The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has commended the resilience and stability of Ghana’s political system while advocating for reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
Prof. Yakubu praised Ghanaian politicians, including former President John Mahama, for their loyalty to political parties despite electoral setbacks. Highlighting Mahama’s perseverance—remaining with his party after losing the 2017 presidential election until his re-election two weeks ago—Yakubu noted, “Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election. It provides stability for the parties and their supporters.”
This observation contrasts starkly with Nigeria’s political climate, where party defections are frequent. Former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke once criticized Nigeria’s political parties as “special-purpose vehicles” designed solely to secure political offices, rather than embodying the classical definition of political parties.
Independent Candidacy: A Pillar of Ghana’s Stability
Ghana’s Constitution, which allows independent candidates to contest elections, has been credited as a key factor in fostering political stability. For instance, in the 2020 general elections, an independent candidate won a parliamentary seat. Furthermore, Ghana’s system enables independent candidates to assume principal roles in the legislature. Notably, Asaimah Iddrisu, an independent candidate, served as Minority Leader in Ghana’s 8th Parliament, bypassing the main opposition National Democratic Congress.
Prof. Yakubu suggested that Nigeria could benefit from similar constitutional provisions. However, current Nigerian laws mandate that candidates must be sponsored by political parties, as stipulated in Sections 65(2b), 106(b), 131(c), and 177(c) of the Constitution. These laws have entrenched a political system dominated by elites, who control party structures and appointments through patronage.
Lessons from Electoral Processes
Yakubu also commended Ghana’s adoption of constituency-level election result announcements, a practice inspired by Nigeria’s system. Previously, all results in Ghana were sent to the Electoral Commission headquarters in Accra for a centralized announcement. “Collating and announcing results at the constituency level reduces the risk of result tampering,” Yakubu said.
However, he acknowledged that this is not a game-changer for Ghana, a country of 35 million people within a compact land area. Critics argue that Yakubu
