The UK: Show the Tories the door

An utter disservice to democracy

Before I went away, I had applied for a postal ballot knowing I would not be in the country when the UK General Election takes place. Sadly, our council in its lethargy and lack of alacrity must have thought all applications for a postal ballot were from those who out of some sort of incapacity could not make it to the polling station.

Despite the fact that my application went in the day after the election was announced and I posted the additional information they asked for a few days later, the postal ballots were not posted until the third week of June, by which time it was too late.

What I even found more annoying was, I was already on the voters’ register for 10 years at the same address. I unfailingly renew my registration every year, and I received a voter’s registration card which I used for the local elections in early May. Another card was mailed to me for this election if I were to choose to vote in person, but my postal ballot was nowhere to be found.

I can only wonder about the many Greater Manchester voters that have been so poorly served by the electoral services unit with regards to postal ballots.

On balance, 14 years of failure

If there is anything to consider about the last 14 years of the Conservatives in power, I reckon we are at a net negative if a balance sheet were set out about the benefits and the demerits of having that party preside over our dear country of many nations.

When I returned to the UK in late 2012, I was a European citizen who had spent over 12 years in the Netherlands with untrammelled rights of a European freely able to visit, live, and work in one of 28 countries, if I chose to. If I was gifted with any sense of prognostication, I could have naturalised as a Dutch citizen any time from 2005, but I never thought the UK would risk leaving the EU, we were too invested in the project.

I was wrong, as in the 5 Prime Ministers that the Tories have given us since 2010, each in their own way has gambled with livelihoods for personal and partisan expediency to the detriment of the fortunes of our country. There is no need to rehash the points, we are much worse off, where a parliament that is self-servingly incapable of the kind of collegiate thought to progress anything.

Having lost a sense of responsibility

The entrenchment of the entitlement to power has become so ingrained that the facts of the situation mean nothing if we can be scared into believing the populist simple solutions for practically difficult problems.

The Tories need some time in opposition to regain a sense of what the responsibility of governing and impacting positively on people’s lives beyond culture wars and pandering to the basest of our human instincts. The idea that a limited company masquerading as a party with the face of an indolent representative who has the gift of the gab and nothing else to offer, being our future is a fantasy begging for the unfortunate.

The best option for government today is the Labour Party, if only for the fact that they would appreciate the opportunity to govern and do much more to attend to the atrocities passing for policy that the Tories have enmeshed themselves in without the quality of scrutiny necessary among them and beyond to jettison the bizarre and refine the barely acceptable.

A possible future in our votes

The Labour Party offers a new direction that will address many of the issues of today, it is change-focused, future-looking, ready to grow and invest in our economy, seeking to divest power from central government, helping people back to work, addressing the immigration issue that has been lost by the Tories, and introducing the modern industrial strategy. Their manifesto reads like something to have expectations for rather than one that offers trepidation and fear.

The polls will suggest Sir Keir Starmer will be kissing the hand of the king on the 5^th of July 2024. I enjoyed some years of Labour-driven prosperity from 1997 to 2000 before I emigrated to the Netherlands, and this prosperous spell continued until the financial crash.

It is evident that after so long in power the Tories are bereft of new or useful ideas, they cannot even look on their record of the past 14 years which have given us some of the worst Prime Ministers to ever preside over His or Her Majesty’s Government.

I appreciate some are too tribal to vote for another party, but the future of our country is at stake, we cannot sacrifice this to sentiment when competence is required. I would rather have a boring competent and disciplined government than an entertaining relatable but totally incompetent politician run the show. It is not pot luck, lives are impacted beyond your door.

The Second Amendment to my immunity

A recruit of the regiment

Brian had laid out the day for me and if we were together, he would have ensured I did not deviate from the script, insisting, demanding, encouraging, persuading, and then back to insisting through to persuading until all my resolve was broken and I was following instruction without resistance. Beneath that innocence is a taskmaster Sergeant-Major and for this I will be registered for a boot camp I will never forget.

