A Handbook for Concerned Citizens and Election Volunteers

8/10/2019 A Handbook for Concerned Citizens and Election Volunteers

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A Handbook for Concerned Citizensand Election Volunteers

By

Aliyu Mukhtar Katsina, PhD


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A Handbook for Concerned Citizens andElection Volunteers

By

Aliyu Mukhtar Katsina, PhD

Consensus for Human Development (C4HD),

Katsina Nigeria,2015


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Copyright 2015 by Aliyu Mukhtar Katsina.

All rights waived. Permission is granted to reprint parts or this entire handbook in any

way whatsoever, provided it is for enlightening the Nigerian public.

For information contact : [email protected]


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Can anybody come out and say vote for me so that I can get contracts and build

foreign bank accounts and houses with my foreign partners? Or follow me and listen

to me so that I can get a plot at Ikoyi or Bompai and get a directorship and shares inU.A .C or Leventis? Or follow me so that I can get a big job and you can derive the

satisfaction that, although you do not have one square meal a day and your daughter is

deformed by and dying of chronic malaria, I am eating dinnerat Federal Palace

Suite Ho tel on your behalf and that of others in our tribe and religion?

Y. B. Usman,The Manipulation of Religion in Nigeria, 1977-1987 (Kaduna: Vanguard Printers,

1987), p. 22.


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Contents

Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................... v

Elections in Nigeria ................................................................................................ 1 Getting Ready for the Elections ............................................................................ 4 The Elections Days ................................................................................................. 8

After the Elections ................................................................................................ 16


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Acknowledgments

I write this small handbook as a guide for concerned citizens and youthsaiming to participate as volunteers in the 2015 general elections in Nigeria.The purpose is to introduce them to the main issues and challenges, whichthey are likely to face as they engage with other stakeholders on election daysfor ensuring free, fair, and credible elections at all levels in the federation. Thishandbook actually developed out of the idea of composing a small piece onhow to deal with the challenges of electoral malpractice, which I mooted withmy wife, Dr. Maryam A. Hassan. Later, Yahya H. Rawayau his brother, SadaH. Rawayau, and his sister, Saadiya H. Rawayau came on board andgraciously supported the idea. Aliyu Boyi Mahuta offered not only insightfulcomments but also the kind of criticisms, which only a friend could give. Thesupport of my colleagues at the Consensus for Human Development (C4HD)is invaluable. I also thank the numerous people, especially those activemembers of various online chat groups and forums, who truly motivated mydesire to write something down for their benefit.

Aliyu Mukhtar Katsina, PhDKatsinaDecember 2014


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CHAPTER ONE

Elections in Nigeria

In popular representative democracies, nothing is as important as thefreedom and ability of every adult citizen to decide who governs him orsquanders his resources in a free and fair electoral competition. For those of

us living in dysfunctional democracies such as Nigeria our lot is a pitiableone. The nature of our political institutions, the low maturity of our politicalculture, and the predatory attitude of most of our political elites have madethe possibility of ever experiencing the joy of free and fair elections in ourcountry near-zero. In Nigeria, people live and struggle during every electionperiod against forces of retrogression determined to drag us on the path ofcorruption and instability.

These forces, committed as ever to perpetuate a devilish agenda of bad governance, corruption, and inefficiency, employ different tricks to robus of our freedom to decide our leaders freely. They whip ethnic and religioussentiments capitalizing on Nigerias traditional fault-lines. They compromisethe integrity of the electoral officials inducing them to hoard electoralmaterials, inflate figures and falsify reports. They send their hunting dogs onelection days to haunt, intimidate, maim, and violate the constitutional rightsof poor citizens. Hell, they even buy the bench and compromise the judiciaryafter they robbed us of our right to vote during election.

These forces and their agents who stand for darkness andunderdevelopment of our country have done this many times in the past.They will also attempt to repeat this in the future, unless the citizens of thisgreat country rise as a single body and courageously say No to politics ofdispossession and cluelessness. Our hope of having the chance not just to castour votes freely without intimidation but also to know that these votes willcount accurately is something, which we ought not to joke with this time

around. After all, we now live under a leadership grossly incapable ofappreciating elementary arithmetic. This leadership and its party appears as


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incapable of understanding that nineteen (19) has always been higher thansixteen (16) just as seven (7) will always be lower than twenty (20).

