…Says it’s a Democratic, Electoral Retrogression …Calls for Collective Action to Enthrone Free, Fair, Credible Elections Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, says undemocratic takeover of government in some West African countries poses a great challenge to Electoral Commissions in the sub-region, calling for a concerted effort to enthrone popularly accepted elections.
…Says it’s a Democratic, Electoral Retrogression
…Calls for Collective Action to Enthrone Free, Fair, Credible Elections
Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, says undemocratic takeover of government in some West African countries poses a great challenge to Electoral Commissions in the sub-region, calling for a concerted effort to enthrone popularly accepted elections.
Speaking on Wednesday during plenary of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) 7th Biennial General Assembly holding in Accra, Ghana, Yakubu described the development as a democratic and electoral retrogression which underscores the need for free, fair, and credible elections.
“We are facing great challenges. We are having democratic and electoral retrogression in the sub-region, and we have had undemocratic takeover in one or two places. Only a few years ago, we went round the sub-region, saying that for the first time in the history of West Africa, all the countries were democracies. But today, we cannot say so”.
“This imposes a challenge on us as Chairmen of Electoral Commission to be more vigilant. And that is where ECONEC comes in. We must continue to support one another to conduct the kind of elections we all aspire for. I recall that before the second round of elections in Niger Republic, the Republic of Ghana provided support, and I know that other countries are supporting one another as well. I would encourage us to continue to share not only ideas but also resources. No one can do it alone. We can make ECONEC what we want it to be by working cooperatively. I urge all of us to continue to work as brothers and sisters for the improvement of the electoral process in the sub-region.” He said.
This year’s assembly kicked off on 13th December with a symposium on “An Efficient Communication Strategy for Enhanced Relationships Between EMBs and Electoral Stakeholders in West Africa”, with presentations from CENA Benin; CNE Cabo Verde; CEI Cote d’Ivoire, Electoral Commission of Ghana and INEC, Nigeria.
The objective is to enable the electoral management bodies (EMBs) to exchange knowledge and share experiences on the value and challenges of developing a communication strategy within the EMBs, with the aim of engaging efficiently with stakeholders on critical phases of the electoral process to prevent conflicts, build public confidence and create the conditions for transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections.
A new ECONEC President and Steering Committee Members that will serve for a term of two years are expected to emerge at a special session and election for that purpose. The incumbent and President of the Electoral Commission of Cabo Verde, Mrs. Maria do Rosario Goncalves was elected in 2019 in Abuja. She took over from Prof. Yakubu who served as ECONEC President between 2017 and 2019.
In 2018, INEC in conjunction with ECONEC and its East and Southern African components held a three day international conference in Abuja on the deployment of technology in elections which has provided the push for many countries in Africa on the issue. While Namibia has long introduced Electronic Balloting, Nigeria which has introduced variants of Electronic Voting is awaiting the ascent of President Muhammadu Buhari on the Electoral Act 2021 to embark on full roll out for the off season elections in Ekiti and Osun and the General Elections in 2023.
Perhaps more critical is the rising cost of elections against other social costs particularly against the backdrop of increasing technology deployment. This made ECONEC to set up a committee led by a former INEC National Commissioner, Prof Iliasu Adele Jinadu, which turned in a report that will make private companies in the sub region to pay election tax.
Jinadu, a former dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University, Ojo, explains the rational for election tax in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Democratic Report (NDR).
“During the focus group discussion in some of the 6 ECOWAS countries studied and during the validation meeting of the draft six country case studies in Abuja in October 2018, attended by stakeholders from all six ECOWAS countries, there was general agreement that an Election Tax should be imposed on the profit declared by private sector organizations in each country to support the cost of elections in each country.
“It was argued that the private sector needs to demonstrate firm support for the long-term potential that democratic elections hold out as mechanisms for sustainable development, peace and security in the ECOWAS region, an environment so desirable for the private sector to operate optimally. It was also noted that the private sector needs to give something back into the cost of election, given the immense patronage it derives from the huge procurement contract it gets to supply electoral materials and technology.
“Earlier in April 2008, the communique issued at a joint meeting of National Electoral Commissions in West and Southern Africa in Abuja, Nigeria, urged the private sector, which requires “a stable, and peaceful political and socioeconomic environment to operate and thrive, should contribute to meeting the costs of elections,” in Africa.
“The proposed Election Tax is, therefore, NOT an additional tax to be imposed on the citizens. The proposal takes its cue from the motivation for such legislation as the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Act, 2000; and Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Act 2011, both of which were enacted to provide supplementary funding to state funding of education.
“In the case of GETFund, 2.5% of the prevailing rate of Value Added Tax is to be paid by the Value Added Tax Service into the Education Trust Fund. On the other hand, Nigeria’s TetFund Act provides that a tax rate 2% should be charged on the assessable profit of a company registered in Nigeria and paid into the Education Trust Fund. The proposal also follows the logic of the binding African Union-wide levy of 0.2% on eligible imports towards commitment to self-reliance.
“The six-nation case studies makes other recommendations on the sustainable funding of elections, notably (a) reservation of a per cent of national budget in each country for elections as a charge on the country’s consolidated revenue fund, deposited into an escrow account or Trust Fund, managed by each country’s electoral commission, but with strict accountability and transparency oversight provisions; (b) governments should release appropriated election budget timeously, because delayed or staggered releases and cuts in election budget constitute major factors in the rising costs of elections in the region; (c) each country’s electoral commission should strengthen its internal mechanisms by plugging and constraining leakages and rent-seeking activities in its procurement processes; (d) regular, particularly post-election audits of election materials and resources to avoid theft and wastage and to ensure safe storage of re-usable election materials and, thereby, save on replacement cost of procuring them every election year; and (e) each electoral commission to explore cost-saving strategies such as the importation of electoral materials from ECOWAS and other African states that have comparative advantage in the production of election materials.”
This proposal may however be a hard sell in a country like Ghana. “Election Tax will cause riots here,” insists Chairperson, Ghana Electoral Commission, Ms Jean Mensa.
The 15-member institutions include Electoral Commissions from Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, and Guinea. Others are Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
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