THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE NIGERIAN ELECTORAL PROCESS BY A. O. EZE

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE NIGERIAN ELECTORAL PROCESS                                              

INTRODUCTION

Scholars and stakeholders in education and election matters have come to terms that education plays indispensible roles in the Nigerian electoral process. Voter education is most effective when linked with a programme of civic education that puts election into context for voters and provides an explanation of the election’s purpose, the surrounding issues, and their significance to electorate.

Effective voter education campaigns start early and continue throughout the election process. It is through education that constituents are informed about voter registration procedures, how and where to check their respective voter lists to ensure their entries are correct, the type of election to be held, the polling date and location, when the polling station will be open, and how to cast their ballots. Voter education plays major roles on election day through the use of posters and other materials inside the polling stations, and even inside the voting booths, explaining the voting process and how to mark the ballot (Eze, 2015).

The role of education in Nigeria electoral process is not only paramount to electorate but also to the election officials. Election officials are permanent or ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who handle the conduct and supervision of elections. There are also other persons or organisations involved in the conduct of elections, namely, polling or party agents, the security agents, representatives of the media, observer groups and the voters.

Election officials have a major role in the electoral process. The manners in which they discharge their duties affect the degree of confidence voters have in the electoral process and in INEC. All the actions of election officials should be characterised by the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, gender sensitivity and support for the elderly and those who are physically challenged. The above expectation of electoral officials cannot be achieved without a comprehensive electoral education.

The Government, and in particular the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is primarily responsible for voter education. However, the public and private media, political parties, and non-governmental and international organizations can also play a vital role in spreading the message. A creative approach can help ensure information spreads further and is better understood.

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATIONS

Education
Education is a process of acquiring knowledge through study or imparting the knowledge by way of instructions or some other practical procedure. Education brings a natural and lasting change in an individual’s reasoning and ability to achieve the targeted goal. Education is the main thing that encourages us to distinguish between right and wrong because in absence of education, we cannot do what we need or we cannot achieve our goal. In other words, we can say that, “education is the passage to progress” and “a mental lens”.

Election
An election is a process or a procedure of choosing or electing representatives or candidates who will represent the people in the parliament or in other government positions. Election is one of the viable means through which the legitimacy of government can be guaranteed and sustained (Shively, 2005). Shively (2005) is of the opinion that elections are meant to do more than bolster support for the regime. It may also be the means by which leaders and (sometimes) actual policies are chosen by the people. Heywood (2007: 247) sees it “as nothing less than democracy in practice.” That is “a means through which people can control their government, ultimately by kicking the rascals out.” In other words, election is an act of choosing representatives via electoral process. Election is different from selection or appointment. In contemporary society, election has become imperative due to inconveniences and impossibility of the whole members of a city or country to assemble in one place to take decision on issues as they were obtainable in small ancient Greek city-state of Athens and ancient Igbo society then. For this reason, people have to elect their representatives who will make law or take decisions on their behalf.

Electoral Process
Electoral process encompasses all aspects of election ranging from election preparation, campaigning, voting to the actual announcement of the winner. All these activities like posters and direct mailings to voters, street theatre, , television coverage, role playing, radio spots, jingles, songs, comic strips or Internet campaigns to ensure that all voters (women as well as men) have access to the information they need to participate intelligently in the voting process are part of electoral process. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is responsible for Presidential, Governorship, National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly elections, while State Electoral Commissions are in charge of local government election. They also initiate strategies for implementing voters’ education in Nigerians and its implication for hitch-free political activity and participation.

Civic Education
Civic education is a broader concept which aimed at conveying knowledge of a country’s political system and context. Civic education include information on the system of government; the nature and powers of the offices to be filled in an election; the principal economic, social and political issues facing the nation; the value of democracy; the equal rights of women and men; and the importance of peace and national reconciliation. This underscores the special need for broad programmes of civic education in every society. A key objective of civic education is to motivate all voters to participate in the elections and information available and accessible to all constituents.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE ROLES OF EDUCATION IN THE NIGERIAN ELECTORAL PROCESS

Having known what education entails, there are vital roles it plays in our electoral process. In fact, electoral process is unthinkable without systematic education which is often referred as “civic education”. In every election, education be it civic or conventional is necessary to ensure that all constituents- men and women alike understand their rights, their political system, the contests they are being asked to decide, and how and where to vote. For an election to be successful and democratic, voters must understand their rights and responsibilities, and must be sufficiently knowledgeable and well informed to cast ballots that are legally valid and to participate meaningfully in the voting process.

