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Prof. Iwu's refereeing of Nigeria's 2007 elections, Obasanjo's party and international community

BY CHIDO NWANGWU in Abuja (Nigeria) and Houston, Texas

April 2, 2006, USAfrica, Houston, Texas:
Prof. Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu, born on April 21, 1950 in Umuezeala, Umukabia, Ehime Mbano in the eastern Imo State of Nigeria, has the extraordinary, historical coincidence of refereeing the presidential elections in Nigeria on the day of his 57th birthday. Evidently, he has the most challenging "government work" in Nigeria, today, except being the president of Nigeria. He undertsands his job is not an easy one; not by the facts of the controversial history of elections, his predecessors' ratings and the compelling realities and interests competing in today's Nigeria. Iwu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is, yet another, scholar in government -- with high expectations to perform.

To have a first-hand look and feel for the preparations for the all-important 2007 elections in Nigeria, I flew from Houston to Nigeria; spending some time in Abuja, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Lagos. Listening to him in his office at the headquarters of Nigeria's elections body, INEC in Abuja, you can tell the bio-resources and pharmacognosy specialist is determined to make history on the side of progress despite the odds. But his focus on the logistics of the elections and litigations of aspirants in the law courts have kept him in the eye of the storm.

Some key members of the opposition parties insist he's doing President Obasanjo's bidding, and in part Anambra's Andy Uba's (who they allege had a hand in Iwu's appointment). He scoffs at both allegations and dismisses them as reflecting empty speculation-- citing a previously unreported story (he told USAfrica and CLASS the story) about the late application entry of one of the Obasanjo family friends. The fellow's inability to make the qualification deadline set by INEC was not overlooked by a friendly discussion involving Obasanjo, Iwu and the president's daughter, the ruling PDP senate candidate Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello (see exclusive report below).

This former professor at the Univeristy of Nigeria Nsukka (where he still fondly recalls we first met in the early 1980s --with me as a student of political science/public administration) has to contend with the pre-election assessments and expectations of Nigerians and the international community. While he sees himself as a visionary and strategically-minded public servant, his critics argue that the INEC which he leads has been unrealistic in planning and not fully prepared for the mamoth challenges ahead of the 2007 elections. Also, the Alliance for Democracy whose presidential candidate died in March 2007 has demanded same "based on the laws of Nigeria...." INEC says no, the elections will go on. The same position is held by Obasanjo's government. The opposition spearheaded by the Action Congress (led by Obasanjo's VP Atiku Abubakar) has charged INEC of flagrant disregard of the law courts and the law.

Amidst some of the court challenges and logistical issues, there are some traditional rulers, political activists and partisans and civil rights protagonists who are calling for the April 2007 elections to be postponed. The new Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III is the most visible and powerful Nigerian who spoke while I was in Nigeria in March 2007 that "We cannot sit down, fold our arms and say everything is OK." Obasanjo dismissed those saying the elections will not hold as "speaking from their nose"!!

But the American and international communities (the dominant demographics of USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com, The Black Business Journal and CLASSmagazine's readership) may not need to focus on what colorful parts of the human anatomy Nigerian leaders speak from as long as the elections are seen to be fair, free and reflecting the will of the people.

An unstable transition will set Nigeria back, again! Mainly through 2006 and into 2007, some international investors have remained wary, watching, hesitant to expand new investments; they are waiting to see if the emerging liberalization/privatization of the economy will be matched with political plurality. Iwu fully understands the connection. The violence and terror in the Niger Delta have complicated the oil and gas business as much as it has the voting logistics in the area. I was in Port Harcourt, the nerve center of daily petroleum commercial activity in the area. The Niger Delta will be quite intersting to watch.

At the end of the day, the success of the INEC in running a free, fair and accurate election will help move Nigeria's democracy forward. On the other hand, any shenagigans or any facts indicating that the powerful INEC is siding the president's ruling PDP party will cast a long shadow on the determination of Iwu, a scholar and policy thinker to institutionalize voting and electoral ethos in the largest democracy in Africa. Iwu whose resume holds such achievements as getting his professional training at the University of Bradford , Bradford , England , receiving a Master of Pharmacy degree in 1976 and a Ph.D in 1978. He is a recipient of many academic honors, including WHO Visiting Scholar to Dyson Perrins Laboratory, University of Oxford (1980), Fulbright Senior Scholar Award ( Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio and the Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York (1983), Senior Research Scholar award U.S National Research International Prize for Ethonobiolology (1999)

Prof. Iwu told me that contrary to the charges of lack of full preparedness, the INEC has marshalled out the logistical support and electronic platforms to revolutionize and improve the elections landscape of Nigeria. Only in a few weeks, the rubber will hit the road , and the final test of INEC's efforts and Iwu's vision will be seen across ballot boxes and results across the far-flung geo-political arenas of Nigeria. One fact I can tell him: both the winners and losers of the elections will mention his name for good or bad.
CLICK here for EXCERPTS from part 1 of our exclusive interview in Abuja

CLICK here for EXCERPTS from part 2 of our exclusive interview in Abuja