Therefore, if we are serious about not giving the revisionists forcesin our midst the chance to steal our votes through shameless rigging andother forms of electoral fraud, I believe we must move beyond thecommentaries that define our daily conversations. It is true conversationssuch as those that increasingly define Nigerias cyberia are good.Nonetheless, we need to consider the possibility of moving away from oursmartphones, tablets, and PCs so that we can transform the boundless energyof our youths into a positive force for the liberation of our country. After all,the fate of our dear country, our fate as human beings, and the possibility of

living that life we could only dare dream of in the inner recess of our mindsdepend solely and totally on the choices we make in February 2015 and themeasures we take to safeguard these choices.

My purpose in this short piece is, therefore, simple andstraightforward. I intend to outline some counterstrategies, which volunteersand all other concerned citizens should understand and employ inpreparation for the February 2015 general elections, on the days of theelections, as well as after the elections. My hope is that this small handbook

will answer some of the basic questions which most of the citizens engagedin volunteerism ahead of the general elections ask. Most of these citizens oftenappear confused regarding the type of contribution their country and itspeople expect from them; nature of their role and behavior on election days relating with INEC ad-hoc staff, security personnel, and party agents; andhow to manage post-election disappointments and failures in theirneighborhoods.

I do not intend to make this handbook exhaustive. Since every state,

local government, ward, and polling unit has its distinctive peculiarities, myintention is to draw the broad outlines of the expectations, challenges, andcircumstances leading to electoral malpractices on election days and howvolunteers should handle these. Sincerely, I am convinced that producing arather comprehensive handbook will require more elaborate efforts than thismodest attempt. Still, looking at the wide gap that exists between perceptionand reality, I feel we all have a duty to seek to enrich our understanding ofthe issues involved and our role in salvaging the country.

We often use electoral fraud and rigging interchangeably in ourconversations in Nigeria. Each, however, denotes a different act associated


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with dishonest attempts to distort electoral competition and its outcome.Electoral fraud is broader and encompasses acts as varied as the choice ofpolling clerks to favor a particular party or candidate, procedural violation ofelectoral laws and locating of polling units in inaccessible terrain. We alsohave ridiculous examples such as registering of underage voters and therepulsive ones such as intimidating political opponents anddisenfranchisement of a section of the electorates.

In its daily usage, rigging refers to the process of manipulating theresult of an election to achieve a preferred goal. What we know as riggingoften involves ballot box snatching, stuffing, falsification of the result, andvote inflation during elections. Looking at these two terms, one thing is

certain: both are abominable acts, which every patriotic citizen of Nigeriaought to fight. They represent an anomaly in our political evolution as anation. They also suggest our inability to be honest and compete based onsound ideas.

Between these two forms of abominable act s which most of Nigeriaspolitical leaders are guilty of, we have the following acts as their most vividmanifestations. The use of violence against voters, ballot box stuffing by partyagents, fabrication of votes and falsification of results, conducting of parallel

elections by opposing parties, use of state agents and resources to gain unfairadvantage over opponents, and using legislative majorities to dismiss chargesof fraud and certify results as free and fair. Other forms of electoral fraudinclude purging of the electoral register of opposition elements and otherundesirables, ballot substitution, opening and closing of polling units (PUs)out of schedule, stealing of ballot box, and expelling of party agents from PUs.Inflation of votes, not holding election in opposition stronghold, denyingopposition access to state owned media resources, peddling of lies and other

forms of psychological warfare and emotional blackmail are other forms ofelectoral fraud and rigged elections.

We have cleared the air about our understanding of electoral fraudand rigging. I shall now proceed to focus on the type of activities and behavior, which citizens, voluntarily agreeing to help in supervising theconduct of the elections to ensure their credibility and protect their votes,need to understand and pursue before, during, and after the 2015 generalelections in Nigeria.


