an electoral court

There are many politicians in Nigeria who have claimed their victories in the courts and thrown out those who were believed to have won the elections… the important thing is that the electoral effort does not end with the elections but continues in the post-election phase because each phase is as important as the other. Unfortunately, many politicians won’t tell you this, but that is the reality of our politics! And it is the most crucial.

It is evident that the electoral cycle has three intertwined parts, which are: the pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral phases.

The pre-election phase includes all activities prior to the elections. These include the list of political parties, the purchase of nomination and expression of interest forms, the submission of forms for various electoral positions, the selection of the forms and persons for the different positions, the party primaries through which the standard-bearers of the party for various electoral positions emerge the positions, the formation of the campaign councils and the campaigns themselves. In short, everything that happens before Election Day falls into this phase.

There is also a lot going on at the electoral administration level by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They issue the guidelines, recognize the parties, and also issue schedules for every activity of the party, including elections. In other words, parties and candidates always have to follow the guidelines and deadlines issued by the electoral body to the letter, because all these statutory norms are of vital importance for the three stages of the electoral cycle.

The hottest parts of the pre-election phase are the party primaries and campaigns. No one can hold any electoral office without first winning the party’s primaries and becoming a party standard-bearer. It’s pretty common sense that this stage is usually loaded and in some cases even more loaded than the elections themselves, because those interested in the greedy positions have to do everything possible to get hold of the party ticket as a necessary condition. to win the election. in question. Whoever does not win the party primaries, of course, cannot carry the party flag and has therefore already lost.

This stage of the party’s primaries is full of consultation and lobbying for support. Because some politicians are more established than others and some occupy higher positions in the party hierarchy, aspirants go crazy to win their endorsement and support, which means they are the chosen one. This in itself does not amount to an electoral victory, but it is a crucial activity. In Nigerian politics, those who wield such great electoral influence are called “godfathers” because if theirs is a major party, it means that whoever wins the party’s primary has a very good chance of winning at the polls. Although political upstarts can surprise and defeat established party candidates, this is often the exception rather than the rule. Winning party primaries can be an expensive undertaking. Delegates are the main deciding factor in any primary election, especially when it is a direct primary. A lot of intrigue and politicking happens at this point.

While those who have been declared victorious rejoice and celebrate, the losers will, of course, sit down at a round table and begin to review the entire process. Especially if they were serious contenders in the first place and considered themselves capable of winning. Working with election consultants or lawyers, they have one goal, which is to find loopholes in the entire electoral process, from start to finish.

Having won the party primaries, candidates start their campaigns according to INEC guidelines but are backed by party structures, support and resources.

The campaign is a tedious and non-stop business until a few days before the election. It is the candidate’s opportunity to interact with voters, to convince and woo them to vote for him/her against their opponents. Unsurprisingly, campaigns are expensive, no matter the level of electoral position. Some candidates execute better campaign strategies than others. Some meet face to face with voters at the booth, district and base levels. Some design their campaigns around their voting strengths, based on party manifestos or other opportunities they can take advantage of. Some go to the radio and/or TV, and as it is today, also to social networks. Some campaign on issues of justice, ability, religion, or anything they think members of their constituency might care about. Some engage in issue-based campaigns, while others engage in frivolous, non-issue-based campaigns. The baseline is to get as many votes as it takes to win an election.

The second and most important phase is the election itself. The campaigns usually end a few days before the elections, so that the electoral management body, INEC, can send men and materials to the different places and organize the electoral logistics. This requires massive planning and fixing. On election day, the electoral management body sends personnel and materials to the polling places. The parties also send their agents to monitor what happens to protect their interests. Neutral observers are sometimes present, and usually consist of civil society groups, electoral improvement bodies, or election observer missions such as the European Union, African Union, etc. At the end of the day, people usually cast their ballots in an open and secret ballot electoral system. The votes are ordered, counted, collated and combined at the different district levels, based on the previously designed arrangements of the electoral bodies. Once declared the winner for any electoral position by authorized personnel designated by the INEC or the corresponding electoral body, the second phase of the electoral cycle is concluded.

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Often times in Nigeria, many voters go to bed at the end of the runoff, after their candidates have been declared the winner. No, that is a wrong strategy, because the war is not over yet. The later phase is up for viewing as many sadly miss it here. As such, eternal vigilance is crucial. It’s never over until it’s over.

At this point the third phase begins, that is, the post-electoral phase. You will be surprised to see that this phase is still critical because anything is possible. While those who have been declared victorious rejoice and celebrate, the losers will, of course, sit down at a round table and begin to review the entire process. Especially if they were serious contenders in the first place and considered themselves capable of winning. Working with election consultants or lawyers, they have one goal, which is to find loopholes in the entire electoral process, from start to finish. At this stage, it is no longer the electoral management body that is responsible, but the judiciary. While the responsibility of the electoral management bodies is to conduct the elections and declare the winners, their verdicts can be challenged before the judicial or electoral courts.

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In fact, a presumed victory can be nullified or reversed if a strong foundation can be established to challenge the presumed winner’s victory.

Often times in Nigeria, many voters go to bed at the end of the runoff, after their candidates have been declared the winner. No, that is a wrong strategy, because the war is not over yet. The later phase is up for viewing as many sadly miss it here. As such, eternal vigilance is crucial. It’s never over until it’s over.

Some candidates have sought their victories from the bench all the way to the Supreme Court. There are many politicians in Nigeria who have claimed their victories in court and thrown out those who were believed to have won the election. The reason may be due to electoral malpractice, fraud or eligibility issues, or failure to follow the guidelines of the electoral management body. But the important thing is that the electoral effort does not end with the elections but continues until the post-election phase because each phase is as important as the other. Unfortunately, many politicians won’t tell you this, but that is the reality of our politics! And it is the most crucial.


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MacDonald Ebere, an expert in practical political philosophy, writes from Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.


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