EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVER, ELECTION EXPERT AND PEACE CRUSADER, NTUMFOR BARRISTER NICO HALLE, ON ELECTIONS IN AFRICA :

Following the much talked about March 24, 2024, Presidential Election in Senegal which has brought to power the youngest and 5th president of that country, 44 years old BASSIROU DIOMAYE FAYE, who was sworn in on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, THE MENTOR contacted the reputed Douala-based international Election Observer, Election Expert and Peace Crusader, NTUMFOR BARRISTER NICO HALLE, for his take on the election in Senegal in particular, and on elections in Africa in general.  In his characteristic style, the outspoken Nico Halle, while appreciating the situation in Senegal, had no kind words for election riggers that have deprived most African countries of good and patriotic leaders, and have brought to power unpatriotic leaders whose bad governance is responsible for the poverty and misery in which the masses have been subjected to in many African countries. The no-nonsense Nico Halle insists that Africa with the natural resources it has, is supposed to be the richest continent, and not the beggar and laughing stock that it is today because of bad leadership as well as exploitation by some foreign countries. Read On:

 THE MENTOR :  At the end of the March 24, 2024 Presidential Election in Senegal, international observers who monitored the election were unanimous that the election was free, fair, transparent, and thus credible. There have been positive reactions across the world to the conduct of the March 24 presidential election in Senegal, which is in fact a rare happening in Africa. What is your reaction as an international election observer as well as an election expert?

 NTUMFOR BARRISTER NICO HALLE:  Not having been one of the observers to the March 24 presidential election in Senegal, I will not want to get into any inside, because I don’t like to say things that I am not sure about. The election trends were announced, the official result was announced, and I have the impression that the election was to a certain extent free, fair, transparent and thus acceptable. The peace that reigns in Senegal after the election is a positive sign. Maybe I should say that a majority of conflicts all over the world emanates from poorly managed elections. Poorly managed elections put the wrong people into office. People rig their way into office. This causes frustration, and frustration often leads to violence.  When the rules of a game are violated, there can’t be peace. When the rule of Law is violated, when democracy is violated, when the due process is violated, when the will of the people is violated, when the constitution is violated, there can’t be peace.

I know a bit about the evolution (of democracy) in Senegal. I know the track records of former President Abdoulaye Wade and the outgone President, Macky Sall, They both had issues during their periods in office. But fortunately they handled the issues and peace returned to the country. I think that for now I should congratulate the new President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. As an international election observer, my interest is on the fact that he was elected into office, in an election widely considered as credible. As for his election promises, and whether he will live up to those promises, is another matter. My prayer as a peace crusader and an African is that the peace which is currently reigning in Senegal should continue. Let violence not show its ugly face at one point. If peace continues to reign, that will be fine.

 The very next day after the March 24 presidential election in Senegal, results trends from polling stations across the country, showed that the candidate of the leading opposition camp, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, had won the election. On that same March 25, the candidate of the camp of the presidential majority, Amadou Ba, who was Bassioru’s  Diomaye Faye’s main rival  in the election, came out and admitted defeat,  and also congratulated the winner. We are used to seeing this type of reaction only in presidential elections in Western countries.

 I think that is a big plus for Senegal, for a main rival to come public and admit that he lost the election and also congratulate the winner. It shows the level of democracy in Senegal. What happened in Senegal during and after the March 24 presidential election is something that should be emulated by politicians in other African countries. When you go in for an election and don’t win, please support the person that has won. Somebody who gets to an elective post through a free, fair, transparent and thus a credible election is not only in that office legally, but he also has legitimacy.

I have always said that nobody who rigs election or fraud his way to power is there for the interest of the people. Anybody who does get to any elective post at whatever level by fraud, by rigging, by manipulation, should know that he has stolen that post. He is a thief, a bandit. If you get to any elective post by an orthodox means, you are a thief.  Yes, that is truly what you are.  I have no kind words for you. And of course a thief cannot work for the good of the people. Such persons in elective offices are there to work for their selfish interests, as well as for the interests of those that assisted them in the elections to rig their way to power. Of course those who assist election riggers, expect compensations in the form of appointments, promotions, money or whatever.

 But then what happens to those who work genuinely and deserves promotions or appointments! They are left in the cool. And that creates frustration, bitterness and so on. There are protests, and some people even take their protests into the streets, and so on. People want the rule of law.  Modalities of elections must be respected by all and sundry. We can’t create or have different modalities for different people in the same election.