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CHAPTER TWO

Getting Ready for the Elections

The process of organizing and conducting elections in a democratic state is along one. It often starts months, if not years, before the actual days scheduledfor the elections. To have credible elections, concerned citizens must

necessarily take time to carefully design and adopt proactive strategies thatwill ensure every vote counts in all the elections. Volunteers must designeffective strategies for mobilization as early as possible. As citizens anxiousto secure our votes by participating actively in the electoral politics of ourcountry, we have to focus our energy on the following fundamental issuesprior to the days of the election.

I. Creating Political Awareness. Sadly, nothing stands in the way of

good governance than the ignorance and political apathy of citizens.These characterize the engagement of most people in Nigerias political space. This is why it is easy to misinform and mislead thepeople into voting candidates and political parties based on ethnicconsiderations and religious sentiments. The ignorance of our peopleis a chain enslaving them in a bondage of corrupt politicians, religious bigotry, and ethnic chauvinism.

As citizens struggling to improve our living conditions by means

of choosing good leaders, volunteers have the duty to educate allpeople in their communities parents, spouses, children, brothers,sisters, and friends on the importance of national unity anddischarging their civic responsibilities. Participating in electionsthrough voting of credible, competent, strong, and popular candidatesis part of those important civic obligations. Volunteers need to reachout to the people and let them know that the security and progress ofNigeria depend totally on each of them discharging this obligation ofelecting competent persons as our leaders.


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II. Mobilizing and Organizing the People . Knowledge without action iscounterproductive. Volunteers should not limit their efforts simply tocreating awareness among the people. In any form of political struggle,mobilization is the twin of political education among the people. It notonly gingers them but also gives them purpose and focus. Volunteersshould not content themselves merely with educating their families,friends, and other people around them about their responsibilities ascitizens during elections. They need to embark on a vigorousmobilization drive in their various neighborhoods, wards, andcommunities in order to reach out to every person and involve him/herin this struggle for national emancipation.

Volunteers should employ door-to-door campaigns, reaching out topeople at their places of worship, market places, bus stops, motorparks, and in all the other places which youths frequent especiallyfootball viewing centers. Volunteers should be unrelenting in theirefforts. When they go out on mobilization campaigns, it is importantfor them to dress decently, and when they meet people, it is importantfor them to speak politely. They also need to have a goodunderstanding of all the important issues that defined our politics

today. Using facts to convince the cynics or confront the opposition hasno alternative. Volunteers must, therefore, get their facts right andalways avoid emotional and insulting language.

One important thing which every volunteer must promote duringmobilization is absolute disregard for every kind of fault-line whethergender, religious, ethnic, cultural, social, economic, or political in hisefforts to mobilize the people in his community. Religious andcommunity leaders as well as youth and women leaders should all be

involved. We must also remember that our efforts must cut acrosspartisan lines.

III. Political Action Groups (PAGs). The goal of political mobilization inthe context of the February 2015 general elections is to encourage thepeople to establish PAGs in their respective neighborhoods. This is because it is not possible to unite the people and turn them into aformidable force without forming PAGs at the neighborhood, ward,

and larger community levels. These groups are the nucleus ofmobilization. They sustain and nurture all efforts at engaging thepeople to remain committed to the politics of their communities and


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country. Among the advantages of establishing groups among thepeople, I shall enumerate the following.

a. PAGs give their members a sense of belonging while

offering them the chance to contribute modestly towards thesuccess of the group;

b. They serve as training ground where political sophisticationis attained especially by the youths;

c. These types of groups ensure that people remain united behind a common purpose and goal;

d. They reduce pettiness and gossips among the people;e. They also make coordination and passing of information

easier and cheaper among their members;f. During elections, they serve as ward security vanguards

defending their votes and ensuring the safety of the voters;

PAGs are, therefore, indispensable to the greater objective of securingand defending the votes of the people during elections. When thesegroups are established, it is important to encourage them to meet asregularly as is possible and convenient. At their meetings, emphasis

should be on the importance of dedication and sacrifice for the betterment of our nation. Courageous, honest, and committed personsshould be appointed as leaders over these groups. Women and thosethat are physically disadvantaged should be encouraged to participate.The key, we should always remember, is to ensure and maintaininternal cohesion and group solidarity.