Anyway, I was to get to bed early and rest, but I was out walking until just before midnight, then on waking up I was to have a big breakfast and go about the things I needed to do, quaff up lunch and something more before getting my vaccine.

I tried, I am not a breakfast person, alright a slice of bread, a cup of coffee, many cups of tea, then after I returned, I ordered a prawn and spinach pasta, from Vapiano; Gamberetti e Spinaci on campanelle pasta, doubling on the prawns and spicing it with chilies, quite filling.

Making the day work

I was up at 5:00 AM and out of the door for my walk by 5:45 AM, 12 kilometres later, I was sat at work before going out around noon to vote in the local and mayoral elections. My vaccination was after work, rather than walk over, I boarded an Uber cab. The driver whose name was Mohammed Ali made for easy conversation, it was chuckles all through the ride, more pussy cat than pugilist, I was in good spirits.

I'm not that politically active, but I do care how we are governed, the policies that come to play that affects us largely and minutely, whether my choice wins or not, I first have a say by voting and reserve the right to have a say anytime I choose to.#Election2021

— Akin Akíntáyọ̀ 🏳️‍🌈 #European (@forakin) May 6, 2021

Checking in at the clinic was smooth and professional, I even had a nurse bring chairs over for us to sit down. Soon, I was in a queue and when I asked if pictures could be taken one of the nurses immediately volunteered to take the pictures. I have always wondered about the use of language when you are about to pricked and punctured with a vaccination needle, the nurse says, just a scratch.

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A post shared by Akin Akintayo (@instaforakin)

Needles prick, nails scratch

You do not want to be scratched by a hypodermic needle in reality, but the mind appears to entertain a scratch than a prick because that probably suggests drawing blood when you are being injected. Now, I recall, the phlebotomist says the same thing, a scratched and 9 vials later, you are close to death by exsanguination from a mere scratch.

Once I had my vaccine, I was taken to a waiting area where if in 15 minutes you begin to froth from the mouth and keel over, they can attend to you, I extended my stay for another 5 minutes. After my first vaccine, I had a tingling sensation for up to an hour in the hand and fingers of the vaccinated arm, I felt alright that I walked back home a long route.

Up, up and away

It was dreadfully cold and that is when I realised, I had worn the wrong coat, my gloves were in the other coat at home. Drat!
Brian could not wait to chat to me about my experience, the network was so bad where he lived, he drove up to the base station headquarters of his network provider and we did have a good long conversation before I got into bed for a long nap, to wake and write this blog.

Now, after my second vaccination, I hope we get the whole vaccine passport thing sorted with the essential waivers for those who have been fully vaccinated as the world is unlocked for us to get out to meet friends, colleagues, and the lover. I so look forward to getting out travelling again where in the old and modern sense one can be both happy and gay.

Here I am taking the Second Amendment of my immune system to fight the #CoronavirusPandemic in the name of the #PfizerBioNTech vaccine.
It is time to unlock the world, I need to see my friends and my lover.#FullyVaccinated #GetVaccinated pic.twitter.com/fpdr3A3Xk9

— Akin Akíntáyọ̀ 🏳️‍🌈 #European (@forakin) May 6, 2021

Nigeria: Can we radically rethink our political machinery?

Resisting the laughable

I was not surprised when I heard on BBC Radio 4 in the very early hours of this morning that just 5 hours before the polls opened in Nigeria, they were postponed for a week. [BBC]

It would be convenient for me to write from the western comfort of my abode to rant and rave about the systemic dysfunction that bedevils Nigeria and runs counter to the words of Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa on the day of independence, when he said, “We are called upon immediately to show that our claims to responsible government are well-founded, and having been accepted as an independent state we must at once play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation. I promise you, we shall not fail for want of determination.” [AkinBlog][Dawodu]

The courage of reality

In that assertion at the dawn of independent Nigeria, the claims and the want are no more the subject of debate, the conclusion is an everyday indictment of a nation that is full of potential and that is all we have, potential.

Yet, for all accusations by the main political parties that the postponement could presage the manipulation of the vote in favour of either, I must commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for having the courage to realise they were not ready and taking the difficult but necessary decision to postpone.

