National Electoral Commission Research Articles

Theatre of the Absurd, Pre-Election Matters and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria: Reflections on APC V Machina

The practice of theatre of the absurd is more present and popular with politicians in Africa than with playwrights. Particularly in Nigeria, the grotesque images and ridiculousness in the utterances of those saddled with the responsibilities of governance can only be viewed as characters in any known absurdist’ play. Nigeria is a nascent democracy, and the 2023 general elections are fraught with inadequacies right from the moment of selection of party candidates through the election proper. Candidates, political parties executives and the court have engineered these inadequacies. The concern of court being the last hope of common man, is on the administration of justice as perceived by parties involved in a case and the society. Therefore, a flawed judgment can only serve to dampen the peoples’ belief in the sanctity of the judiciary. On 28th May 2022, Bashir Machina contested and won the All Progressive Congress’s Yobe North Senatorial primary election unopposed, and in June the same year, the political party submitted the name of Ahmad Lawan to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the main election into the Senate. In the ensuing litigation, both lower court and court of appeal affirmed the authentic candidacy of Machina, however, the Supreme Court in its judgment, affirmed Ahmad Lawan as the APC candidate for the election to the Senate. It is against this background that this study examines APC v Machina and argued that in this particular case, justice has been perceived not to have been done by the large segment of the society based on the peoples reaction in the media. We conclude that the five justices of the Supreme Court with divided resolution of three against two, and other participants in the litigation, merely represent different characters of an absurd drama fit only for the stage.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Conduct of Elections in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Maurice Iwu and Attahiru Jega’s Administration

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Conduct of Elections in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis of Maurice Iwu and Attahiru Jega’s Administration

Polityczne konsekwencje niedostosowania liczby mandatów w okręgach wyborczych do zmian demograficznych w wyborach do Sejmu RP w 2023 r.

The subject of analysis in this article is the allocation of mandates among electoral districts in the elections to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland 2023 and its political consequences. According to the principle of electoral equality in material aspect, the number of voters per mandate in individual electoral districts should be the same or as close as possible. The National Electoral Commission has pointed out that the current division into electoral districts specified in the annexes to the Electoral Code violates this principle. Shifting mandates between electoral districts would alter the balance of political power in the parliament.

A Mathematical Model of an Electoral Process and Predicting of Outcome

We developed and analysed a mathematical model to study the dynamics of an electoral process and predict the outcome in Nigeria with three political parties as major actors. We model the ruling party (P1); major opposition party (P2) and minority opposition parties (P3). The model includes party campaigners of the three political parties and a class of eligible voters. The model also incorporates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), electoral observers, judiciary, security personnel and thugs. The influx of voters into the system is determined by the registration rate of voter cards. The model’s interest lies in the measure of positive influence that the party campaigners who eligible voters to join their party. With this, the model mirrors election’s outcome and the movement of voters between the three groups of political parties involved. The model has proven that the pattern of election’s outcome for each political party is affected by the defection of party members and lack of policy consistency. We determine the equilibria analytically and discuss the stability of the system. Numerical simulations are graphed in combination with curve fitting to compare each party’s performances over the years. The result shows that no political party remains in power steadily from 2007 to 2019. Thus, the prediction of elections outcome to the political space of any region in Nigeria depends on political party structures and voters’ decisions.

INSECURITY AND TERRORISTS’ THREATS OF ATTACKS ON SELECTED NIGERIAN CITIES: IMPLICATIONS ON LAGOS RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS FOR SAFETY AND THE CITY SECURITY PLANNING

Terrorism is common but limited to certain towns in Nigeria. However, the nomenclature seems to be changing as security intelligence has it that terrorist groups are planning attacks targeting Lagos, and other notable cities. This study therefore examines concerns for safety among residents and implications on individual and city-level security planning in Lagos. The official wards as demarcated by the Independent National Electoral Commission represent clusters from which at least a respondent was randomly selected. The study’s respondents were selected from 49 (one of every five wards {20%}) wards out of 245 wards in Lagos. In the selected wards, at least two respondents were randomly selected. A total of 288 residents participated in the survey, but, only 134 respondents accurately completed the questionnaire used in this analysis, representing a 58.7% response rate. Results show that 78% of the respondents were concerned about their safety while some 90% took precaution by avoiding certain places and activities. Findings show significant relations between awareness of the planned attacks, concerns for safety, and precautionary behaviour among respondents. Besides, results show that respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, neighbourhood environmental design, and past crime victimisation mediate concerns for safety and security behaviour. The study concludes that the emergence of this security intelligence in the public domain has further contributed to the increasing fear and residents’ mobility change. The study recommends among others policing strategies, a new urbanism, where urban planning and design strategies are applied to make attacks more difficult to carry out in soft spaces and places.

