Sun News
25 April 2011
By Sun News Publishing
In spite of the shortcomings, the April 9 National Assembly poll and the April 16 presidential election are an improvement on most of the elections that have been conducted in the country. In a polity where credible elections are a rarity, the polls have been widely adjudged to be fair and acceptable in many parts of the country.
The elections, however, could have been cleaner than we experienced. The consequence is that some of the results are being contested in certain parts of the country. The outcome of the presidential poll led to outbreak of violence and arson in the Northern part of the country.
The governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls coming up tomorrow, therefore, offer the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) another opportunity to demonstrate that it has taken cognizance of lapses in the previous polls, and has taken steps to avoid them.
Malpractices that have called to question the results of the last two elections in some places include alleged intimidation of the electorate leading to poor voter turnout, ballot box snatching, falsification of results, harassment and disenfranchisement of voters, violence, and many others. A number of dissatisfied candidates are contesting the results of the exercise. This would have been avoided if all had been done to ensure a better performance by all stakeholders.
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