The term voter education is generally used to describe the dissemination of information, materials and programmes designed to inform voters about the specifics and mechanics of the voting process for a particular election. Voter education involves providing information on who is eligible to vote; where and how to register; how electors can check the voter lists to ensure they have been duly included; what type of elections are being held; where, when and how to vote; who the candidates are; and how to file complaints.

The role of voter education in any electoral process cannot be underestimated. According to Heywood (2007), election in a democratic system offers a unique opportunity to the electorate to exercise their franchise by voting in candidates of their choice into office. Since the attainment of independence, electoral fraud has remained a difficult issue. The 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and the recent 2019 general elections this current democratic dispensation were reportedly characterized by widespread and monumental electoral malpractices and irregularity. Since the enthronement of the current democratic order, there has not been enough emphasis on educating the Nigerian electorate on voters’ education. Almost all the elections in this country, have been characterized by huge electoral violence, intimidation, manipulation of electoral commission and security agencies, election rigging, multiple voting, hijacking of ballot boxes, vote buying etc, (Nnoli, 2003). Nevertheless, education plays the following roles in the Nigeria electoral process:

1.Education in Nigerian electoral process informs of voter and civic education is critical in enhancing women’s participation in elections, particularly in developing society like Nigeria. Civic education enhances women’s participation in elections through adequate sensitization on the duties and responsibilities of citizenry.
2.Civic education promotes peace and order during election. It communicates the advantages of democracy, human rights of all citizens, equal rights of women and men.
3.Education through civic orientation is fundamental to electoral process and democratic governance. It enables voters to select leaders and to hold them accountable for their performance in office.
4.Through civic education electoral process is competitive and forces candidates or parties to expose their records and future intentions to popular scrutiny, elections serve as forums for the discussion of public issues and facilitate the expression of public opinion. Elections thus provide political education for citizens and ensure the responsiveness of democratic governments to the will of the people.
5.Voters’ education is very essential in any democratic system as proper orientation of the electorate on the essence of casting one’s vote and involvement in democratic system of our country, will not only bring about high level of motivation, encouragement in the electorate but will also make them have confidence in government. This method will no doubt lead to a sustainable democratic system in our country, Nigeria.
6.Successful voters’ education ensures that voters are ready, willing, and able to participate fully in the election process. Voters’ education is essential in ensuring voters are well-informed and can effectively exercise their voting rights and express their political will on election day.
7.Finally, education also promotes political socialization and political culture in Nigeria electoral process. This enable citizens to developed both cognitive and evaluative orientation towards politics.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The above analyses have shown that education plays major roles in the Nigeria electoral process. The success of any election in any country is highly depends on the type and nature of orientation the citizens have based on their political socialization and culture. They determine how individuals perceive their political system. The type of orientation individuals receive in society also determines the type of judgment they will give to a political system which cannot be achieved without a systematic education. Hence, we posit that electoral process in Nigeria will continue to be undemocratic without systematic education.

Nevertheless, a lot needs to be done in order improve on Nigerian educational process. Therefore, we recommend that voter education should take into account factors such as high rates of illiteracy or the use of different languages in a country, even if there is only one official language. Minority groups, internally displaced persons and other marginalized segments of society should be specially targeted. Voter education should also include publicity encouraging people to vote. Government should also develop and disseminate comprehensive programmes of voter and civic education, starting well before each election and continuing throughout the election process, and ensure that the material used is accurate and politically neutral; initiate special voter and civic education programmes for target groups, including women, minorities, displaced persons, youth and others who may be less likely to vote, as well as programmes on women’s participation aimed at men; review all materials to ensure they are gender-sensitive and develop gender-sensitization programmes for personnel responsible for civic and voter education; ideally, civic education will be built into a country’s educational system so that when children reach voting age they will already understand the basis of the national and local political and electoral systems.

References

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