ADDRESS BY

THE CHIEF SERVANT, DR MU’AZU BABANGIDA ALIYU, OON (TALBAN MINNA), THE GOVERNOR OF NIGER STATE ON THE OCCASION OF INEC INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH TRADITIONAL RULERS, AT GOLDEN PALACE GUEST INN, MINNA; ON MONDAY 1^ST NOVEMBER, 2010.  

PROTOCOL;

2.       I am indeed very pleased to be here at this important interactive session with traditional rulers, organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in preparation for the 2011 General Elections. I commend INEC for organizing the sensitization programme, and for choosing Minna to host this zonal session.

3.       I am happy to note that voter education and sensitization is one of the cardinal responsibilities of INEC. Election success is not only a function of the adequacy of the logistical requirements of organizing the exercise, or merely about the quantum financial resources available to INEC, but also the capacity of the electorates to maximally discharge their civic responsibilities, given the right atmosphere and attitudes. This sensitization programme is therefore highly commendable.

4.       May I reiterate that irrespective of who heads INEC and the composition of the Commission, our elections will continue to be disputed so long as Nigerians remain suspicious and doubtful of the integrity of the institution and the people saddled with the responsibility to organize elections. In other words, all Nigerians need to give INEC maximum support and cooperation to enable it conduct credible and acceptable elections. Part of this support is by paying attention to the rules and regulations guiding the elections. It is not enough for some Nigerians to criticize and even condemn what others may be doing when they do not make deliberate effort to understand the issues. How many of us have taken interest in obtaining a copy of the new Electorate Act for our personal knowledge of what is contained in the Act? How many of us even have copies of the Constitution or are following the debates and understand the issues concerning the amendments being proposed to the Constitution?            

5.       I believe the task before INEC is enormous, especially given the fact that a large number of Nigerian politicians are power thirsty, often for their self aggrandizement, and care less about what it takes to organize a successful election to produce legitimate representatives of the people, without which democracy is in real danger. Your decision to invite the traditional rulers for this round of the sensitization exercise is thus wisely made, as I am sure, you will also cover other critical stakeholders in due course.

6.       The traditional institution, as we all know, is a highly respected one, and our traditional leaders are the custodians of the people’s moral values, norms, and cultural heritage. They play very significant and unique roles in maintaining peace, tranquility and the appropriate temperature in social relations amongst the people of their domains, which creates the right atmosphere for socio-economic and political development of society. They connect and relate very well with the people thereby enjoying enormous respect and goodwill from the people as their natural leaders. Their capacity for moulding positive public opinion as well as ensuring peaceful and smooth conduct of elections in their domains is also well established. This target audience, therefore, cannot be more appropriate, as you begin your rounds of sensitization and voter education, in preparation for the 2011 elections.

7.       Let me seize this opportunity to remind our traditional leaders that, although you are expected to be apolitical and neutral on electoral matters, you must at the same time find subtle ways of using your unique positions to ensure that sanity and decorum prevail in the political landscape, by invoking appropriate sanctions and creating the peaceful atmosphere for the socio-economic and political development of society. You should encourage people of credible backgrounds and records to offer themselves for elective positions so that your domains will reap the full benefits of quality representation and democratic dividends. You must also, like other citizens, demand for quality service and quality representation from the people elected or appointed into public offices from your domains. Your royal blessings should go to those who have the capacity to serve the people selflessly, transparently, accountably and with the fear of Allah (SWT), not to those who may have had the priviledge of becoming rich from public offices. You should however, be fathers to all.

8.       Let me also call on our traditional leaders to provide the required leadership in facilitating alternative dispute resolution (ADR) on electoral matters. You should use your vantage position as the custodians of our time honoured values and virtues to encourage reconcilliation and resolution of electoral disputes out of the law courts for obvious benefits. As we all know, ADR as a means of settling disputes and conflicts has firm roots in our traditional societies and has helped our communities in maintaining peace, harmony and stability long before the advent of the formal Court system. A situation where we allow electoral disputes to linger for so long, sometimes up to the end of tenure of the person(s) being challenged, before the election is upturned by Court ruling, after enormous resources and energy have been dissipated by all the parties to the dispute, does not speak well of our democratic process and development. You are in the best position to promote ADR as an effective tool of alternative dispute resolution in your domains. Please, help the polity in this direction, while the Electoral Act takes care of other mechanisms to safeguard against these unpleasant events.     

9.       Finally, May I urge INEC to encourage internal democracy within the political parties as the beginning of strengthening democracy within the polity. Political parties must put in place mechanisms for the emergence of candidates for Party offices and as Party flag bearers through free, fair and transparent processes, so that the tensions that usually follow Party primaries and the high voltage politicking that characterize electioneering campaigns would be drastically minimized. Once the Parties are able to demonstrate commitment to the principles and ideals of democracy, the electorates will be in a better position to articulate their interests and aspirations in voting for the political parties and candidates of their choice during the general election. On the other hand, if the Parties are unable to organize themselves in a democratic manner as they prepare for the general elections, the electorates may not be offered the best opportunity to select the right candidates, as some candidates that may emerge as flag bearers may not necessarily be credible or trustworthy to earn the confidence of the electorates, thus the whole essence of credibility and legitimacy following the elections may be lost.             

10.     Once again, I commend INEC and urge our traditional leasers, and indeed all participants to pay attention to this workshop. Nigeria has the best chance to organize a successful general election in 2011, if we all play our roles as patriotic citizens.      

11.     I thank you for your attention, as I take the opportunity to declare this programme open to the glory of Almighty Allah (SWT).