The pressure to carry on regardless would have been immense but having recognised that certain locations would be denied suffrage and appreciating the logistical problems of getting election materials to the various places that might have been sabotaged, this was the only reasonable option.

The saboteurs gaming the system

The problem with Nigeria is myriad, we have a rentier class of political jobbers who have no occupation apart from peddling influence, they suck the oxygen out of every other viable and productive sector of the economy, society and government, such that things can only work with their agreement.

Then, amongst them, because the remuneration within politics far exceeds that which can be acquired out of qualification, hard work or merit, they employ every means to disrupt and sabotage the electioneering process that represents the will of the people in order to entrench themselves in positions where they can control the commonwealth arrogating to themselves untrammelled fiat over the helpless masses who are best kept in the vassalage of only having begging bowls, living hand to mouth and driven by survival by the belly.

That is the failure of Nigeria that has resulted in postponing the elections for a week. There are people who have a vested selfish interest in what they can usurp to the detriment of others and without any scruples as to whether anyone gets hurt or killed in the process.

Rethinking our political machinery

Sometimes, I wonder what it is that can fix Nigeria in the state that it is, but we can start with one thing, slash the remuneration of the political class to just basic allowances for board, meals and transport. If they need additional income, they should earn it like everyone else.

Nigeria cannot afford a fulltime legislature, at the exorbitant cost at which it is run today, there is no reason to feather the beds of the legislators when ordinarily the middle classes on their earnings cannot afford the basic things without the temptation to malfeasance, corruption or fraud.

The legislature should have a term time with a clear agenda like a syllabus of activities and bills to debate, run with the efficiency of a principal of a secondary school, clearly with objectives and penalties for not producing results. An Office for Government Accountability having the independence to review and sanction the executive and the legislature when they fail in their responsibilities.

As a consequence of this

Taking the remuneration surplus out of politics would immediately divert the eyes of the heretofore political jobbers to other honeypots and troughs, whilst hopefully allowing Nigerians with a sense of altruism and commitment into politics. At least, they would not be politicking for the money but for the opportunity to serve.

Then, reduce all political terms to one term, none should seek re-election without having been succeeded once, within that, cascade the elections such that the executive branch is not elected in the same year as the legislative branch. This is radical, but I think it would go a long way to taking the leeches out of the decision-making framework of Nigeria.

There is still hope

There is a likelihood with this rethinking of Nigerian politics, we might come close to the what Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa dreamt was possible in Nigeria, “that our claims to responsible government are well-founded.”

In the meanwhile, I hope that when Nigerians do finally get the opportunity to elect their political leaders and representatives in a week, INEC would be ready, the people would have chosen wisely and their express will be presented in the validated results.

Long live Nigeria and God bless Nigeria.

Petition: Death release him!

Clicking to save the world

Quite recently, I have become rather concerned about the insidiousness of online petitions and their power to force issues onto the agenda demanding serious action.

The whole idea that we can at our keyboards and click our way to world peace and the Nirvana we have also dreamt possible and attainable is now so trendy, it is beginning to lose its purpose.

Now, I have signed a few online petitions, even gone out on protests to back what I am petitioning for, however, I am not one to sign all petitions that land in my mailbox for whatever cause, no matter how serious and endearing that cause might be to others more fully persuaded of that cause.

To be persuaded

I need to be persuaded and engaged, I need to see the goal and understand the need, it is important that we see what is achievable and what is just following the crowd.

Yet, there are causes that I will support because they are close to my heart, those to do with rights, with children, with justice when deserved and the last one I felt so strongly about was the petition to Selfridges Manchester to remove the anti-homeless and reprehensible studs they installed on the low-lying ledges of their shop windows.

However, three recent petitions have got up my nose that seem to tend towards malevolence than beneficence.

An adjunct to justice?

The petition against Ched Evans who having been convicted of rape and having served his sentence was not allowed to return to his footballing career because some people did not think he had served his punishment enough. Besides going to prison and his still protesting his innocence, the petitioners who amassed in their hundreds of thousands creating a wall of online protest that appeared to force the hand of more reasonable people unwilling the challenge public opinion.