IV. Raising Funds . Funds are to a political organization what blood is to

the heart. PAGs should explore ways of raising funds to help in theiroperations. Personal donations by wealthy members, generalcontributions by members, and levies are some of the means throughwhich these groups could raise funds. These funds are important onelection days. They should be used for buying credit cards and forsnacks and refreshment especially when volunteers are keeping vigilat the ward collation centers (WCCs).

These are by no means the only activities that should occupy concernedcitizens and volunteers prior to election. They are, however, the mostimportant. In my view, if concerned citizens and volunteers could expend as


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CHAPTER THREE

The Elections Days

I cannot think of a more traumatic experience than witnessing an INECdesigned and conducted election in Nigeria. Problems abound. Shortage ofelection materials, missing electoral officials, late arrival of election materials

or inadequate materials are among the prominent features of INEC organizedelections. Others include misplacement of voters register, rampant cases ofintimidation and violence, thuggish behavior of local party warlords,hawkish behavior and crass partisanship of security personnel and INEC.Concerned citizens and volunteers will witness some or all of these problemson election days. These should not however deter them. In fact, they shouldhardened their resolve to ensure that every vote counts accurately in everyelection and at every PU in the country.

Election days are the culmination of months of planning andmobilization. As such, it is important for volunteers to understand thefollowing and make appropriate arrangements for all forms of contingencies.In order to help them understand fully what they need to do on election days,I have broken down the activities of a typical day into three. These are gettingready for an election - what a volunteer needs to know and equips himselfwith; being on election venue meeting and dealing with other stakeholdersat a PU, and the need for crowd control mechanisms; and after election closes- counting of votes, announcing of results, and accompanying the results tothe WCC. I have also included in this chapter a list of basic dos and donts forall concerned citizens and volunteers.

Getting Ready for an Election: The Checklist

Election day is always an interesting one. The excitements, the expectations,the suspense, and the disappointment are all part of the larger narrative forcredible elections. Besides the excitements and expectations, this day also call


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for great sacrifice, endurance, and vigilance from volunteers. Because of thisfact, they need to be fully ready and prepared for a long and hectic day. Theyneed to be properly kitted too with the appropriate gear that will make their job easier, especially movement, communication, and ability to respond tounforeseen situations. In this respect, it is important for any volunteer to getthe following before an election.

A. A Working Knowledge of Relevant Sections of the 2011 Electoral Act (AsAmended), portions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,and other elections guidelines issued by INEC is a must for every volunteer.In fact, if possible, a volunteer should keep copies of the relevant sectionshandy. These are critical to the success of his activities on an election day. Itis important to point that elections are conducted based on clearly definedlegal framework. Understanding this legal framework is, therefore, the singlemost potent weapon in dealing with other critical stakeholders on an electionday, especially INEC officials, party agents, and security personnel.

B. Fully charged and loaded phone , possibly with internet and camerafacilities. Nothing is more terrifying than to have a volunteer completely cutoff from communicating the situation report in his area of operation. A

volunteer should, therefore, charge his phone fully and if possible have spare batteries or a power bank as a back-up plan. They are the tools of the tradethat complete him. Phone with a camera allows a volunteer to record allactivities, which he considers as fraudulent, while internet facilities allow forthe instant dissemination of this evidence online. Volunteers shouldremember that nothing terrifies forces of darkness committed to stealing ourvotes than publicity. As such, we should take care not to go out on an electionday without means of recording, documenting, and disseminating proof ofelectoral irregularities.

C. Writing Materials . Another thing a volunteer needs as he readies forelection morning is writing materials. A volunteer should keep a smallwriting pad and a couple of pens. These will come handy when writingresults from a polling unit and in coordinating the activities of othervolunteers and PAGs.

D. Transportation. It is important for volunteers to arrange for transportation beforehand. This is very important, as they will need reliable means oftransportation for accompanying INEC ad-hoc staff after they collected


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voting materials in the morning and in the afternoon when accompanying theresults to WCC. INEC does not provide transport for its personnel, andnothing is more embarrassing than to have the ad-hoc staff and resultshijacked and altered on the way simply because volunteers do not havemeans of transportation to follow them.

