Ahead of the 2015 General Elections in the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have apparently concluded arrangements to deploy NYSC members as electoral officials across the country. Director-General of NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, confirmed in Obubra, Cross River State, that an agreement had been reached with INEC on the matter. The electoral commission, he explained, would provide the necessary logistics for the corps members, as well as their stipends.
Also under the arrangement, corps members who would be deployed for the elections would be barred from giving out sensitive electoral materials or receiving financial inducements from politicians. Those who are caught involving themselves in electoral malpractice would be prosecuted. There are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan supports this plan as he recently enjoined corps members to brace up to play an active role in next year’s elections.
We recognise the fact that the use of corps members as ad-hoc staff in elections has become part of our electoral process for some years now. The shortage of personnel to man electoral activities has often been cited as one of the reasons for engaging their services during elections. Ordinarily, there should be no problem with that, provided that the NYSC members have been trained on the basics of electoral processes, and what is required of them during elections.
Our concern, however, is about their safety. The lives of corps members should not be put in harm’s way, for any reason. If we must use participants in the NYSC scheme for elections, it is absolutely necessary to put adequate security in place, especially in volatile parts of the country. Some areas in the northern part of the country have become a safe haven, and killing fields, for insurgents. The Federal Government and the relevant agencies must not lose sight of that fact.
We recall the grisly post-election violence in some parts of the North following the 2011 presidential election, which claimed the lives of some corps members who served as electoral officials.
Considering the importance of the 2015 elections, and the desperation of contending forces and interests to win at all costs, the lives of corps members should not be put on the line by involving them in electoral duties where their security cannot be guaranteed. Beyond the Northern states, there are other flashpoints of violence in the South where the lives of youth corps members could also be endangered. They may become victims of electoral violence, while some may get into trouble through their inducement by desperate politicians.
Undoubtedly, the 2015 polls are crucial for democracy in Nigeria. They require all hands to be on deck to ensure a credible, transparent and violence-free exercise.
While we support every effort that will enhance the integrity of the electoral process, including the use of competent personnel, it is essential that the safety of electoral officers must be well protected. This is even more so for the youth corps members who may be deployed to this critical assignment against their will and better judgement.
In this regard, we urge the Federal Government and INEC to ensure that there is no margin for error in all the coming elections, including the 2015 general polls.
Only recently, there was a disturbing report from Ekiti State where a corps member was cited in an election issue. The electoral agency has fixed the Ekiti governorship election for June this year, followed by that of Osun State, two months later. In both elections, corps members are expected to be deployed as electoral officials. This situation calls for extreme caution and adequate preparation.
It is for this reason that the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) recently cautioned INEC not to deploy corps members for elections anywhere in the country without proper arrangement for their security. It advised that alternatives should be sought if the safety of the corps members cannot be guaranteed.
The concern of ALGON, which was made public by its national president, Mr. Nwabueze Okafor, is genuine. It should not be ignored. It may also be necessary to sensitize all Nigerians, especially leaders of thought in volatile communities, to the need to safeguard persons on electoral duties, ahead of the coming polls.
It is necessary that we learn from past mistakes and avert any danger to corps members who are vulnerable to attacks because they are, most times, strangers in the communities that they are posted to serve. The electoral agency should also try to avoid the type of incident that happened during the Anambra governorship election last November, where a corps member was arrested for absconding with sensitive electoral materials.
The security of corps members is a very serious issue that must not be trifled with by the relevant authorities. For INEC, this is the time to ensure that the necessary unassailable arrangements are put in place to guarantee their safety, and that of all other electoral officials.