What is uncomfortably insidious about this development is where the petitions appear to tag on an extra punishment beyond the justice system, the keyboard warriors completely abstracted from reality, yet effective in their petitioning numbers. You wonder, when is a punishment or a crime effectively served if petitions can grant unregulated public opinion the ability to impose new sanctions?

Like reality television, the power of the subjective and emotional without clear access to the facts has now become part of our daily life, and much as it is helping some people, it can also dramatically ruin lives too.

Entertainment trumps the punch

The second petition that is giving me great concern is the one imploring the BBC to rescind the suspension of Jeremy Clarkson who co-hosts the Top Gear show.

I am no fan of Jeremy Clarkson, his manner, his attitude or his activities much as his antics can be entertaining and still be a pitiful display of boorish kidulthood. There are reasons why the BBC chose to take the very dramatic action of suspending their ‘Golden Goose’ as Top Gear is probably the most syndicated television show in the world.

Like many who have signed the petition and the keyboard warriors are close to a million, we all do not have access to the facts and detail of what prompted the suspension. The said ‘fracas’ suggests Jeremy Clarkson allegedly attacked his television show producer for not providing the refreshment or food he wanted.

Consider the producer, for once

Jeremy Clarkson is a lumbering creature and no one can explain what the producer might have felt in terror or humiliation at being ‘attacked’ for not doing what was expected of him. The dispute could have been handled in a more gentlemanly manner if Jeremy Clarkson were ever a gentleman, and I have never been convinced he ever was.

Yet, for the popularity of his show, the producer has become inconsequent and a nonentity, whilst Jeremy Clarkson is to be excused and forgiven the actions that led to his suspension, because our entertainment matters more to us than the minor act of a probable fist connecting to the body of another lowly person who brings no glee into our well-adjusted lives. According to the petitioners and the following is global.

As a consequence, the producer might become a pariah and even lose his job because it is attached to the now suspended Top Gear show. Is there any justice in this world?

Death release him

Which brings me to the last petition and there is not much I can say to the fact that Sir Terry Pratchett died on the 12^th of March, 2015 after almost eight years of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Over 21,000 have signed a petition asking Death to give Sir Terry Pratchett back, I guess that is a petition I can sign up to, seeing we are coming into the Easter season. Honestly! That is what the petition craze has become.

Nigeria: Know your inalienable voter's rights

You have a great responsibility

As the first of the three consecutive election weekends in Nigeria arrives on the 2^nd of April 2011, never has it been more the duty and responsibility of Nigerians to ensure that their express wishes at the ballot box are transparently, fairly, honestly and truthfully represented in the results that are announced in all the elections they participate in.

Following the notices that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disseminated to the public through their website, on social media sites as Twitter and at press conferences, it is incumbent on every Nigerian to be aware of their rights as they exercise their constitutional rights to vote in their representatives and governments.

Get informed

Your first source of information is the INEC website [1], the guidelines they issued [2] regarding the elections have been condensed into a blog with related sites to help you understand what will happen on Election Day.

The @inecnigeria Twitter account posted a number of tweets that have been collated into a blog at NigeriansTalk.Org as a primer on the elections [3], the paper trail of how the results of the elections will be announced by Presiding Officers at the Polling Unit, the Registration Area, the Local Government Area, the State Level and at the Federal Level by the Chief Electoral Officer is documented in the blog that shows the INEC Electoral Chain of Custody [4].

Beyond vigilance, Nigerians must protect their votes and this starts by knowing their rights, all derived from all the guidelines given by INEC.

Your rights at the Polling Unit

It is the right of every Nigerian to help ensure the independence and impartiality of INEC is protected, guaranteed and enforced to the full by participation in the electoral process.

It is the right of every registered voter to be at their Polling Unit on Election Day from when it opens for accreditation at 08:00AM until when the results of the vote at that Polling Unit are published and posted at that Polling Unit.

