By Paul Efiong
From its earliest days till now the electoral umpire in the country had to contend with criticisms and condemnations from critical stakeholders.
In most recent times, the electoral body equally had to bear with some so- called men and women of God who had before the elections predicted doom for the country and its leader claiming to have received such messages from divine sources.
Today, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by Professor Attahiru Jega has succeeded in pushing aside all primordial sentiments and conducted Africa’s best acclaimed free, fair and transparent elections.
To start with Mr. Eyo Ita Esua from Cross River State South-south Nigeria, led the first indigenous electoral body in the country. Esua’s commission according to records organized the first post-independence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965. But even at that early time of the country history, specifically in December 1964 when election was conducted, records available showed that such was marred by controversies and confusion which led to a military coup in 1966. The commission was dissolved thereafter which gave rise to the appointment of Mr. Micheal Ani.
However, Mr. Michael Ani who also hailed from Cross River State was appointed in 1976 by the General Olusegun Obasanjo led regime as the Chairman of the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO). Although, Ani’s commission conducted the election which ushered in the Second Republic government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979, the umpire was equally accused of being biased. The defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), led by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, rejected the outcome of the election and challenged Shagari’s election in court but lost.
Enter, Justice Victor Ovie-Whiskey from Delta State who was appointed by the Shehu Shagari administration in 1983 as Chairman of FEDECO, as INEC was then known and call to address perceived irregularities of the immediate past umpire.
Although, he was seen as upright and non-partisan at the time of his appointment having being the Chief Judge of the old Bendel State before his new portfolio, he was said to have betrayed the confidence reposed in him.
The general elections of 1983 which he conducted were marred by irregularities. Under his administration, the electoral officials were accused of rigging in favour of the then ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN),. Those weighty allegations also led to his removal.
To address the injustices on NigerianS, Professor Eme Awa, from Abia State was appointed to serve as Chairman of the commission between 1987 and 1989. He was a professor of Political Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He resigned his appointment around 1989 over alleged disagreement with former military President Ibrahim Babangida who appointed him into the office.
Again in order to address and arrest perceived anomalies by those before him in the commission, another umpire was appointed, this time, it was nobody other than Professor Humphrey Nwosu who came from Anambra State, and he served the body till 1993.He conducted the June 12 election seen by many Nigerians as the freest and fairest election since the creation of the electoral body. The June 12 poll was presumed to have been won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola. It was also on record that Nwosu’s commission for the first time introduced the novel voting system of Option A4 and Open Ballot System in the country which some scholars have always advocated for.
A professor of history, Okon Uya was next in lineage of appointments in the electoral body. He was appointed by former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, to conduct a new presidential poll after the annulment of the June 12 elections. The defunct NRC and SDP were equally asked to present new candidates for the new presidential poll that was about to be conducted by Uya, but the crisis that greeted the annulment of June 12 did not allow him room to conduct such an election, indeed any election at all before he was removed. He was equally short live in office and his appointment was greeted by fear by his people at home who claimed he was a victim of circumstances.
The late General Sani Abacha appointed Chief Sumner Dagogo-Jack who was from Rivers State, as the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). He served between 1994 and 1998 and conducted elections for the local government councils and the National Assembly. The elected officers were, however, never inaugurated before the sudden death of Abacha in 1998.
Next on line was Ephraim Akpata from Edo State. South-south, he was appointed by General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s administration in 1998.He registered new political parties in 1999 and conducted the election that ushered in Obasanjo’s government in 1999.
After Akpata died in January 2000, President Obasanjo appointed Sir Abel Guobadia from Edo State as the new chairman of the commission. He conducted the election in which Obasanjo secured a second term in office in 2003. The election again was condemned by the opposition. In June 2005, Guobadia’s tenure expired and professor Maurice Iwu was appointed.
Professor Maurice Iwu from Imo State succeeded Guobadia in 2005 and was perhaps the most misunderstood umpire the country has had. Some politicians claim that Iwu was the most controversial of all the nation’s umpires. He conducted the 2007 general election which was characterised by wide spread irregularities and massive rigging.
Even the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had admitted at several occasions that the election through which he emerged president in 2007 was flawed. However, Iwu who had already lost goodwill and appointment had severally blamed his commission’s failure to provide free, fair and transparent poll to Nigerians on what he calls ’administrative hitches’.
Soon after, Professor Atahiru Jega was appointed by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who wanted the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to live up to its expectation by conducting free, fair and transparent election to Nigerians at home and abroad during future elections.
It might have been a litmus test when INEC under the current leadership of Professor Jega conducted its first national assignment in 2011.The outcome of the presidential election, though was won by the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP),and the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, did not go down well with the Presidential candidate of the defunct Congress of Progressive Change(CPC) General Mohammedu Buhari who alleged irregularities, massive rigging and snatching of ballot boxes among others.
Though the country’s electoral processes is still evolving, Jonathan and the INEC boss had at different fora stressed the importance of free and transparent elections firstly to Nigeria and Nigerians as well as those outside the country.
The outcome of these conversations resulted in the landmark 2015 general elections.