E. Finally, a volunteer should eat and dress lightly before going out. We donot want to deal with the embarrassing situation of having a volunteerscurrying to the rest room at the critical moments such as when accreditingvoters or counting of votes. The same applies to baggage. These should bekept to the minimum. Too much baggage bogs down a volunteer and makeshim looks like a porter than an energetic person ready to counter any threatto the credibility of an ongoing election. Depending on the location of avolunteer, he should take care to dress appropriately, paying attention to twoimportant considerations weather and mobility. As he will be movingconstantly, he will need light and flexible clothes that will not inhibit his steps.His footwear should also be loose enough to allow for quick steps.

At the Election Ground: Dealing with Stakeholders Being a volunteer on a day of election coordinating the activities of aneighborhood or perhaps ward PAG has its ups and downs. Every volunteermust know that he will share the stage with other stakeholders. The mostprominent among these who feature in every PU across the federation are:

a. A corrupt presiding officer; b. A conniving polling clerk;c. A hungry, poorly paid, and highly demoralized security personnel,

usually a police constable or corporal/NSCDC personnel;d. Barely loyal and committed party agents;e. Members of PU party mobilization and contact committee a

euphemism for the team of vote buyers in the PU;f. Traitorous ward party officials, usually from the opposition, willing

to sell their party to the highest bidder;g. A wealthy benefactor of the ruling party, often a crooked

businessman, acting as the local champion, supplier of money forvote buying, and coordinator of means of violence when needed;


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h. A band of unemployed youths mostly on drugs and other relatedsubstances acting as thugs under the command of the localchampion;

i. Educated elites who, as armchair critics, feel they have all theanswers but consider it demeaning to rub shoulders with poorvoters. They are totally useless without any mobilization value;

j. Voters, most of whom are ignorant and will vote with their heartsand stomachs rather than with their heads;

k. An assortment of registered voters without valid voter s card,underage voters, and multiple voters, etc.

Besides these actors, we have others who make guest appearance on the stage,often when nobody needs them. These include:

a. Pompous, but clueless, ward party officials who supervise PUs; b. INEC supervisors who are, almost always, helpless and useless in

every situation;c. Senior security personnel who are usually on self-enrichment tours

of the wards and polling units;d. A gang of roving thugs, fully armed and under the control of the

local champion or a top-shot politician, scouring the ward fortrouble-spots;

e. Bored election observers and monitors who are more interested intheir per-diem than what is actually taking place at the PU;

f. Unethical journalists sold to the highest bidder.

For the unexperienced among the volunteers, the names on our lists ofstakeholders will look intimidating. The fact is that, these stakeholders are not

only intimidating, but for most of them elections represent a do-or-die affair.In trying to protect and promote their various and often conflicting interests,most of them are willing and ready to go to any length in order to remove anyobstacles to their interests. Vote buying, bribing of ad-hoc staff and securitypersonnel, snatching of ballot boxes, and intimidating of opponents areamong the least of what many of these stakeholders could do. In extremecircumstances, they could resort to violence and even killing of opponents.Therefore, volunteers should be under no illusion regarding what they are

going to face on election days. The challenges are not for the timid and thechicken-livered.


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With these type of characters sharing the stage with volunteers, whatthen are the best strategies for dealing with them to ensure the success of theelections without compromising its integrity? Here, there is no single answer.No single strategy is yet to prove effective. Still, these are some advices for avolunteer to consider.

1. The first and the most important is calm - the ability not to becomeagitated even under tense situations and extreme provocations.From experience, there is yet any reported incidence where hiredthugs attacked calmly organized group of people on an election daywithout provocation.

2.

The second is the ability to organize members of the PAGs to remainorderly and polite even in the face of rude and provocative remarksand gestures, and to obey every lawful order from ad-hoc staff andsecurity personnel. This is where a working knowledge of theelectoral act and other election guidelines will be useful. Volunteerswill distinguish between what is the law and what is rubbish andtherefore respond appropriately.

