By Yusuf Ishaku Goje
In Kaduna State, the call for the electorates to shake-off voter apathy in the forthcoming 2024 local government council elections is best expressed by the immortal words of Charles de Gualle who aptly posited that, “politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.” While voter apathy has been prominent at National and sub national elections, the local government election is far worse – as a result of credibility issues as well as electoral violence, manipulation and fraud.
The electoral referee, the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM), has blown the whistle signaling the commencement of the process leading to the 2024 local government councils’ elections. This is pursuant to section 25 (1) of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2024, which was recently amended by the State House of Assembly.
A review and amendment process, regrettably, that was not openly subjected to public scrutiny, feedback and influence. Public hearings when considering such important laws should be the norm rather than the exception. No wonder the public displeasure and outcry that greeted the amendment that reverted the process back to paper-based manual voting as against use of electronic voting machines as well as payment of a non-refundable deposit of N2 million for Chairmanship and N500,000 for Councilorship candidates.
As the popular saying goes, anything for us, without us, cannot be for us. No doubt voter apathy is the result of the mistrust and suspicion the electorates have towards the electoral umpire, process and actors. Not involving them in such an important amendment process only further widens the trust gap and deepens the perception that their votes will not count. The trust gap can only be closed and perception changed when the electorates are not only involved but are able to influence critical aspects of the process and attest to its credibility.
The KAD-SIECOM seems to have recognized this need as it stated in its 2024 election guideline that “the Commission in collaboration with media organizations, NGOs, government agencies and other stakeholders will aggressively embark upon all planned public enlightenment and voter education.” The key word there is “aggressively” – which connotes broad-based stakeholders’ involvement and buy-in, allowing them to take ownership in championing the voter sensitization and education process.
If the new Chairperson and her permanent commissioners follow this path it will go a long way in regaining public trust and confidence in the Commission and electoral process. Over the years, more often than not, aside from the ruling parties, all stakeholders have had cause to question the independence and credibility of the Commission and electoral process. The current team at the helm of affairs have a date with history to change this narrative.
If qualification is the yardstick to conduct free, fair and credible elections with impressive voter turnout, the current leadership of the Commission is eminently qualified. However, it is not enough. Effective stakeholders’ management and engagement will be key. This can only be achieved with high-level transparency, accountability and responsiveness. This should come easy as Kaduna State has signed onto the Open Government Partnership (OGP), the first subnational to do so in Nigeria.
Only recently the Chairperson and two of the permanent commissioners witnessed the significance and the value of stakeholders’ engagement as well as being transparent and accountable in a virtual meeting with civil society actors. When the vexatious issue of reverting back to paper-based manual voting came, after they provided explanations and justified the action, many of the participants softened their positions and even commended it for being open.
No doubt, the Commission already has willing partners in the civil society organizations and development partners if it is truly committed to building public trust in the process. With a sincerity of purpose clearly, articulated in words and evident in action, the forthcoming election will set the standard not just in terms of credibility but voter turnout across the country. The era when local government elections are left to the political parties and politicians should be put behind us. The Commission should give more latitude, in line with the law, to civil society organizations and other stakeholders to champion voter education and mobilization.
This is more so that the recent Supreme Court judgment on Local Government Financial Autonomy has astronomically raised political and public interest in the leadership selection process at the local government level. Therefore, working closely with credible CSOs and stakeholders will be key to rebuilding public trust and encouraging voter turnout in the forthcoming elections in Kaduna State.
Goje is an active citizen, civil society member and OGP enthusiast.
