Nigeria must hold credible elections

2011-04-04 23:10

Abuja - Nigeria can still hold credible polls despite postponing them amid organisational chaos, and must do so because Africa cannot afford another flawed vote, ex-Botswana president Festus Mogae said on Monday.

Mogae, the head of observers from the Commonwealth, told AFP in an interview that he regretted that Nigeria had to postpone upcoming parliamentary, presidential and state polls, but said it was the only reasonable choice.

"It is best to have postponed rather than to have tried to go ahead and have a faulty election," the 71-year-old said at the observer mission's offices at the Hilton hotel in Abuja.

"At least now, with goodwill, there is still a chance that elections would be credible."

Mogae, lauded as a symbol of good governance and for his responsible management of Botswana's diamond wealth during his decade as president, said Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, must not let the continent down.

"I think neither Nigeria nor Africa can afford another flawed election," he said. "In Nigeria, it would do damage - further damage - to our credibility as Africans in general, Nigerians in particular."

Mogae's record of governance stands in sharp contrast when compared to the situation in Nigeria, which is Africa's largest oil producer but has been unable to provide even basic infrastructure, including adequate electricity.

Nigeria's electoral chief announced the vote postponements on Sunday after widespread organisational problems.

New dates

The new dates are April 9 for parliamentary polls, April 16 for presidential elections and April 26 for governorship and state assembly polls.

Parliamentary polls were due to be held on Monday, while the presidential vote was previously set for April 9 and state ballots on April 16.

Legislative elections had already been postponed once, with the delay announced hours after the vote was to begin on Saturday as materials and personnel failed to arrive at a large number of polling stations.

The two-day delay announced on Saturday drew immediate criticism from those who said it did not leave enough time to sort out logistical problems and would give an unfair advantage to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.

There were also the inevitable suggestions of sabotage in a country long held back by corruption.

The criticism led the electoral commission chief, Attahiru Jega, to meet on Sunday with political parties, after which he announced that all polls would be shifted. He said holding the parliamentary and presidential polls on the same day could result in further logistical problems.

"It is a question of inadequate preparedness on the part of [the electoral commission]," Mogae said. "I don't think it is a question of sabotage.

"I was always a bit apprehensive by the time frame with which such a huge task had to be accomplished.

"The national registration, and then arranging this election and the preparations required were a daunting task which was carried out in a very short time, and people were impressed by it. So was I."

A recently installed electoral commission headed by Jega, a respected academic, has raised hopes that the vote will break with Nigeria's history of violent and flawed polls.

The commission has put together an entirely new electoral list, scrapping the old one littered with false entries, by taking electronic fingerprints from every potential voter. Some 73.5 million people have registered.

- AFP