Understanding the Impacts of Electoral Technologies on Nigeria’s Electoral System

This study investigated the impacts of electoral technologies on Nigeria’s electoral system, with the aim of finding out the role of technology on having an improved electoral system in Nigeria. The study was carried out in the six (6) State offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria (comprising Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states), and also at the national head office of INEC, Abuja. Primary data were collected using semi-structured key informant interviews, observation methods, and from 240 copies of structured questionnaires, administered in the Information and Communication Technology/Voter Registry (ICT/VR), and Electoral Operations (EOps) departments of the commission. The questionnaire elicited information on the impacts of electoral technologies on Nigeria’s electoral system, such as single voter registration, transmission speed, among others. Semi-structured key informant interviews of one of the top managers were carried out to assess the manager’s views about the impacts of electoral technologies on the electoral system in Nigeria. The binary logistic regression model (Cox & Snell R2 of 0.662 and Nagelkerke’s R2 of 0.883, Model Coefficients Omnibus Test of 31.264) indicated that the predictors reliably predict Nigeria’s electoral system. It was evident that the Transmission Speed of electoral data and election results (β = 2.826, p<0.05) and Single Voter Registration (β = 2.815, p<0.05) among others, were positive, signifying significant impacts of electoral technologies on Nigeria’s electoral system. The study concluded that INEC should pursue an improved continuous use of electoral technologies.

Glosa do postanowienia Sądu Najwyższego z 7 września 2023 r., sygn. akt I NSW 15/23

On 7 September 2023, the Polish Supreme Court issued a decision on the complaint filed under Art. 161a Polish Electoral Code to the information from the National Electoral Commission of 30 August 2023, regarding the scope of powers of persons of trust and social election observers. Based on the decision of the Supreme Court, there are two fundamental issues that require consideration. Firstly, is the position of the Supreme Court correct, according to which the information of the NEC of 30 August 2023, which does not have the form of a resolution of the NEC, may be treated as an act subject to appeal under Art. 161a E.C. Secondly, does the Supreme Court rightly conclude that pursuant to Art. 103b § 1 point 1 of the E.C. in connection with Art. 103c § 2 of the E.C. it can be concluded that persons of trust and social observers have the right to observe other activities of district electoral commissions apart from the procedure of adopting voting protocols, determining voting and election results and preparing protocols. In order to find answers to the above questions, a formal legal method was used and the achievements of case law and literature were analyzed.

Under the Shadow of the Siamese Twins: Ethnicity, Religion and Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election

Nigeria is considered a heterogeneous society per excellence. This is courtesy of its multi ethnic and multi religious character. While there is no agreement among scholars as to the exact number of its ethnic and religious diversities, its ethnic and religious composition closely follow same geographical boundary such that while the Eastern Ibo are mostly Christians, the Northern Hausa are predominantly Muslims while the Western Yoruba people are partly Christians and partly Muslims. Thus both often exercise joint influence on its politics. This is more profound at moments of decision making such as elections. This paper examines the 2023 Presidential elections in Nigeria viz a viz ethnic and religious influence in the election. Anchored on the rational choice theory, the paper relied on secondary source of materials such as text books, journals, electronic sources and official publications especially from the Independent National Electoral Commission. These were analysed using content analysis. It argued that both ethnic and religious influences are like Siamese twins as far as elections in Nigeria are concerned especially because of their geographical boundaries that roughly coincided. It concluded that Nigeria is yet to witness a significant departure in the pattern of ethno-religious influence on its elections. It, therefore, recommends the need for all stakeholders to be deliberate in stemming the tide of destructive ethnic and religious influence on politics in the country.
 Key Words: Ethnicity, Religion, Politics, Election, Influence

