Agadaenyi Charles Nwodo is a former National Chairman of the Progressives Action Congress (PAC).
In this interview with Chinedu Aroh of THE WHISTLER, he tasks President Bola Tinubu, being a product of democratic struggles during the military era, to step up his governance and address key issues regarding Nigeria’s democratic progression.
Assess Nigeria’s electoral system as the country marks the June 12 Democracy Day.
When you come to the electoral system, there is not much to celebrate. The 2023 general elections were characterised by rigging, violence and manipulations of results. Such is not a true test of election in a democracy.
Today is June 12, and we should interrogate our memory back to the election conducted by Prof Humphrey Nwosu of the blessed memory. Nwosu’s election was free, fair, non-violent and accepted by Nigerians as the best. Unfortunately, it was truncated.
They would have copied from the examples laid by Prof Nwosu, but this time around, it is unfortunate that they have brought new terminologies in the election result releases: inconclusive, glitches, this and that.
All these are manipulations geared towards corruption and favouring the persons of their choice.
We cannot say our elections are free and fair at all. Since the June 12, 1993 elections, there were no serious moves for a true electoral amendment.
Today should have been worthy of celebration if we had gotten the system right. Justice Uwais and Nwosu who made serious efforts to ensure that Nigeria’s electoral system work should have been heroes for celebration. But we prefer to be attributing blames to machines while men manipulating the system are made saints.
Has the judiciary lived up to expectations and worthy to celebrate?
The judiciary requires a surgical operation to restore its dignity as well. That is when the confidence of Nigerians in judiciary, especially when it comes to the electoral system, would be restored. When it comes to elections, some people believe that it is the highest bidder with the judiciary.
For some, the judiciary is no more relevant in the democratic structure. We are wishing that a new order be put in place to checkmate such a few judges that are manipulating the system and bringing bad names to the judicial arm of government.
We wish this government would wake up and face the electoral amendment seriously to ensure that people’s votes count. The decamping going on among politicians testifies that they have lost confidence in both electoral and judiciary systems.
It shows that the powers that be determine whatever will be. That is the major reason why politicians are decamping to the ruling party.
They don’t believe that the system itself will protect them, or give them free, fair and credible elections. They are not even sure that they would be protected by the judiciary without joining the party at the centre. That is why they are joining the bandwagon. It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation. But on one hand, this president is not being manipulated by a cabal. He is a man that came through primaries by himself, and he is the same man who is ruling by himself. We cannot say this is a government of a cabal, god-fatherism and so on. He is the godfather of himself. Such is good in a democratic system, especially in Nigeria that we need strong but democratic governance.
I appreciate Tinubu’s governance in that area. Though he is not doing so well in terms of security, food production, and so on, at least he is by himself ruling.
What is the best way for appointing electoral officials to ensure the sustenance of our democracy?
The Uwais Panel and others have advocated a private method that is corruption-free and non-governmental influence in the appointment of who becomes the chairman of INEC and resident electoral commissioners. But those in power want the ones they can manipulate.
It is unfortunate that if you appoint the INEC chairman, he will even go to the Villa to see the president. It is not done in other climes. Just like judges, when they are appointed, they go to discuss with the president and so on. It is abominable in other nations.
But here, it is the road to corruption. They should keep themselves sacred to have the trust of the people, and they can come out with free and fair elections to stabilise our democracy.
Are there areas to celebrate as Nigeria marks Democracy Day today?
At least, we are alive to see the years passing by. That is the major thing. And also, the military whose actions led to this mess has taken the back seats to allow democracy to roll. That is my position. What should Nigerian citizens be doing to sustain the nation’s democratic tenets?
The citizens are always doing the right thing. It is the leaders that are the manipulators and confusing the system. During voting, the citizens come out. But when our leaders orchestrate shooting of guns and electoral violence, the citizens will run away to save their lives. That is what is creating much of the apathy that we witness during elections. Insecurity is the problem.
If those in power should allow free and fair elections, the citizens would always be enthusiastic.
Again, staggered elections should be eliminated. Let all elections be held on the same day, from presidency to the ward level. If everybody is occupied on election day, there would be no need to mobilise soldiers, police and thugs to go to one area to rig elections in favour of a government in power.
We need a more surgical operation in the electoral reform. President Tinubu, who suffered during the June 12 election, should bring about revolutionary changes in the governance and the electoral system to have more blessings when he exits power.
Do you advocate a parliamentary system of government?
What I believe really is not parliamentary per se. Even if you bring a parliamentary system, the political behavioural pattern of the people will still manipulate it. It will even give more rooms for total control of the executive and the parliament. They become one body and suppress the people the most. The presidential system we are running is a good one if we run it with the tenets of the law and morality.