All accredited voters are entitled by right and by encouragement of INEC to visit their Polling Units with their mobile devices and use them freely at their Polling Units. (This invalidates, countermands and renders illegal the atrocious warning [5] of the Inspector General of Police.)

Avail yourselves of the ReVoDa Voter Monitoring System [6] to report events at your Polling Unit.

It is the right of every accredited Nigerian voter to vote according to their persuasion, their conscience, their conviction and never under duress or inducement by any politician, religious or tribal leader or for compensation.

It is the right of every accredited Nigerian voter to use their vote wisely, the people we elect in April with run the country for the next four years, their decisions will affect our lives at home and abroad, our future, our prospects, our progress, our economy, our livelihoods and much more – ensure the party that has your endorsement at the ballot box can and will affect your life as a Nigerian for the better.

If you have doubts or have questions that have not been properly addressed today, endeavour to research and appreciate who really can deliver the Nigerian vision you have.

The INEC Official is chief

The most senior Nigerian Official at any accredited Polling Unit and all the collation centres is the INEC official; security agents answer to the INEC official and that INEC official controls all the activities that help in the smooth running of the electoral process relying on the support of INEC assistants and the law enforcement duties of security agents under the order and control of that INEC official.

The INEC official should ensure all activities are transparent to the accredited monitors, the assembled and accredited voters, the security agents and the party agents.

Law enforcement personnel are subject to INEC on electoral matters

All law enforcement personnel when it pertains to the electoral process are answerable to the designated INEC official at that location and they shall not act outside the remit and authority of the INEC official during the whole electoral exercise.

It goes without saying that the Inspector General of Police is also answerable to the authority of INEC when it pertains to electoral matters on all Election Days at all INEC designated electoral premises throughout the federation.

The function of law enforcement is to maintain peace and order as well as facilitate the ability for Nigerians to observe the conduct of free, fair, honest and transparent elections.

One function of law enforcement personnel on Election Days is to enforce the restrictions on vehicular movement and unauthorised travel.

INEC and law enforcement with their weight of responsibility are at the service of the people of Nigeria NOT the other way round.

2011 is the now; this is the time you have to make a difference with your vote.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN 2011 and refuse to let your rights be infringed by anyone in the April Elections.

Sources

[1] INEC Nigeria

[2] Nigeria: INEC Election Guidelines - Critical Information

[3] Nigeria: A Primer on INEC Elections in April 2011 | NigeriansTalk

[4] Nigeria: INEC Electoral Chain of Custody

[5] April polls: Soyinka slams IGP over use of cell phones

[6] ReVoDa | How it works

Nigeria: INEC Election Guidelines - Critical Information

Accreditation concludes at 12 Noon

The guidelines [1] for the Nigerian elections in April 2011 have been published and these are the most important points to note by all Nigerians and accredited monitors of the elections.

All eligible voters need to be accredited before they can vote. Accreditation takes place between 8:00AM and 12 noon, anyone not accredited within that timeframe will NOT be able to vote on that Election Day.

Once a voter is accredited, the index finger of his/her left hand will be marked with indelible ink.

Voting commences at 12:30

Voting commences from 12:30 in the afternoon and ends when the last accredited person has voted. No additional accreditation can occur after 12 noon or if voting ends early.

At the end of accreditation, all officials are introduced. Next all accredited voters will queue up in one single line. Where tradition does not allow men and women to mingle in a queue, there will be separate queues for men and women.

All accredited voters are then counted and the number is announced loudly to the hearing of all assembled.

Note: This is presents one opportunity to relay this information to the ReVoDa system [2].

After having the transparent ballot box displayed to all assembled, the accredited voters can approach the presiding office one at a time and obtain a signed, stamped and dated ballot paper.

The accredited voter then moves to the cubicle, thumbprints the space opposite the symbol of the party of his/her choice and then drops the ballot paper in the ballot box, in the full view of all present.

The visible audible count

Once all accredited voters have voted, the count can commence.

The contents of the ballot box are emptied on the table and the ballot papers are sorted according to party symbols then in alphabetical order the ballots are called out and counted with the results of the count announced to the hearing of all assembled.