Developing a Unique Identifier of Smallest Possible Ballot Area that Create One-One-Match with Voting Unit Identifier for Efficient Election Management in Jos South LGA Plateau State, Nigeria

The in-efficient approach adopted in managing election data by the Election Management Body (EMB), coupled with none-application of Geographic Information System (GIS) resulted into series of election fraud, particularly in the 2023 general election and the recent off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States in November 11th, 2023. That is why this article aimed at using GIS in developing unique identifier for the smallest possible ballot area that create one-one-match with voting unit identifier, in order to effectively manage election process. That is why, developing a unique identifier of smallest possible ballot area that create one-one-match with voting unit identifier for efficient election management is so generic, particularly when establishing a geo-spatial election database. A Geo-Relational Database Management System (GRDBMS) on MySQL format was developed after a detailed study data needs assessment which provides a ‘strong entity relation’ table. The result at prompt of ArcGIS using ‘Polling unit’ as the Strong Entity (SE) revealed in tabular format showing one-one-match voter. That is, each voter is designated a specific ballot point, name and address geo-coded and other bio-metric characteristics in spread sheet. This indeed enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to effectively plan for election and be the owner and custodian of election fundamental datasets for election planning processes.

Guest editors’ notes

We are excited to note that IASSIST’s Africa chapter has continued to grow bigger and stronger. After a successful first IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop in Uganda during January 2021, a second IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop took place in Ibadan, Nigeria in West Africa October 4th through October 7th, 2022. We are delighted to share with you the papers in this issue, most of which were presented at the second IASSIST Africa Regional Workshop at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The first paper unpacks the application of emerging technologies for research support in academic libraries in the modern era. The authors are Dr. Sophia V. Adeyeye and Taofeek Abiodun Oladokun who explain how emerging technologies offer innovative ways of supporting research activities. These emerging technologies provide tools and resources that streamline the research process and ensure proper visibility for the research outputs of academic libraries’ clients. The article explores various areas where academic libraries can apply emerging technologies such as data mining, data management, artificial intelligence, library automation and scholarly communication, among others. The article further highlights the setbacks academic libraries in Nigeria are facing in the application of emerging technologies such as lack of infrastructure, librarians’ skills, and negative attitude towards change. The second article, authored by Ms. Akinyoola Oladoyin Grace, is titled” Knowledge and perception of librarians towards cloud-based technology in academic libraries in Southwest, Nigeria”. In this paper the author reveals that librarians in academic libraries in Southwest Nigeria are familiar with and use cloud-based technologies. However, the librarians seem to have a negative attitude towards the use of these technologies. Therefore, there is a need for a staff development program that would enable the librarians to keep pace with the latest technologies. Such a program could be funded by government and executed through seminars, conferences, and workshops so as to enhance the librarians’ skills with cloud-based technologies. The third paper presents the preservation of election data and security in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Election malfeasance and violence have been experienced in Nigerian political systems since 1959. In this paper Sunday Tunmibi and Wole Olatokun explore how the world’s gradual move into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) could be harnessed to ensure the preparation of free and fair elections. The paper suggests specific 4IR technological solutions to electoral data security and preservation challenges. It also suggests policies to serve as catalysts for the Independent National Electoral Commission. Suggested policies for 4IR technologies relate to artificial intelligence, big data, internet of things, robotics, block chain, cloud computing and 3-D printing. These are the 4IR technologies that dictate the pace of activities in all walks of life including security and managing a free and fair national election. In the fourth paper Ologbosere Oluwatosin Abiodun discusses the significance of data literacy in the era of big data. It emphasizes the role of big data as a fundamental building block of truth focusing on the emergence of data literacy. Data literacy is a crucial subset of information literacy necessary for navigating the virtual landscape. Essential data literacy skills that are needed for navigating the dynamic twenty-first-century environment are highlighted. Integrating data literacy into higher educational programs, particularly in libraries, is stressed for relevance in meaningful information resource utilization. This paper shows how the integration of data literacy in higher education emphasizes the critical role of data literacy in the context of economic growth, development and informed decision-making and fosters sustainable development. In the fifth paper titled ”Data protection and right to privacy legislation in Kenya”, author Andrew Matoke Mankome articulates how the Parliament of Kenya enacted the Data Protection legislation in November 2019. This new law guaranteed the right to privacy as a fundamental right. Data Protection and citizens’ right to privacy is now a topical concern in Kenya and around the world. This paper expounds how the new law comes at a time when data security and privacy concerns are prevalent and lack of them result in loss of reputation and identity; safety concerns; legal penalties; and compensation for damages or loss of business. This is mainly because of the increasing globalization, cross-border transactions, internet penetration, and the use of social media and digital platforms among citizens, private institutions, and governments. This paper reviews the crucial provisions of the Data Protection law which covers regulated actions seeking compliance by data controllers and processors under the stewardship of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner ('ODPC'). A comparative analysis of the practice in other jurisdictions is also provided.

