here is no need for the leaderships of the country to continue to sing the chorus of credible, free and fair election. The endeavour towards such must not only be evident but there must be the related necessary actions in progress. Over the years, Nigerians were too trusting, gave the benefit of the doubt to their leaders and were fed with promises that were never kept.

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At this ‘late’ hour for the 2011 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) appears to be confused about the smooth way forward out of the road block that was mounted by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members against the conduct of free and fair elections in the country. But the new INEC chairman, Professor Jega, who is a political scientist, should be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat to unblock free and fair election in the country if his credentials and antecedents are guides to an honest future.

The PDP cannot be seen to do anything right in the country. The opposition always look for the ways to free the country from the party’s unlawful practices but without consideration for the monetary cost and time constraint. These, today, call for a fresh voters’ registration process which in real senses we do not actually need.

There is no doubt that the existing voters’ register is full of irregularities. It is inadequate. It is not up to date. Although I have not verified the voters’ register, the degree of the irregularities therein cannot be more than twenty five per cent. Yet this is sufficient to manipulate any election. This can easily be rectified by the new INEC, I believe. Therefore, Professor Jega does not need to start registration of voters afresh. He does not need to spend unnecessary additional fund of N72bn to compile a totally fresh voters’ register. Moreover, the time to do this diligently is not available.

The last Anambra State Governorship election shows that irregularities only in voters’ register do not as such make a non-free and fair election. Credible election rests much with the people that conduct it. That irregularities in electoral register no matter the degree, though may disenfranchise some people, do not constitute any limitation to a free and fair election. With honesty, the irregularities are avoidable.

In order to maximise its efficiency and achieve the desired free and fair election, the INEC should narrow it procedure to accord with the old time framework while it takes into consideration the shortcomings of the existing laws. Here, honest adherence would see INEC through a free and fair 2011 general election.

What Professor Jega could do?

• He should print out the existing voters’ register now. The register should be displayed at each
  polling station or at the normal voters’ registration centres.
• Every voter should be asked to come and authenticate his/her previous registration.
• Corrections should be made on the spot to those registrations that were not right and proper.
• Those that are not on the register and those that have come of age to vote should be registered.
• Any name that is on the register which nobody had come forward to authenticate or is a
  dubious name should be crossed out on the spot.
• A proper, an adequate and up to date voters’ register will be compiled like these within a
  maximum of four weeks. But how fast do we execute?

With the above procedure, any irregularity that may escape rectification during the voters’ register up date process would be minimal and would not affect the credibility of the election. But there should be adequate systems of control in place to serve before, during and after the election. These must be followed by adequate preparation for the election, adequate, honest and impartial security during the election period and at the polling station. The votes must be counted and the results are declared at the polling station before they are taken to the appropriate collation centre. Any ballot box that is moved an inch from the polling station should not be counted. As cast votes will be counted at the polling station, every voter should be monitored in order to prevent the smuggling in of pre-thumbed ballot papers during voting.

There is nothing that can change the valid votes that are cast and counted, results declared at the polling station in the presence of all the political parties’ representatives and the related election observers. It is far easier and accurate to count the votes cast at the polling station. The number of the cast votes is comparatively small. It takes less time to count and declare the results. These are unlike when the ballot papers from several polling stations are pooled at a single counting and collation centre.

As long as nobody is able to stuff the ballot boxes or thumb print unused ballot papers at the polling station, before the actual and legitimate votes cast are counted on the spot, election will be very difficult to rig at any other stage of the processes before the official announcement of the final results. Before the announcement of the final results each political party would have on hand the results from the polling stations and would be able to carry out its own collation. These alone serve much to cut off and obliterate any planned rigging, a credible, free and fair election is achieved.

In a country where the elected put the nation before themselves, the National Assembly should be able to conclude whatever constitutional or Electoral Acts amendments it desires to carry out at most within the first two and half years of its four years term of office. There is no need for the Legislature to rush matters of law amendment at the last minute of the term and thereby engender avoidable chaos.

It is my opinion that the National Assembly allows its constitutional laws and Electoral Acts amendments to take effect from 29 May 2011. This would allow the INEC adequate time to correct and up date the voters’ register, make adequate preparation, avoid unnecessary additional expenditure and to carry out a smooth, free and fair election.

Let us believe that the present INEC, no doubt, knows the shortfalls and pitfalls in the existing laws, the flaws in the previous elections, how to avoid them and bring about a free and fair election. Any law is enough for those that are honest and law abiding. To this end, in as much as we should be alert, we should give the benefit of the doubt to the new INEC under the leadership of Professor Jega. The Executive and National Assembly must play their parts in order to ameliorate the problems the INEC may encounter.