If the number of votes counted exceeds the number of accredited voters at that polling unit and after thorough verification it remains the case, the results for that polling unit will be nullified and duly announced and published as such.

The facts must go up the chain

The collation chain then moves up the system through the Collation Officer at the Registration Area Center, to the Local Government Area level and then to the State level all monitored by approved party agents, security agents and accredited monitoring agents.

For these elections to be free, fair, transparent, honest and devoid of malevolent influence all Nigerians need to be alert, vigilant, smart and ready to ensure that they votes count and most importantly ensure that no situation arises that would lead to having the votes at your polling unit nullified.

Sources and references

[1] INEC guidelines for the general elections in April 2011

[2] ReVoDa | How it works – Protecting your vote

Nigeria: ReVoDa - Making Your Votes Count

Nigeria: A Primer on INEC Elections in April 2011

Always read the Nigerian #INECRegistration BiDaily for Nigerian and electoral issues.

Nigeria: A Primer on INEC Elections in April 2011

Results and Reviews

Update: Nigeria: INEC Election Guidelines - Critical Information

This blog has been a veritable resource and guide to the Nigerian elections in April 2011, I have consistently updated this blog and add other bits of information as the election season wound down bringing together the election reviews and results from various sources.

All outstanding elections have now been concluded and those with grievances are now at liberty to file their claims with the election tribunals to seek redress or resolution.

The INEC Nigeria homepage offers a summary of the validated results of the elections.

Punch on the Web: Election Portal | Results of 2011 Presidential and other elections

Home : Nigeria Election Coalition presents an another analysis of the results announced.

The provisions for electoral petitions

The Electoral Act 2010 provides for the resolution of electoral petitions, these can be found in PART VIII - DETERMINATION OF ELECTION PETITIONS ARISING FROM ELECTIONS this starts from Section 133 or Page 45 according to the pagination of the PDF file.

Electoral Act 2010 as gazetted [PDF File].

Petitions should be filed within 21 days of the declaration of the results, the tribunal should deliver its judgement within 180 days of the filing of that petition and appeals for the tribunal process must be exhausted with 90 days of the judgement.

Election petitions take precedence over all other case files before the tribunal or court according to Section 142 of this Act.

No hard time-limits are placed on the complete resolution of petitions all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Election Reviews

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review I

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review II - New Election Dates

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review III - Who votes on Saturday.

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IV - Part I to Voting

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IV - Part II - We can

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review V

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VI - Report to Prevent Rigging

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VII - Change!

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review VIII - A President-Elect

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review IX - Analysing the Presidential Results

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review X - The North

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XI - A functioning democracy?

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XII - Altogether acceptable

Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review XIII - Ideas for Electoral Reform

The election timetables, postponements and rescheduling

This primer started as a collation of information bits posted by the @INECNigeria Twitter Account, it has been regularly updated to reflect changes during the April 2011 election season though the most of the original parts of this posting appear below.

New election dates announced on the 3rd of April, 2011, further postponements announced on the 7th of April, 2011 for certain Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies

National Assembly Elections - Saturday, 9th of April, 2011 (15 Senators and 48 Representatives will not be elected on this day.)

Visit Nigeria: #NigeriaDecides Election Review III - Who votes on Saturday for more information.

Presidential Elections - Saturday, 16th of April, 2011

Gubernatorial and State Legislature Elections - Tuesday, 26th of April, 2011 (The Senators and Representatives not scheduled for election on the 9th of April will be elected on this day.)

Rescheduled Gubernatorial and State Legislature Elections - Thursday, 28th of April, 2011 (For Kaduna State & Bauchi States because of security reasons borne of post-election violence after the Presidential Elections.)

Supplemental elections held in 4 local government areas and one ward in Imo State to resolved the inconclusive situation – Friday, 6th of May, 2011.

INEC engaging social media

The @inecnigeria Twitter account finally came alive with activity last week with useful information about the elections to be conducted in Nigeria in the month of April 2011.

Through the series of tweets posted and my comments this blog will attempt to give a general idea of what to expect during those elections.

