• ‘Tech alone can’t fix elections without addressing human, institutional failings’
• Jonathan calls for stronger judiciary to protect electoral integrity
• Jega warns of ‘coupists’, rising authoritarianism, electoral fraud
Former President Goodluck Jonathan and former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, have decried the state of Nigeria’s electoral system, blaming flawed elections on political actors, the judiciary, and the electoral commission.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the Reflection Conference on Democratic Elections in West Africa, organised by Yiaga Africa, Jonathan emphasised judicial accountability and reforms to strengthen the electoral process, while Jega criticised the desperation of political elites, security challenges, and systemic corruption, warning that these issues threaten democratic stability in Nigeria and the West African region.
Jonathan stressed the pivotal role of the judiciary in ensuring credible elections, stating that corruption in the system creates an enabling environment for dishonest practices.
“If elections must be done properly, then the judiciary must always play its role,” Jonathan said. “Every human being has the tendency to cheat. Even if you are born from heaven, as long as you are human, the feeling that you must exploit, you must cheat, is there. But if the environment does not permit it, then you become careful.”
Drawing a parallel between governance and sports, the former president likened the situation to football, where referees and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) determine the conduct of players. He argued that INEC, as the electoral referee, alongside the judiciary, plays a similar role in Nigeria’s political system.
“Like I always compare the situation to football: if you have a referee and a VAR that tolerate nonsense, the players play anyhow. But if you get the no-nonsense referee, that means the INEC, which plays the role of the referee, and the judiciary look the other way, then the politicians will do whatever they like because they want to win by all means,” he said.
Jonathan also shared an anecdote about a judge who resisted pressure from a senior politician to act dishonestly. “Somebody told me about a judge when a very senior politician and tough person called him to say, ‘You must do this,’ and he said, ‘I will not do it, even with a gun to my head.’ That is the kind of people we need right now,” he added.
The former president highlighted the challenges facing elections in West Africa, expressing regret that while some countries in the region have conducted peaceful and credible polls, others have been marred by violence, allegations of fraud, and institutional weaknesses.
He noted that Nigeria’s general elections in February 2023 saw a peaceful transition of power, despite the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Results Viewing Portal (IReV) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enhance transparency. However, the process was plagued by logistical challenges, delayed voting in some areas, violence, and technical glitches.
Narrating his experience in a lighthearted manner, Jonathan said, “When Jega was there, he introduced the card reader, but during the election, the card reader rejected me and almost set the country ablaze. Because the card reader rejected me, rejected my wife, rejected my mother,” he said.
Jonathan cited Sierra Leone’s June 2023 elections, which also adopted new technology, including biometric voter registration, as an example of mixed outcomes. Allegations of voter intimidation, ethnic tensions, and controversial results in Sierra Leone led to the opposition boycotting governance institutions.
He commended Ghana for successfully conducting general elections last year, describing the polls as peaceful and transparent despite the use of limited technology. Ghana, known for its stability, ensured a smooth transfer of power through the efforts of its Electoral Commission and security authorities.
Liberia and Senegal also conducted peaceful elections with minimal deployment of technology. In Liberia, President George Weah conceded defeat to opposition candidate Joseph Boakai after a closely contested runoff, setting a positive precedent for democratic transitions.
In Senegal, the pre-election period saw protests, arrests of opposition figures, and concerns over judicial independence. However, the electoral process eventually progressed without issues, culminating in a free and fair election. Opposition candidate Mr Bassirou Diomaye Faye emerged victorious and was sworn in as President, marking a significant political shift in the country.
Jonathan emphasised the valuable lessons learned from these elections, particularly the role of technology in enhancing transparency and accountability. “The use of biometric voter registration, electronic voting systems, and real-time result transmission helped to build public trust in the electoral process. These innovations, where they worked, should be celebrated and replicated across the region,” he said.
However, he warned of the dangers posed by political intolerance, hate speech, and the manipulation of ethnic and religious divisions, which threaten the credibility of elections and the social fabric of nations. “We must address these issues head-on by promoting a culture of inclusivity, tolerance, and respect for the rule of law,” he added.
Jonathan noted that countries like Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana demonstrated public enthusiasm for democratic participation through high voter turnout and peaceful transitions. However, he observed that in nations with more advanced technological deployment, such as Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the electoral process was marked by heightened political tensions, legal battles, and agitations.
This, he argued, underscores the importance of the human element in deepening democracy. “The deployment of technology, no matter how elaborate or sophisticated, may not deliver the desired outcomes without the proven will of the authorities and the citizens to do the right thing,” he said.
As a regional leader, Jonathan called on Nigeria to take the lead in conducting clean and peaceful elections. He stressed the need for a pattern of progressive advancement in electoral processes to sustain public confidence and democratic development in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.
According to him, independent and impartial electoral commissions, alongside non-partisan security operatives, are vital for credible elections. “The success or failure of any election lies in the hands of two critical agencies, which are the electoral management body and the police,” he stated.
Jonathan also highlighted the link between democratic stability and the conduct of elections, stressing that improper management of elections by security personnel could undermine the credibility of the process and the legitimacy of governance.
JEGA raised concerns about the independence of Nigeria’s electoral body, calling for urgent measures to protect the professionalism and integrity of electoral commissions.
He decried the numerous challenges facing electoral management bodies (EMBs) in their quest to organise elections that reflect the genuine will of the electorate.
Jega attributed these challenges to desperate candidates attempting to manipulate elections, weak legal frameworks, and external factors such as pandemics, natural disasters, and the misuse of new technologies.
“In West African countries, the modern history of representative elections is as much a tale of authoritarian manipulations as it is a saga of incumbency abuse to suppress opposition and control the media,” Jega said. He lamented that democratisation in the region has failed to curb kleptocratic tendencies among politicians and their allies.
Jega linked some of the region’s democratic and electoral governance issues to escalating security threats. He pointed to the aftermath of Libya’s civil war and the death of Muammar Gaddafi as contributing to the proliferation of small arms, the rise of insurgents, and security challenges in West Africa’s Sahel region.
He noted that the lingering effects of colonial-era “divide and conquer” tactics continue to influence democratic politics, producing outcomes that foster voter mobilisation along sectarian lines and perpetuate exclusionary, winner-takes-all politics. These issues, Jega argued, enable corruption, nepotism, and impunity, undermining trust in democratic institutions.
He criticised the reckless political elite across the region, whom he accused of sidelining the electorate and leaving governance and the economy vulnerable to exploitation. This has created an environment, he said, where citizens—particularly young men and women—are excluded from political and governance processes, fostering disillusionment and support for opportunistic populists and coupists.
“The continuous exploitation of citizens by governing and ruling classes, combined with their exclusion from politics, has hastened democratic reversal, as seen in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger since 2020,” Jega said. He added that these events reflect widespread dissatisfaction with democratic governance and civilian leaders’ inability to address security and economic challenges.
Jega warned that unless these issues are tackled decisively, the region risks further democratic backsliding. “The reversals of democratisation gains, occasioned by these persistent challenges, have provided excuses for coupists to stage a comeback. This dangerous phenomenon could engulf the region unless addressed urgently,” he added.