By EMOKONIOVO KINGSLEY

As the 2027 elections draw near, electioneering activities and politicking are getting more intense, and part of what constitutes the crux of the electioneering and politicking processes are the activities of political parties many of which form the opposition against the ruling party. The ruling party naturally does everything within its power to frustrate the springing up of more opposition parties, and this has probably been the case in almost all climes of the world from time immemorial.

In the current case of Nigeria, the electoral umpire, being the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has demonstrated through very direct gestures that it is in cahoots with the political party in power towards frustrating the opposition; a clear case being the electoral body’s refusal to register a new political party for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his supporters, thus forcing them to pitch their tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The above-mentioned matter is currently pending before a competent court in Nigeria, and will be determined in due time.

When confronted with glaring proofs of its complicity in frustrating Nigeria’s opposition, INEC offers very flimsy excuses to save its face. For instance, how can INEC reject the application for registration of a political party on the grounds that the acronym ‘NSE’ is similar to that of the Nigerian Society of Engineers? INEC’s dismissal of applications on the basis of mere technicalities has been deemed totally unacceptable and unreasonable by critics.

Again, taking a good look at the 2027 vista, it becomes imperative to ask whether INEC is not deliberately stifling the efforts being made to synthesize a formidable opposition ahead of the general elections. There is no gainsaying the fact that INEC, as the body saddled with the constitutional responsibility of registering political parties and regulating their activities in Nigeria, is directly and indirectly frustrating the development of a superlative opposition that will give the government of the day a run for its money. We can consider the electoral commission’s disqualification of over 157 applications for registration of political parties as a major hit on the associations seeking to join forces with existing oppositions in ousting the APC in 2027.

Watchers of political activities in Nigeria have expressed dismay over INEC’s rejection of applications for registration of political parties for reasons such as a proposed name or acronym resembling a name INEC linked to gross domestic product. Concerns grew when after corrections had been made to the proposed name and acronym, INEC still hesitated in perfecting the registration process.

Critics of these anomalous tendencies of INEC have wondered why the Commission has allowed itself to be used as a pawn by the government in power. A legal practitioner, Patrick Okereke Nwajah, has given a good perspective on why INEC cannot truly be independent and fully exercise its constitutional powers towards effectively handling the affairs of political parties and delivering on expectations. The legal luminary averred that the Commission is never independent even though it is nomenclaturally an independent body because its head is appointed by the president and must thus compromise on standards to satisfy the interests and yearnings of the government in power.

Nwajah maintained that the law gives INEC the discretionary power to sometimes act arbitrarily in deciding what happens with political parties and how they can be registered and run. He then concluded by saying that unless the law is amended to clarify and simplify some ambiguous clauses attached to the discretionary powers of INEC, the Commission will continue to exhibit unacceptable heights of arbitrariness without any consequences.

Nwajah asked how for instance, INEC can justifiably and satisfactorily determine persons of upright character who as prescribed by the law, must comprise the composition of a proposed party’s executive officers. He argued that the phrase “person of upright character” is vague and cannot be determined based on INEC’s discretion, but can be relative to the person or persons forming an opinion. Nwajah asserted that the above-mentioned phrase would mean different things to different people, and should therefore not be part of the clauses enshrined in the guidelines for the registration of a political party.

Still dissecting the procedural flaws in INEC’s modus operandi pertaining to the registration of political parties, renowned political analyst and public affairs commentator, Kings Ofurhe, interrogated the rationale behind INEC’s decline of assent based merely on similarity of logos, symbols and names, and asked if the acronym ‘APC’ does not share resemblance with the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) which is also an acronym for military communication.

Ofurhe further alluded to the fact that some burgeoning political parties or associations can spring a thunderous surprise in the coming elections if accorded the necessary support by INEC and peopled by political heavyweights. He referenced the unbelievable performance of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, whose first outing as a presidential standard bearer was greeted with staggering votes and widespread acceptance.

Other concerns raised by political pundits with regard to INEC’s subtle frustration of a formidable opposition border on the sundry requirements for the registration of a political party such as the setting up of structures in at least two-third of states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the length of time required for the consummation of the registration.

Ofurhe wondered if new political parties that need time to build their structures and get quality spread can achieve this with the slow pace at which INEC operates, and condemned the customary laxity of INEC staff who are usually seen idling away at the Commission’s headquarters when there is clearly a lot of work to be done.

Still looking at the role INEC has played in frustrating the development of a formidable opposition, it will be trite to say that the Commission, even though it is known and addressed as an independent body, does not operate independently but rather works to foster the aims and objectives of the party or government in power. INEC disqualified a large number of associations that applied to register as political parties on grounds of technicalities. It is not uncommon that mistakes and errors will be made while trying to actualize a task such as registering a political party, yet INEC looked at some of these dismissible oversights and used them to frustrate the efforts of the associations seeking its nod. In exercising its discretionary power, INEC can waive some of the unmet requirements and register the associations that have desperately sought its endorsement. INEC does not seem to appreciate the political consciousness and wokeness that appear to have taken over the collective psyche of Nigerians and which drive them to demand good governance and quality leadership.

INEC needs to attain true independence so that like the electoral bodies of other developed countries, it can bestow on the country quality leadership that is deserving of the people’s maximum support.

INEC needs to evolve into an invincible system that can function on auto-pilot without any external interference.

There are clamours that INEC, which is headed by a Chairman, is hamstrung by the excessive control exercised over it by the government in power, and that the Commission should therefore be subjected to a form of revolutionization so that it can function as a self-driving institution. With such a feat achieved, democracy will be fostered in Nigeria and will spark off the much needed economic and all-round transformation.

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