@inecnigeria At INEC, we are working round the clock to ensure a smooth delivery of a free and fair election to the people of Nigeria.

@inecnigeria INEC is doing its best as an Election Management Body (EMB) to restore confidence and provide a level playing field in Nigeria.

We as Nigerians expect no less from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) it is our hope that the elections are conducted and results announced that reflect the express wishes and majority voice of Nigeria.

@inecnigeria The total number of registered voters stands at 73,528,040 while total number of duplicates stands at 870,612. #VotersRegFacts.

The Timetable [Source]

The National Assembly Elections will hold on Saturday, the 9^th of April, 2011. This pertains to the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives that meet in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja unfortunately, the listed URL on the INEC Nigeria website does not link to the lists. [The URLs are now working.]

@inecnigeria List of candidates for Nigerian Senate elections http://j.mp/gpUxQm

@inecNigeria List of candidates contesting for the Nigerian House of Representatives http://j.mp/dO1xYf

The Presidential elections will hold on Saturday, the 16^th of April, 2011. The list of presidential office aspirants can be found here.

@Inecnigeria The list of candidates contesting for presidency with their running mates http://j.mp/glXuws

The gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections will hold on Tuesday, the 26^th of April, 2011.

@inecnigeria List of candidates contesting the Nigerian gubernatorial elections http://j.mp/effx3Q

At the writing of this blog the list for those running for State Houses of Assembly was not yet available but I will make that available as soon as I can.

Movement restrictions on voting day

In order to ensure that the voting in 2011 is seen as free and fair, it is probably going to be a full day exercise with full voter participation but a number of things need to be known.

Movement will be very restricted on election days which means voters must be close to locations where they registered to be able to vote. Students who registered at their schools would have to be in residence to vote at those locations and those who travelled to their villages from their locations of residence to register would have to make certain that they are back in their villages for voting before election days.

@inecnigeria It is important to reiterate that movement during elections will be restricted to only those on official election duty.

@inecnigeria Voters are therefore advised to start their day (on election days) close to their polling units to avoid being disenfranchised.

@inecnigeria #INEC. Governors and other officials not allowed to move around with armed detail on election day.

@inecnigeria Governors, other public office holders have been advised to come, vote and go back home. No reason for "monitoring". #INEC

@inecnigeria Movement restrictions will be enforced by security agencies nationwide for public safety & to preserve integrity of election materials.

Monitoring is now part of our civic responsibility Nigeria: ReVoDa - Making Your Votes Count

Protocols for elections

There is an accreditation process and a voting process on the day of the elections. Voters are to arrive at 8:00AM at their respective polling units to be accredited and this continues until 12 noon prompt.

It is the most important part of the electioneering process because it validates the eligibility of the voter to vote and this I believe is verifying registration, identification and the matching fingerprints.

@inecnigeria Voters must be at their respective polling booth at 8am for accreditation. Accreditation is a prerequisite for voting.

@inecnigeria Accreditation begins at 8am and ends at 12 noon prompt. It is the most important process in voting during the elections.

The voting would be by Modified Open Ballot System [1] the guidelines for this process will be published on the 23^rd of March, 2011.

@inecnigeria Voting procedure will be 'Open Ballot System' (similar to what was used during 1993 elections)

@inecnigeria Proper guidelines for the elections will be released this Wednesday. #INEC.

Protecting your votes

Voters will be allowed to wait around after voting to ensure their votes are counted and tallied freely, fairly, transparently and without interference. They are allowed to take their mobile phones into polling units, record events and make use of the ReVoDa [2] monitoring process.

No one in political office or contesting elections is allowed to monitor elections, they are to vote and leave the environs of the polling units.

The list of accredited election monitors appears here [3].

@inecnigeria Voters are allowed to bring in mobile phones/devices into Polling Units. #INEC.

@inecnigeria Violence and disruptions at polling units could be grounds to nullify results in those polling units. #INEC

@inecnigeria Results will be nullified if the total votes cast exceed the total number of accredited voters.

