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Prof. Iwu refereeing Nigeria's 2007 elections,
Obasanjo's party and international community
BY CHIDO NWANGWU in Abuja (Nigeria) and Houston,
Texas
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS:
In terms of the issue of money and politics, you highlighted the fact
that there are politicians who are are spending more money, who are
running beyond the parameters specified by the INEC and other
agencies to make for a free, fair elections. How would INEC enforce
this part?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: That is one of the most
difficult reforms we have made. We have set the standard, we have set
the limits (on expenditure). But frankly the the limits are only as
good as those people who are involved in the process. In a cash-
based economy, it is difficult to track. In a place where people
don't have the tendency to obey the law and make full disclosures you
find that it is really problematic; but we are determined to use the
instruments at our disposal namely the possibility that there would
be whistle blowers, people within (the political parties) 
who
would know what has happened and also the fact that we are also
mandatory reporting that way people must do. So we are hoping with
the combination of those we will be able to manage the process.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: So, will that suggest that if a candidate
or a party exceeds their financial parameters the person could be
disqualified?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: No, no; the person would be
fined by law, but the interesting thing about this which people don't
realize is that if you are convicted for just stealing a cow it is
conviction. And if you are an ex-convict, you cannot run for public
office. People don't even realize that, you don't only have to be
convicted for murder or for something big if you are just convicted
for stealing a cow you are an ex-convict and that would be in your
records. So we are hoping that that would be enough deterrent to
people.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: Also on the atmosphere for the election, a
few weeks ago into 2007, the President of Nigeria, retired General
Olusegun Obasanjo spoke, in his words, that the 2007 elections would
be "a do or die affair", with the certainty of victory for his own
political party, the PDP. How does this impact the capacity of the
commission, to manage what potentially are going to be very hectic
elections.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Well, when you see the President
you can ask him about the details or the implications of what he
said. But that the election is very important. We know that the
election is really very crucial for the sustenance of Democracy in
Nigeria and that is why we are taking the whole (elections) very,
very seriously. And, that is why the transition is being managed the
way it is being managed.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: On the issue of voting rights for
Nigerians in the Diaspora, you were one of the African professionals
in the Diaspora; tell me, will it happen anytime soon, that Nigerians
in the diaspora will have some measure of voting rights.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Oh yea, very very soon. I
believe that if this electronic platform that we have succeeds, the
amendment of the constitution will be a matter of time. It will
require during voting that people go to our embassies and register to
vote and then vote there. And we can count it and transmit the
results down here (in Abuja). (So, we) don't really need to
physically move ballot boxes here and there, you see that it is
possible.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: On the issue of women and elections in
Nigeria, are there any efforts on the part of INEC to expand their
capacity to participate or even contest as candidates.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Yes one of the critical
challenges we identified very, very early in our preparations is the
whole issue of women in politics; the gender issue. We included
(women interests) among the issues of electoral violence, money in
politics, and so on. Even the fundamental issue of mind set is a
gender issue. We try to have programs and projects that addresses the
gender issues to try to help to encourage more women to participate.
The money we are getting from the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), the European Union (EU), directly from the UK and
Canada are being used in part on the gender issues. The idea here is
that we are mindful of the fact that this country, first of all, has
almost the same number of men as there are women. We also know the
fact that the few times women have been in governance they have done
very well, they have excelled. So we are now to say that for Nigeria
it's a two way thing. First of all from a human rights perspective,
we need to give all citizens equal opportunity and encourage those
that seem to be less privileged in the political system. Secondly,
from a national interest point of view if women are doing that well
then what it means is that you should be able to increase the quality
of leadership of governance in our country by encouraging more women,
and for those two reasons we are really en-backed on aggressive
program on gender issue.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: What are your hopes for the 2007
elections; and any fears?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: 2007 elections. We are almost
there; it is going to happen in less than a month's time. If I have
any fears it is one of the ones you have expressed; mainly that
people may allow their own individual interests over ride the
national interests. That is all. Otherwise, I think everything is
under control. The preparations are on the way, we are at the last
stages of the electoral process, and that is going very well.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: How would you like to be remembered as
INEC Chairman given all the challenging and historically
controversial context that anyone who has served in the position have
to face?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Well, however I want to be
remembered doesn't add as to how people would remember me. But what
nobody will deny is that I took the bull by its horn. And that I did
change the system, and I realigned it to the line of reality. I
realigned it to the truth, I also realigned it to the situation where
we have made some fundamental changes. INEC and (Nigeria's) electoral
sector will never be the same again. We will now have for the first
time an electronic voters register. We would be able to tell the
world that we had a credible election.
