was meant to bind political parties, candidates and their supporters to resort to the constitution if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the elections.

Similarly, local and international observers including the West African Elders Forum, Commonwealth Observer Group and others have made significant contribution towards enshrining democratic ethos in Nigeria. These election monitors have been a part of the various election processes in the country since the return of democratic rule in 1999.

After the Feb. 25 presidential and national assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Bola Tinubu as the winner with 8,794,736 of the over 24 million votes cast.

The two opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the Labour Party (LP) have gone to court to challenge the result. This is the most expected decision that various monitors and observers envisaged. For democracies to thrive, the citizens must imbibe this culture exploring the option of the constitution to resolve issues.

On the outcome of the election, an editorial by Premium Times, states that while some logistics challenges, malpractices and violence in some locations undermined the election, it is excessive and inaccurate to describe the exercise as totally flawed or as the worst in Nigeria’s history, as some want the world to believe. If anything, the election demonstrated appreciable progress in the nation’s electoral process, in comparison to past ones.

In a write up in the Vanguard, Magnus Onyibe, a former commissioner in Delta state, wrote stated that the shortcoming of the 2023 election has laid bare that not enough critical thinking went into organizing the event which is supposed to be so epochal and consequential that it should not have been treated with such levity.

‘’For instance, the election is setting our country back by about N355 billion that was appropriated for INEC to conduct the election. That is just the direct cost of tax payers’ money. When the down time of locking down the country on election days twice are factored in, the cost burden on an economy which is tottering on the brinks of collapse would be much higher.

Similarly, the Washington Post editorial ‘’Nigeria points the way toward democracy in a region in which it is scarce’’, while calling on INEC to assess what went wrong in the 2023 elections, noted that the March 28 governorships and state assembly elections seemed to be much better managed in spite of ‘’some scattered report of violence’’.

It stated that a flawed election in Nigeria can set a standard in a part of Africa where staging a coup is more common than canvassing for votes, adding that ‘’an election in Nigeria won’t turn Africa into a democratic utopia, but it can point the way to a different path’’.

On their observation of the Feb. 25 presidential and national assembly election, the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) gave insights on the way forward.

While the forum notes that some political parties and concerned citizens have raised procedural questions and allegations of infractions of the electoral law in the process of collation of results, it called on all aggrieved parties to document and laid their claims to INEC, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022.

 ‘’The Mission notes the imperative of retaining the confidence of Nigerians in the on-going electoral process and, therefore, urges the INEC to thoroughly investigate those concerns and comply with the electoral law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the process of collating the election results.

‘’As former leaders who are committed to peace and stability in our sub-region, we have begun a round of consultations with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders, taking to them our message of hope, understanding and peace.

Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, former Nigeria president, also reflected on effective and transparent leadership in the country at a function recently in his home state of Bayelsa.

 “As a leader in the country who had the privilege of serving at the state and national level, I can only advise that politics is not about that you must be there. If God wants you to be there, you will be there. If it is not yet your turn to be there, you will not be there.

“So, I advise people who are interested in these offices and their supporters to conduct themselves very well. They want to serve us, not themselves.

“If you want to serve us as people, then you must be humble, and you will not kill us before you serve us. So, people must conduct themselves peacefully, and if God wants them to win their elections, they will win their elections.”

**If used, credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

***This article is with support from Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), a pro-peace and good governance initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting democratic principles as a prerequisite for peace and prosperity in Africa.

By Angela Atabo

Connected Development (CODE),a civil society organisation, has expressed concern over ethnic profiling of some groups in the 2023 General Elections and urged Nigerians to embrace unity in nation’s interest.

Chief Executive of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a news conference to present the organisation’s findings on the 2023 General elections.

Lawal said that CODE and its 20,000 observers were at the forefront of the poll and have followed the process religiously with the deployment of CODE’s Uzabe platform.

“We speak against the ethnic profiling that took place in most parts of the country and how we must shun these things as a country.

“We must see ourselves as humans; yes, each and every one of us is from a village or a community but Nigeria as a whole has united us.

“We cannot target people because of their choice, their language or because of the region that they come from.

“If we continue this way,it will consume each and every one of us, so we hope that our political, traditional and religious leaders can douse the tension and call people to order,” he said.

Lawal said there was need for Nigerians to be united and remain peaceful.

He said that CODE’s observations revealed that in spite of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC’s) acclaimed readiness to host the presidential election on Feb.25 it fell shot of expectations in terms of logistics.

He however, commended the commission for correcting the shortfall during the governorship election as polls started very early in more than 70 per cent polling units monitored across the country.

He said that there were some critical incidences that that undermined the success of the governorship and State Assembly elections.

Lawal listed electoral violence ,ballot box snatching ,attacks on observers and journalists ,low voter turnout, ethnic profiling among others.

He also expressed disappointment at the way some security agencies reacted to the issue of electoral violence, adding that some of them seemed to have been compromised.

He said that although the 2022 Electoral Act was a good amendment, it failed to deliver on the electoral system due to human interference.

He said that the 10th National Assembly would have a critical role to play in the amendment of the Electoral Act, particularly on how to unbundle INEC as an institution.

“This is because in our democracy and our politics, election is the first step and if we get it wrong, then our democracy will be in shambles and Nigerian people will not enjoy the dividends.

“In unbundling INEC as an institution, first ,we will need to look at how the National Chairman of INEC,the National Commissioners emerge and most importantly, how to Resident Electoral Commissioners emerge and who are they answerable to.

“This is because today, what we have seen is that the institution as a whole and the people there have been compromised, some are placeholders for corrupt politicians.’’

Lawal said that there was need to unbundle INEC and make it truly independent without outside interference with its duties.

He also stressed the need for the commission to step up its result collation process.

“ I think that as we reform the institution and provide reform on the Electoral Act for every result that would be uploaded should have the signature of every party agent,’’he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Inuwa Ali-Baba