@inecnigeria There is a profound commitment from overwhelming majority of Nigerians for free and fair and credible elections in April. #INEC

Most of the information about the conduct of elections, the candidates and guidelines can be found on this page [4].

Little frustrations

Trawling through the INEC Nigeria website is a nightmare, the placing of information is not consistent, the quality of data is badly processed with some information that should be in tables provided as downloadable files in some cases you have to rely on the pot-luck of the latest news column of 3 items to get the information required because the user experience is appallingly unprofessional.

I was frustrated when I started writing this blog hours ago that I stopped, but this not before I had posted some rather scathing remarks about the website. I can now report that amazing improvements have been made to get at the necessary detail in use on this blog.

After the elections on the 16^th of April the INEC Nigeria website was again revamped making results even more accessible, the organisation has consistently improved on the quality of their service and information dissemination.

Sources

[1] National Mirror - INEC adopts modified open ballot system.

[2] ReVoDa: making voting social and protecting your democracy

[3] Accredited Domestic Observer Groups/Organisations for the 2011 April General Elections

[4] Reports: INEC Nigeria

Nigeria: Know your inalienable voter’s rights

Nigeria: My real expectations of Enough is Enough

Lessons to absorb

The Enough is Enough campaign of the youth of Nigeria marched on the office the governor of Lagos State today and it comes just within a month of their marching on the National Assembly in Abuja with a whole list of demands.

I felt the march in March was a qualified success in that it was a compelling gathering of note but it did not achieve the essential goal of delivering their letter of demands to the authorities.

This time, I held my peace to observe and then review the results of this march which one of the leaders said was a mixed success.

Indeed, they have now realised that the so-called leaders of our country in the words of one of the organisers “don’t believe that they are accountable to us”.

Select yourselves

They the leaders probably do not but it is laudable that they, the youth, are campaigning to take ownership of the voting process with the R-S-V-P call which reads as Register – Select – Vote – Protect.

We do need a voting and accountable system that counts and reveals the express wishes of the people who have exercised the right to choose their leadership.

One does wonder weather the choices we have to select from really just leave us with the best of a rotten bunch – that would in no way give us the leadership we demand and deserve.

Maybe what the Enough is Enough team needs to realise is that they are not going to effect change by looking in from the outside, then the political entities we have now would not be the best incubators for the range of aspirational and visionary talent and ability these young people represent.

They should take the next step in securing the voting process for the right selections when voting in order to protect the entity of Nigeria and the future we all hope for.

The capable youth

Looking at the poster that accompanied the call to march, this gathering consisted of professionals, celebrities, media, students and activists – definitely, much more from all works of life.

Of these professionals we have entrepreneurs and businessmen that everyday Nigerians trust to run organisations and honourably conduct business in a proper fashion.

The celebrities definitely have proved themselves capable in some sort of endeavour to have become celebrities whilst the media can give an honest, just and truthful voice to the yearnings and aspirations of the young Nigerian.

Students are supposed to be thinkers with amazing ideas and capabilities, the activists have causes that impact on lives all around Nigeria.

The youth can lead

The question then becomes as we realise that the youth make up the majority of Nigerians why these selfsame successful and youthful people cannot vie for the leadership of our dear nation.

There is where I want to see the Enough is Enough movement, a political force that competes honourably and competently for office, shaking up the fossilised body of politics that has hamstrung the nation for decades.

Yakubu Gowon & Thomas Sankara were hardly 30 when they assumed leadership of their countries, whilst it was through military coups in their case, there can be democratic rewards for the youth that take on the system for the good of the country.

Let the majority speak

The gerontocrats have failed us too many times just as the political jobbers have had no interest but theirs to heart in the pursuit of office and the spoils to loot therein.

Let your votes count by young Nigerians taking charge and voting for competent leaders amongst yourselves.

Enough is Enough – Let new blood, fresh blood, young blood in – Enough is Enough, let the youth seize the mantle of leadership and infuse us with hopes and visions that change Nigeria for the better.

That is where you should take the ground and occupy for the good all the majority which just happens to be yourselves.