3. However, this is not to say there will not be exceptions. The

desperation of corrupt politicians knows no bound. When pushed tothe wall, they could unleash their hunting dogs against innocentpeople in any given PU without warning to scatter everyone awayand disrupt the conduct of the election. Again, being calm is crucial.Do not be terrified. This is where the PAGs that you worked hard toorganize before the election are important. A well-organized andcoordinated group of concerned citizens can and should be able tocontain, disarm, and handover thugs to the appropriate security

agents. This is why we said it is important to have disciplined PAGsacting as one in every neighborhood and ward. They will deter thugsand crooked politicians, security personnel, and INEC staff withcorrupt tendencies. There is strength in unity while there is weaknessand dispossession in disunity.

4. Still, under no circumstances should volunteers and their actiongroups take law in their own hands. Their responsibility is to assistthe legitimate agencies and personnel. They should desist from anyaction that portrays them as trying to substitute those agents. Theirresponsibility is to watch like hawks and assist where needed.


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5. If a volunteer notices an attempt by INEC staff, security personnel,or party agents to do something that apparently compromises theelection or breaks the law, he should calmly and confidently alert theofficial concerned in a polite way showing him his mistake and theneed to rectify it. Remember, officials are humans too and, thus,prone to mistakes and fatigue. They also have sensitivities. Talkingto them in a rude manner may provoke them and blow a simple caseof misunderstanding or error into a big issue with catastrophicresults. Volunteers should always remember that it is in their bestinterests, more than that of anybody else, to have peaceful electionsthat are credible.

Closing the Election and Accompanying the Results

After the allotted time for accreditation and casting of votes is over, the nextthing is to count the votes transparently, and announce the results openly asendorsed by respective party agents. When sorting and counting of votes,INEC ad-hoc staff and duly accredited party agents are the only persons

allowed by law to participate. It is not the responsibility of volunteers orsecurity agents to assist either in sorting or in counting of the ballot papers.Theirs is to watch carefully for any irregular attempt by party agents or ad-hoc staff and raise the alarm. The presiding officer has the power to ask anyperson, under the watch of assigned security officer to vacate the venue ofelection. As such, volunteers should beware not to behave in any way thatwill draw the anger of presiding officers such as rude remarks, doublecounting, or quarrelling on the issue of invalid votes.

Volunteers should restrain members of their action groups frominterrupting when officials are counting the votes and after whether they arehappy or otherwise with the outcome. It is important to remember thatorderly conduct by volunteers and their action groups is a key to the successof their efforts. Once the counting is over and results officially declared aftertheir endorsements by party agents, volunteers should note down the figuresaccurately. Preferably, they should use the camera of their phones to capturethe shot of the result as pasted on the wall of the PU as required by law. A

volunteer should promptly forward to his supervisor the result for properdocumentation.


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The next thing is to accompany the ad-hoc staff together with theused and unused ballot papers to the designated WCCs. There, the presidingofficer and his polling clerk will submit the result of his PU to the WardCollation Officer (WCO), also an ad-hoc staff, for onward transmission to theLocal Government Collation Officer. Often times, criminals and desperateelements would hijack the presiding officer and his polling clerk togetherwith the election materials on their way to the WCC. They do so, in order tosubstitute the result, sometimes with the connivance of the ad-hoc staff andat other times under life threatening situations. Volunteers and their actiongroups should be ready to accompany them, and if necessary, provide themwith additional security until they reach the WCC safely. If the WCC is not

very far, they could all trek together, but if it is far, then the best option is toget a reliable transportation to convey as many people as possible. That iswhy we mentioned transportation as a crucial tool in the kits of volunteers.

It is important to note that closing election at the PU and safelyaccompanying it to the WCC simply represent the first leg of the journey forcredible elections. The second leg actually starts from the WCC whenvolunteers keep vigil to ensure that desperate politicians did not send thugsto disrupt the elections or attempt to compromise the WCO. Therefore, they

need to remain vigilante all the time. After presiding officers have returnedtheir results to the WCO at the WCC, the next line of action is to accuratelyrecord the results in the appropriate forms as provided by INEC. Ward partyagents will endorse these results and then the outcome of the election willproceed to the local government for recording purpose.