Security and preservation of election data in Nigeria in the fourth industrial revolution

A fraud-free and credible election is a necessary ingredient to the growth of democracy. Election malpractices and violence, from 1959 till date, have offered major challenges to the Nigerian political system. To achieve a sustainable democracy in Nigeria, it is important to build public trust by ensuring the security and preservation of electoral data. The world has gradually moved into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), an era where artificial intelligence, big data, internet of things, robotics, blockchain, cloud computing and 3-D printing technologies dictate the pace of activities in all walks of life. This paper suggests specific 4IR technologies solutions to electoral data security and preservation challenges. It also suggests that the Nigerian Government announce policies to serve as catalysts for the Independent National Electoral Commission and stakeholders to harness these developments to ensure that electoral processes benefit from these technologies.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Conduct of 2023 General Elections in Nigeria: A Discourse

The study analyzes the conduct of 2023 general elections in Nigeria. The 2023 general elections were conducted by INEC on 25th February, and March, 18th 2023. INEC was constituted in 1998 by Abdulsalam Abubakar. The roles of INEC are, delimits the country into constituencies for the purpose of electing representatives into government, organizes/conducts elections into various levels of government, registers political parties wishing to contest elections, register voters, recruits, trains and deploys officials to different part of the country to assist in the conduct of elections. The perpetration of electoral violence by desperate politicians, late arrival of electoral materials and some officials of INEC to polling units, malfunctioning of electronic machines in some places and vote buying by politicians, among others were examined by this paper. This paper adopts system theory propounded by Gabriel Almonds, David Easton and Von Bentallaffy. This study uses the qualitative method of research, relying exclusively on secondary source of data such as textbooks, newspapers, journals, magazines, among others. The data gathered were summarized. The findings of the study shows that the presidential election conducted on 25th February by INEC was won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All progressive congress (APC).In the Governorship election held on March 18th 2023, APC won in 16 States, PDP won in 10 States, NNPP won in One State while Labour party won in Abia State. The paper recommends that; INEC, politicians and the electorates should adhere strictly to the laws, rules and regulations guiding the conduct of general elections in Nigeria. INEC should make adequate preparations before embarking on future general elections.

Political Conflict and Electoral Violence in Nigeria: Implications on National Security

The Electoral contest in many developing democracies in Africa including, Nigeria, are faced with the challenges of conducting free, fair, credible and violence-free elections. Political violence has become a stain on our democracy. The paper therefore assessed the impact of electoral violence on national security in Nigeria. The paper adopted the descriptive analytical approach. The data collected were classified, analyzed and organized chronologically in a manner that ensured effective interrogation and presentation of the interests driving the debate on the subject matter to ensure adequate comprehension. The frustration aggression theory was used to explain the cause of electoral violence in Nigeria. The study found out that Political violence is now a stain in our democracy that is now seen as a political structure and strategy for employment during election and the use of weapons during election have an after effect on the national security. Consequently, some policy recommendations were made. The political umpire has to take conscious and strategic actions against political violence, due to the fact that action and inaction of the government plays a major role in either stopping or continuing the menace. Appropriate security network and intelligence should be organized to monitor electoral activities to mitigate incidences of violence. The Independent National Electoral Commission should conduct transparent and credible elections while the political parties and candidates should ensure strict compliance with electoral regulations

