2023 Election can’t be free, fair, credible – Former presidential candidate

…says Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, others not acceptable across Nigeria , INEC not independent

By Tunde Opalana

Founder and National Chairman of the now deregistered African Renaissance Party (ARP) and two times presidential candidate (2003 and 2011), Alhaji Yahaya Ndu has said Nigerians should not expect free, fair and credible election in 2023.

Ndu, who is the President, Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria (PMNN) and Director, Institute for African Renaissance Studies and Realization (IARSR), at the Gregory University Uturu, Abia State expressed this apprehension in an exclusive interview with the Daily Times on Tuesday.

Worried by spate of insecurity across the country and what he described as monetization of the polity, he categorically stated that the success of the poll is already being threatened.

The former presidential candidate whose movement is in alliance with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) also doubted if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can be allowed unfettered freedom by state governors who dictate the political spaces in their states.

He said “even if elections hold today, it can never be free , fair and credible in my opinion. To begin with the entire process so far up till this stage is over monetized.
Secondly the degree of insecurity in Nigeria today will never allow many people to vote as kidnappers are all-over the country. Killings everywhere, burning and looting of properties have become daily occurrence and over 90% of the perpetrators are never arrested and when they are arrested in 90% of the cases that is the end of the story.

“By the way, if insecurity is so rampant today and our security agencies are not able to contain the situation, what will happen during general election when they will be thoroughly overstretched?.

Condemning the overbearing influence of state governors on the polity, he said “now look at what is happening in many of the states. The governors have arogated to themselves the powers to chose for the entire citizens of the state who to vote for and are deploying government apparatus without let or hindrance in pursuit of their personal open agendas.

“So, talks about free fair and credible elections are already largely dead on arrival. Honestly your guess is as good as mine as to whether the 2023 elections will hold against the background of the overwhelming insecurity sweeping the nation and the attacks on INEC facilities in parts of the country especially in the south east.

However, Ndu said the survival of Nigeria does not depend on the success of the 2023 elections.

According to him, “whether elections hold or not ,the primary purpose of government as our constitution states is the security and welfare of the people; Nigeria has survived many elections and change of governments in the past so I have absolutely no doubt that Nigeria will survive this.”

He added that none of the presidential candidates is acceptable across the nation despite all pretences.

“Even the president and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces is not only a member or head of the presidential campaign organization of his party but is already telling the nation whom he will hand over to long before the election and you are still talking about free fair and credible elections?;

“Even at the national level where serving ministers are spokesperson to presidential candidates and serving governors campaign managers and you are still talking about free fair and credible elections?.

“The election, if it holds, is already jeopardized by reasons of the factors I have alluded to in my answer to your last question.

“You are seeing governors announcing what percentage of votes their preferred candidates will get in their states and the INEC is not even challenging or cautioning them and you are still asking if the same INEC is independent enough. It is clear that it is not independent in anyway.

“Instead of asking and wasting our time on whether INEC is independent enough to conduct a largely acceptable election next year we should spend our time working out how to ensure good governance, election or no election and how to ensure that if there is election, that no matter who wins what, that there must be good governance and nobody is taken for a ride.

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“If we sit down to calculate what we spend on elections, campaign etc ,year in ,year out, month in ,month out, at the end of the day we gain nothing but generating mistrust, strive, hatred, and at the end electing point zero zero zero one percent of the people who will now begin to lord it over 99.9999% of the people and loot their resources and own forty mansions, thirty luxury cars, and so on with reckless abandon and when they are caught, which rarely happens, you begin to hear about plea bargain and all sought of rubbish, while insecurity and poverty get out of control. This is possible and achievable,” he said.

On his expectations from whoever will emerge next president of Nigeria, Ndu said “the person should first of all remember that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians of all ethnic nationalities, all religious divides, all sexes, and to the young as well as to the old and finally to the living and the yet unborn.”