The politicians may not be happy because they have been benefitting
from the ways of the past but the generations yet unborn will look
back to 2007 and agree that it was a watershed in our system. That
we were able to jettison what we were doing before and embrace
something new. We are hopeful that with the preparations we have made
and with the good will that we are getting from their ordinary
Nigerians, that 2007 will be our turn around year.
When we start sustaining this democracy as I keep telling people who
care to hear, when we finish this election, if you come back to
Nigeria in 2008 you would ask what magic did these people do. The
whole confidence building (will be such) that Nigerians will be proud
of themselves. Also, the amount of investors that will come here, the
amount of developments that will be happening here, the whole
economic development thing will be based essentially on a stable
democracy and people will come to us.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: Do you have any other hobbies apart from
work.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: For now it's all work. The
hobbies, that's why they are hobbies; they will wait for leisure
time. There are no leisure time now.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: What is your relationship with the
President (Obasanjo), personally?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Very cordial. Personally,
whenever you meet him you cannot help but like him. His a very
humorous person and when somebody has a good sense of humor it is
easy to get along with him. He's like any President of a country
going through what we are going through now. He is concerned and is
very supportive of us.
We go to him; he never and has never summoned us. We go to him when
we need help in terms of logistics or Presidential support or moving
one particular ministry to do something or another; and that's the
way it has been. We have a free hand. I was making a note the other
day about (an aspirant), a representative from his own hometown (in
Ogun State).
There was something about (the aspirant's) submission coming late or
so. We didn't change the rules. He took it like any other citizen and
said you people didn't accommodate the aspirant, and we said yea we
didn't. And, his daughter Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello was interested in that
candidate. But the President did not influence anything once he was
told the submission came in late, that was it. That was even in his
own hometown. He didn't know who and who is approved for elections in
his own state of Ogun.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: So, you are confident he (President
Obasanjo) will give you a free hand to run the elections....
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Yea to something that is as
important as nomination, something as crucial as nomination; the
President Obasanjo did not see the list until yesterday (March 15,
2007); like any other person.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: When you made the announcement and
released the list.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Exactly. Until we made the
announcement public.... When people don't know what is going on they
just talk. I have a friend who is a governor in one of the South
Eastern state. He knows me so he didn't even try to ask anything.
When the list came out, he started complaining. He said by the way
why did you put this, and I said we didn't substitute the person
because the person came late; and if it is late, it is late. We also
had a situation in Anambra state. The same kind of thing happened; we
had a case of the former governor Chris Ngige which is now in court.
This man was in America, he was overseas when this (registrations)
happened and everybody thought that we would just let him get the
nomination because it was Ngige. We ignored that (assumption). As far
as this (INEC) job is concerned all Nigerians are equal. For
electoral purposes, it is one man one vote. We also had the issue
with some other aspirants in the same state of Anambra. There are a
lot of big men who believe that as long as you are a big man that
whatever you do is law and they buy pages in the newspapers abusing
us. But it goes with the job.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: You've mentioned Anambra repeatedly; and
some people keep saying that PDP candidate Emmanuel Andy Uba has
relative influence regarding your appointment and position. Is it
true?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: But I just told you Chido that
the President of this country has no influence over INEC, even
regarding his own home state. The governor of my state has no
influence (on my doing my job). You can talk to him, the governor
Udenwa who is my friend. If you have time you can talk to Andy Uba.
The Anambra issue is something the Igbo people from the South East
must ask themselves questions; it is something that they must have to
reflect deeply upon. How come every election time is messy in that
place they always have great problems. Luckily for us, we are
arresting it early enough; that it will not happen again. That they
will have fair elections like any other state.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: You insist there's no influence on your
capacity to do the job?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: People who know me know I do my
job judiciously. My associates and friends can talk social things,
talk about church (our faith), talk about anything but when it comes
to my work, the only place you can discuss it is here. You can go to
my wife and ask how many times has she talked about INEC with me and
she will tell you that that is "a no go area." And, this job has to
have certain, basic parameters.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: Prof., thank you for making time for this
interview.
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Thank you Chido for coming all
the way from the United States to see things, first hand and chat
with us here at INEC.
Chido/USAfrica/CLASS: Lest I forget, do you have any
mentors?
INEC CHAIRMAN, PROF. MAURICE IWU: Mentors in the sense that at my
age you would have seen so many mentors some living, some dead, some
still active...(USAfrica & CLASS Publisher's note: I looked
around Prof. Iwu's office and saw the picture of that key mentor,
late Mallam Aminu Kano. Pointed to it, and Iwu smiled and nodded
affirmatively...interesting... I wondered, any more
surprises....)
USAfrica and CLASSmagazine photography by our photo editor
(Nigeria) Agbo Agara
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here for EXCERPTS from part 1 of our exclusive interview in
Abuja