Election 2024: Lessons from rerun parliamentary primary
It was very unfortunate and, frankly, quite disappointing watching how events unfolded in the just-ended rerun of the NPP’s primary in Walewale to select a parliamentary candidate for the upcoming election.
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In the first contest, Dr Kabiru Mahama won narrowly by defeating the incumbent MP, Zuweira Lariba.
The election outcome required judicial intervention after the incumbent filed a case with the court. The result of the court case was a rerun of the election.
Credit to the party, it swiftly organised the rerun a week after the court’s ruling, signalling a strong desire to wrap this contest up and bring a final settlement to this contest.
However, with the Electoral Commission (EC), given the events that unfolded, declaring the election null and void, it remained to be seen how soon the question of who represents the NPP in this constituency come December was going to be settled. As the EC official rightly said, it is an internal party matter which needs an internal party solution.
There were several whispers by the riverside. Many proffered reasons why a contest that looked like a simple but competitive intraparty democratic activity appeared to be degenerating into a protracted political fight. A political fight the ruling party, I am sure, was eager to avoid.
The December election is just eighty-eight (88) days away. The nominating period announced by the EC ends on September 11. The statement by the incumbent stating that she is withdrawing from the race is a welcomed decision. This goes a long way to resolve the issue.
Key lessons
First, our political temperaments, as we go into the December election, will matter greatly. Politics is an extremely competitive sport that brings out our deep passions and emotions.
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It is perfectly acceptable to align oneself with a candidate and hope for victory. What cannot be acceptable is to engage in undemocratic, disruptive and illegal behaviour during the process, especially in the face of potential defeat.
The sanctity of the ballot is something every citizen has a duty to protect and this idea of ballot box/papers snatching in 2024 baffles me. The perpetrator(s) must be held accountable to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to emulate this behaviour in December.
Second, security will be key as always. The response of the police must be highly commended. The arrest of the perpetrator(s) while also maintaining peace and order deserves our applause.
I do not accept the narrative by some that what happened is a sign of “coming events casting their shadows.” However, I hope that as law enforcement agencies prepare for December, they will keep an extremely watchful eye over the ballot, especially during counting.
Third, the role of our courts in resolving election disputes is increasingly becoming critical. Justice must be dispensed fairly, which means that speed cannot be the overriding guiding principle in judicial processes.
However, I wonder if it is possible to factor into the judicial adjudication process the timebound nature of other aspects of the electoral process. Of course, the court could not have anticipated the events of a rerun.
However, I was initially worried as to what would happen if the party was unable to resolve this before the EC closed its nominating window. Was the EC going to be amenable to accepting a late nomination because of these extenuating circumstances?
If not, what was going to be the impact on the constituency in terms of having choices in December? These are the questions that drove my concern about the time factor in judicial resolutions to election disputes.
Fourth, the role of the political party in resolving electoral disputes has proven to be important. Political parties have dispute-resolution mechanisms that are designed to find solutions to a range of matters.
Of course, an aggrieved citizen, on any matter, has the right to ask the court for a fair and impartial resolution. The announcement from the incumbent MP comes a day before the planned National Executive Committee meeting.
The signal from the party was important and may have had an instrumental effect on the decision, including any private diplomatic efforts.
What Next?
The party can now breathe easy and focus its attention on bringing closure to this issue. The question remains what this announcement means, given a) the court’s ruling that there should be a rerun; and b) the EC declared the results null and void.
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These are questions I believe the party will settle soon. The importance of a speedy resolution cannot be overstated.
At the end of the day, citizens want a free and fair election, without incidents that mar the process and undermine the sanctity of the ballot. Let us learn some good lessons from this.
The writer is Project Director, Democracy Project.