 I am happy with the peace that reigned during the elections, and that continues reign after the election. In Africa, most presidential elections are marred by protests and violence due to real or suspected electoral fraud. After a presidential election, some candidates even go to court to contest the official results. There is much tension in many African countries during and after presidential elections. There are even cases where lives are unfortunately lost in violence or conflicts that spark off at some presidential elections. So I can only be happy as a peace crusader and an African as well, that the election in Senegal was peaceful, and I pray that the peace reigning in that country should continue. Everybody benefits from peace. Nobody benefits from violence, perhaps with the exception of unscrupulous persons or those soulless foreigners who exploit conflicts in Africa, to make money by selling arms.

 All African governments claim to love peace, yet we see tension and violence at elections here and there, directly or indirectly caused by the same governments. The March 24 peaceful election in Senegal appears like a rare bright spot in a dark continent as regards democracy.

 As I earlier said, everybody in the society or country benefits from peace. People like peace.  You talk of African Governments, yes they all want peace and they all like peace.  But peace is not something hanging somewhere. Peace does not just happen like that.  If the March 24 presidential election in Senegal was peaceful, it was certainly because there was an enabling environment for peace during and after the election. Governments have to work for peace. People have to work for peace.  The platform of core moral values must be put in place for peace to exist. We are talking here of genuine peace, and not the semblance of peace that we see in many African countries. That is fake peace. Peace needs to be planted and watered.

 There are factors that are favourable to creating a peaceful situation in a country. If there is the rule of Law, justice, accountability, love for humanity, transparency, mutual respect and patriotism in a society, there will be genuine peace.   For one thing, peace is a product of these factors.  Many people just talk peace, peace, peace, without taking into consideration where peace emanates from. Peace emanates from core moral values which include justice, accountability, love for one another, transparency, humility, patriotism, among others. Take away the core moral values from a society, and that society will continue to limp.

 Elections, especially presidential elections in most African countries, are often marred by violence, chaos, tension and so on. As an international election observer as well as an election expert, what factors do you think encourage violence at elections in most African countries, and what on the other hand do you think encourages a peaceful situation at elections as happened at the March 24, 2024 presidential election in Senegal?

 There are both internal and external factors that cause or encourage violence at elections. Internal factors include corruption, bribery, and so on. When there is corruption in an election, the electorates are bitterly divided. On the one hand, there are some electorates that have collected bribes and so condone or support the non – respect of the rules of the game by the candidates or camps that have secretly given then money. On the other hand, those who do not receive bribes stand strongly for the respect of the rules of the game.  A times the electorates are so bitterly divided. Tension rises, and at one point violence sparks off.

 All activities including elections have terms of references. The modalities; the laid down rules in the way the elections have to be organized. Be they State elections at local, regional or national levels, there are terms of reference. Be it in cultural groups, in njangi groups, in churches, in associations or whatever, there are terms of references to organize elections. The Law is there for everybody. The Law is no respecter of persons. If some voters observe that the terms of reference of  the election are not been respected by some persons, be they the organizers, voters, local authorities or whoever, they will protest and this can easily lead to violence. The Law puts in order.  When you violate the Law by indulging in electoral fraud, indulging in malpractices, you create a situation of anarchy, and thus encourage violence.

Another internal cause of violence at elections in many African countries is that people are not well schooled on electoral matters. The people or the population need to know the Electoral Law, the Electoral Code. People need to know the procedure in elections. Some of the violence that occur at elections in some African countries, emanate from the ignorance of the electorates on electoral matters.

 The population needs to be well sensitized on electoral matters.  For example, to be able to vote at any State election, be it local, regional or national election that is by universal suffrage, you must first of all register. Your name should be in the voters’ register, and you should have your voter’s card. But then in many African countries there are quite a lot of people who do not register, and so have no voter’s card, and thus cannot vote in a State election. All they do is to complain or criticize an election, propagate runours and raise tension which can lead to violence. If you do not register and vote, you do not have the right to complain about an election.

 Electorates should know what is expected of them. Know the electoral process from the beginning to the end. In countries where the institutions, boards, commissions charged with organizing elections do organize public meetings to sensitize the population, the electorates should all endeavour not only to attend, but to also ask questions on issues that they do not understand. In countries where such sensitization meetings are not been organized, the authorities should try to see that is done. Public sensitization is very important. Note should also be taken that not all voters are militants of political parties, and not all voters are educated. The authorities of a country cannot blame the population for ignorance on electoral matters, if there is no public sensitization campaign on elections or electoral matters.

 Yes, and these includes manipulation by some foreign countries or foreign governments in presidential elections in some African countries. A foreign country would for its selfish interest, want to manipulate the presidential election in an African country, so as to put its own candidate in power. Thus instead of allowing the people of a country to freely choose their president, a foreign country would instead want to impose its puppet or a stooge as the president. Of course the real intention of the foreign country is to put in power a stooge, through which the foreign country will loot and plunder the natural resources of the African country.

