INEC Preparedness, Challenges and Public Expectations
for a Peaceful 2015 Elections in Nigeria
Abubakar Momoh
Director-General
The Electoral Institute, Abuja
amomoh2002@yahoo.com
Presented at WANEP Staeholders Consultative Meeting on
Peaceful Elections in Nigeria, March 12-13, 2014
Lessons Learnt from 2011 General
Elections
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Retreats on Lessons learnt
Post Election Audit
Registration and Election Review Committee (RERC)
Staff Audit by PriceWaterHouse
Restructuring of TEI
Directorates and Departments reorganised and made
more effective
Values and Electoral integrity
Result-based Civic and voter Education
Impact evaluation
Electoral integrity. Collective ownership, civic duty
INEC’s Preparedness
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New focus: policy, plan and restructuring
Long term planning : Strategic plan and work plan (2012-2016)
Connecting implementation strategy to relevant Departments and units
Policy: Elections Management System (EMS)
Plan: Elections Project Plan (EPP)
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Restructuring of TEI
Introduction of AFIS
Automated CVR and PVC
Introduction of Card Readers for PVC
Discarding the Use of Addendum Register
Customising results sheets to PUs
Overhauling training methodology
Delimitation of constituencies
Improving on logistics and security
Updating and warehousing databank of ad-hoc staff
High Premium Insurance for both permanent and Ad-hoc staff
Election Time-Table out well on time, unlike in the past
7 Principal Business Areas (PBAs)
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Election Day Logistics (EDL)
Election Day Training (EDT)
Election Staff Management (ESM)
Election Day Support (EDS)
Political Party & Candidate Management
(PPM)
• Continuous Voter Registration (CVR)
• Election Day Procurement (EDP)
Public Expectations
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Building Political Trust
Transition from Political Elite to Political Class
Issue-based campaigns
Free, fair and credible Elections
Delivery and distribution of sensitive materials on time
Adequate security at Polling Units
Payment of allowances and entitlements of ad-hoc staff
Non-partisanship of security personnel and civil conduct
Zero tolerance for violence
Internal party democracy
Challenges
• Key challenge: (i) funding (ii) rhetorics of politicians overheat the
polity(iii) Election Day logistical challenges (iv) Security for PUs (v)
topography-creeks and inaccessible areas
• Logistics and Deployment of personnel on election Day
• 750,000 Ad-hoc staff to be trained, certified online and used in
2015 Elections
• Investigative and prosecutory role of the Police
• AFIS caught 93,000 fake voters in Anambra Gubernatorial elections
• Over 800,000 citizens caught in multiple registration, NEC has no
funds and capacity to prosecute
• Rhetorics of politicians overheat the polity
• Logistical challenge on Election day
• Security in Electoral process, campaign rallies and on Election Day
The Security Challenge
• Post-Election Violence often worse
• Youth violence and thuggery-Sara suka (Bauchi); Yan daba(Kano) Boko
Haram (NE), ECOWAS Boys (Ogun) Area Boys (Lagos), Dei Well & Dei Gbam
(Rivers and Bayelsa), Agboole Boys (Ondo)
• Infrastructure of violence-light weapons, economic hardship
• Inter Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), coordination
and cooperation-bottom up in defining agenda
• Early warning signs-need to monitor and identify conflict triggers and
conflict indicators-early warning management
• Electoral Risk Management (ERM) and Mapping of Electoral Risksdesigning an effective tool-AU/I-IDEA
• Electoral Alternative Dispute Resolution (EADR)-for mediating & resolving
electoral complaints and disputes especially within political parties
• Politics as warfare
Stakeholders Meetings and
Sensitisation
• IPAC and INEC quarterly meetings and
interaction
• Policy validation meetings with CSOs and
relevant stakeholders
• Issue-focused debriefing and interaction with
media
• Media sensitisation on key issues relating to
elections
• INEC hour on AIT every Thursday
Peace Education and sundry issues
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Peace Education as a new paradigm: The peace education is founded on the
principle that people and problems should be approached positively and not
negatively
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Civic education, Voter information, and voter education
New methodology for voter education:by TEI
Result-based Voter Education by TEI and VEP Dept
INEC Communication Policy: information management and make or mar an
election e.g. Anambra Gubernatorial Election
Vote to score, Voters Club
Alternative means of reaching ruralites and urban youth-popular culture
Recruitment and Training for the right calibre of citizens for elections
Training for CSOs and Media
Training for political parties/candidates
INEC’s role is technical and NOT political-hence peace elections is the mandate of
ALL stakeholders
Need for collective ownership of the Electoral project