Even though elections are just around the corner – due to be held in February 2023 – many Nigerians, particularly in rural areas, don’t have a clue about voting, what the changes to the 2022 Electoral Amendment Act mean or even what the different parties stand for.
One of the reasons is that the new Electoral Amendment Act, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 25, is available only in English, meaning thousands of Nigerians, who do not speak English, have not read and do not understand the new amendments and how they affect voters.
And it does not help that many people living in the rural areas have little access to information because FM radio stations don’t reach them.
RNI spoke to residents in Maiduguri to see how they felt about the coming elections and the amendments made to the new Act.
Baba Kura Modu Benishiekh said: “I have no idea about the new electoral amendments or laws. In fact, I have never heard of them. The information or news about the amendments did not reach us. I don’t know why. We are like the blind and dumb – we don’t know anything. We need more clarification and awareness about these so that we can know our rights and freedoms.
“Government agencies and the media organisations must take responsibility for this. They need to inform, educate and enlighten the public about the new amendments by translating them into the various languages spoken in Nigeria, such as Kanuri, Hausa, Babur, Shuwa Arab and Kibaku, among others, for the benefit of people who cannot understand English.
“Even I don’t understand English, I speak only Kanuri and a little Hausa. Tell me how I am expected to understand something that is written or spoken in English or any languages.”
Mohammed Abba Kyari told RNI he knew a little about the new amendment act. “Of course, I know one or two things about it but not all. There are lot of amendments but I am aware of two of them. I know that any person who is already in a political office must resign from their positions before contesting. The second thing I know is that full financial autonomy has been given to the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] to conduct its activities without any interference.
“We are pleased to hear about these amendments ahead of the 2023 general elections and they will help to improve the conduct of the people contesting in the elections. My advice to the INEC and the Federal Government is that they should consider making all democratically elected office holders, such as state governors, senators, federal legislators and local government chairmen, step down before seeking re-elections. This will help to curtail corruption, such as misappropriation of public funds, as well as using their public office for their own personal interests.”
Shettima Jafar Imam, director of the Borno State chapter of the National Orientation Agency, told RNI that it was their duty and responsibility to create public awareness about the amendments to the electoral act.
“The reasons for introducing these new amendments is to transform and improve the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission so that the elections are free, fair and transparent without any rancour, hitches, violence or disputes before, during and after elections. So, these amendments will help to ensure the errors of past elections will not occur again.
“There are several amendments that are very important to the electoral process. One is that anyone holding a political office such as ministers, commissioners, special advisers and others must resign from their positions before they can be eligible to participate in the electoral process either as a candidate or as a delegate.
“All political parties must conduct primaries and submit their list of candidates at least 180 days before the general elections. The new amendments approve that funds for general elections must be released at least one year before the election. The new law gives power to political parties to conduct a primary election to replace a candidate who dies during an election. It gives the INEC the legal backing for electronic transmission of election results and it can also review disputed results. It also makes provisions for people with disabilities and special needs.
“The INEC has legislative backing for smart card readers and any other voter accreditation technology that might be deployed in conducting elections. It stipulates that the total number of accredited voters will become a factor in determining over-voting at election tribunals. And the last one that I think is important has to do with the early commencement of a political party’s campaign season. The act stipulates that the campaign season will now start 150 days before election day and ends 24 hours before the election.”
Jafa Imam said the NOA’s responsibility was to thoroughly inform the public about the amendments to the act. It was planning to do this by translating the Electoral Amendment Act into local languages. The aim was to have elections that were free, fair, transparent and democratic.
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