Leaving the WCC for the local government is also another flashpointwhere desperate elements ambush results from wards and alter themmischievously. Volunteers and their action groups need to very careful. At

the local government office of INEC, volunteers should also keep vigil. Whiledoing so, they should share the little food and refreshment they have betweentheir members. By then it is already night, and certainly it is going to be a longone. They should prepare fully for it. They should even get blankets to keepthe cold. While waiting, volunteers should be very orderly and polite. Theyshould cooperate with security personnel obeying all legitimately issuedorders. Nevertheless, they should not be intimidated by the sight of them.Security agents are there to protect them.

Unless, they are unruly, security agents have no reason to harassanyone. Similar activities will recur at the state level. For volunteers, the


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expectation is that they will continue to endure and accompany their votesand the results from the polling unit until they reach the state INECheadquarters where state collation officers will record the results. This veryhectic job may take up to two days. Volunteers should therefore be fullyready. In the following lines, I have provided a modest list of dos and dontson the days of election.

Dos on Election Days: 1. Understand that it is going to be tough;2. Get fully ready and be prepared for all forms of eventualities;3. Acquaint and equip yourself with all relevant electoral laws;

4. Always listen and obey what your group leader asks;5. Always remain part of your group for your own safety;6. Respect and obey all legitimate orders and authorities;7. Be mindful of the actions of the ad-hoc staff and party agents;8. Watch and count every ballot paper issued;9. Document and report all irregular activities in your PUs;10. Treat all people kindly.

Donts on Election Days: 1. Do not go out under pressure. This should be purely voluntary;2. Do not be a burden to others. If you do not want to help or cannot

afford, do not bother going out. You are not helping matters;3. Do not canvass for votes for any candidate or party at the PU;4. Do not wear any dress depicting the symbol of any party or picture

of any candidate;5. Do not engage in arguments and other heated discussions with

anybody;6. Do not provoke the security personnel. They could charge you for

disturbing public peace;7. Do not stupidly jeopardize your safety and that of other people;8. Do not quarrel with INEC ad-hoc staff. If you are not satisfied with

their conduct, report them;9. Do not attempt to show a voter how he should thumbprint his ballot

unless specifically asked and agreed by all around.


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CHAPTER FOUR

After the Elections

Election is a contest, and in every contest, it is normal to have a winner and aloser. What is not normal is when the outcome of this contest is dishonestlytempered with to achieve a predetermined result. In the history of electoralpolitics in Nigeria, there are innumerable instances where elections wereshamelessly rigged with tragic consequences for the unity and stability of thenation. That is a tragic experience and a sad reminder to the inability of mostof Nigerian politicians to engage on issue-based politics rather than followingdishonest short cuts to power. Generally, for volunteers concerned withprotecting their fundamental human right to decide the persons they want asleaders, there are few advices, which they should always heed.

1. One, the outcome of an election depends on a number of factors

including the arrangements they made and efforts they exerted long before the elections to ensure that corrupt politicians could not rigthe process and its outcome. In this respect, the best defense againstfraudulent or stolen elections, I believe is to adopt a proactivestrategy of elaborate arrangements to ensure credible elections on theD-Day. Citizens should not feel content with promises bygovernment and INEC of their readiness for credible elections. Theyshould also complement them through effective mobilization.

2. Two, citizens, especially youths, need to appreciate the fact thatemotional reaction to the announcement of election results thatusually ended in violence serves no purpose. Even a glance revealsthat the poor and the innocent are always the victims. The mainculprits always get away with their crime. There is the need,therefore, to be more creative in addressing the issue of flawedelections in Nigeria. Happily, there are legal avenues. Aggrievedparties should explore that mechanism. For poor and concerned

citizens, they could adopt positive action strategies where theystigmatize politicians with stolen mandates. They could refuse to


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deal with them, or socially interact with them, or even boycott thempolitically.

3. Third, stripped of all appearances, all politics is local. Therefore, thesearch for credible elections starts with the choices and decisions,which Nigerians make today. This collective effort should involveeverybody. Effectively mobilizing and educating the people on thedangers of ethnic sentiment and religious bigotry hold the key tofree, fair, and credible elections in February 2015 and beyond. It is,therefore, important to start planning from today so as to be ready

by February 2015.

Documents

A Handbook for Concerned Citizens and Election Volunteers