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Promotion of Democracy in Nigeria: The Study of 2023 Presidential Election

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Promotion of Democracy in Nigeria: The Study of 2023 Presidential Election

Effect of Manpower Training and Development on Employees’ Performance in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja, Nigeria

Effect of Manpower Training and Development on Employees’ Performance in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja, Nigeria

An Assessment of the Impact of EFCC in Curbing Vote Buying in Nigeria

This paper is an assessment of the performance of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on the fight against vote buying in the Nigerian elections. Vote buying is a major problem in the Nigerian electoral system. The phenomenon reached an epidemic level in 2019 when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced a level of digitalization of the electoral process through the use of permanent voters' card and card reader machines in the Nigerian electoral system. The introduction of card reader machines and permanent voters’ cards reduced the incidences of electoral infractions like 'results writing' and 'impersonation' because the voters are expected to confirm their identities at the polling booths through the authentication of card reader machines. This technological innovation by INEC made the political class to concentrate more on vote buying. The paper shows that EFCC has not been effective in carrying out its duty as the government agency that has the legal responsibility of curbing vote buying in Nigeria.

Electoral Violence in Nigeria: Insights From Off-Cycle Subnational Elections

There is a popular assumption that off-cycle subnational elections should be better governed and more peaceful than general elections. This position is premised on the notion that limited geographical and demographical scope of such elections offers the national electoral body, security agencies and other key actors in electoral governance the opportunities to concentrate resources and energies in a given jurisdiction for maximum efficiencies. These have encouraged advocacy to unbundle the Electoral Management Body, namely the Independent National Electoral Commission by decentralising electoral governance. However, this assumption has not been subjected to adequate academic scrutiny. This study, therefore, examines comparatively, records of violence in off-cycle subnational elections conducted in Edo, Kogi and Ondo States between 2019 and 2020, and those of Nigeria’s 2019 general elections. The study is descriptive by design, with data largely extracted from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and analysed using mixed method.

University Lecturers’ Perception of Factors Responsible for Elections Malpractices in Nigeria

This study investigated university lecturers’ perceptions of factors responsible for election malpractice in Nigeria. A research question and three null hypotheses guided the study. A survey research design was used in the study. The population for this study consisted of lecturers in public universities in Delta State. The sample of this study was 300 lecturers in three public universities in Delta State. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled Factors Responsible for Election Malpractice in Nigeria Questionnaire. Experts validated the instrument. Cronbach Alpha method was used to determine a reliability coefficient of .79. Mean (M) and standard deviation (SD), as well as t-test statistics, were used to answer the research question and null hypotheses, respectively. The findings revealed that disregard for the electoral act by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and vote buying among various political parties to win elections by all means, among others, are perceived factors responsible for election malpractice in Nigerian university lecturers in Delta State. The difference between perceptions of factors responsible for election malpractice in Nigeria among university lecturers is not significant based on gender, rank, and religion. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the government at various levels always uphold the rule of law, especially the electoral act, during and after elections in Nigeria. The INEC should be very transparent at different stages of the election, especially during the collation process. The judiciary should prosecute electoral offenders or politicians who engage in election malpractice to deter others in society. The government at all levels as well as various stakeholders should ensure that there is proper public voter enlightenment before elections in Nigeria.

Legal Aspects Concerning the Need to Distinguish Between the Concepts of “Election” and “Voting”. State de lege lata and Postulates de lege ferenda

The aim of this paper is to prove the thesis that there is a need to distinguish between the terms “election day” and “voting day”. The following research methods will be used in the study: formal and dogmatic – to show the views of representatives of the legal doctrine, historical and legal in order to analyse documents of the National Electoral Commission and judicial decisions. Apart from the literature, the research is based on the sources of law in chronological order, taking into account their hierarchy. On the basis of terminological differences and linguistic inaccuracies in them, the author proposes to amend the law and formulates specific wording of the proposed provisions, expressing the hope that the results of the research will have an impact on the functioning of a legally aware society.

Effect of public relations planning on human resource management performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Nigeria

Effect of public relations planning on human resource management performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Nigeria