 Of course the move by a foreign country to interfere in election in an African country creates a lot of protests, anger, and tension at the election, and violence can easily spark off.  It should be noted that there are also some foreign countries that are happy to see armed conflicts here and there across Africa, as that makes Africa a good markets for their arms.  Look across Africa, conflicts here, conflicts there. There is poverty, diseases, and misery all over the place.  My hearts bleeds when I see what is happening in our continent.

 Bad governance, unpatriotic leaderships, dysfunctional governments, raped democracy. There is unbridled quest for power in Africa. Many people want to get to power using unorthodox means, while those in power do everything possible to hang on. And once somebody gets to power through unorthodox means, it is a big threat to peace. It is a potential source of violence.

 All of us also share the blame for the pathetic situation of Africa today. Africa for example is supposed to be the richest continent in the world, yet it is the poorest. Africa has natural resources that can take care of almost double its population. Both the top soil and sub –soil in Africa are very rich. The top soil is very fertile or suitable for agriculture. Yet, Africa is the poorest continent, with the masses living in misery. The main thing that we lack in Africa, and which is creating all these problems, is morality. We in general lack morality. We don’t love each other. There is no justice, transparency and accountability. Corruption is rife. There is a high rate of the embezzlement of public funds. There is high unemployment rate, diseases, and a high level of poverty in most African counties, and it is a fact that corruption and embezzlement of public funds are largely responsible for the situation. Funds that the States would have used to take care of the population are being embezzled. Huge amounts of State funds disappear through corruption. We, or better still, most of us, are not patriotic.

  But the truth is that most of us are not. We lack patriotism. If you are patriotic, or if you truly love your nation, you will not rig election to get to power or to any elective post. If you truly love your country, you will not embezzle, loot, steal what is meant for the common good. If you really love your country, you will not indulge in misappropriation of funds, you will not indulge in shady deals. If you truly love your country, you will work for the interest of the country and its people, and not gang up with some foreign crooks to loot and plunder the natural resources of the country. If you truly love you nation, you will not create a situation where a few people are very rich from illicit wealth, and the masses are suffocating in misery. The long and short of it is that we do not put God first in what we do, even as many of us claim to be Christians and Moslem faithful.

Look at most African countries, with all the huge natural resources. Most African countries do not have portable water, good roads and good health facilities. When the ‘big men’ are sick, they travel to Europe to treat themselves. Look at what happens at elections in most African countries; elections are rigged with impunity. The Constitutions are violated with impunity. There are even some so-called constitutions that are tailored to suit the selfish interests of some leaders or personalities. It is really unfortunate.

 We need divine intervention. To be able to turn things round in Africa, we need spiritual and moral disarmament. For things to change, we all have to pray to God to enable us change our mindset, our way of doing things. Going back to the main focus of this interview which is elections in Africa, let me say that if African counties in general can organize credible elections as Senegal and a few other African countries have done, we (Africans) will be able to put the right people in positions of leadership, and I assure you that there will be a big positive change of Africa’s situation. African countries will be ruled by people of integrity and dignity.  Africa will have leaders that are patriotic, that is, leaders that truly love their countries and are out to serve as well as to protect the interest of their countries.

 Why are the Senegalese different from the people of other African countries? If we look at past presidential elections in Senegal in recent memory, Abdoulaye Wade beat incumbent candidate President Abdou Diof, and Diof peacefully handed over power to him. Later, Macky Sall beat the candidate of President Abdoulaye Wade, and Wade handed over power to him peacfully. On March 24, 2024, Bassirou  Diomaye Faye beat the candidate of President Macky Sall who has served his maximum two mandates, and on Tuesday, April 2,  Macky Sall peacefully handed over power to. These don’t happen in most African countries.

 I don’t think the people of Senegal are better or more educated, or more intelligent than the people of other African countries in any way.  But I think the Senegalese people have a culture of integrity that others are lacking, and that enables them to be able to organize presidential elections which international observers and the world at large considers to be free, fair, transparent and thus acceptable.

Integrity is very important in the organization of elections. I have been involved in organizing elections both locally and internationally for many years, and each time I have the opportunity to do that, I ask myself what I am going to leave as my legacy. There is a lot of money in elections. A lot of money floats around during elections. If you are somebody who does not do things in fear of the Lord, you will fall for the money and mess up your image. You cannot be talking in public how the election has to be free, fair and transparent, and at the same time you are part of the racketeering. You are a disgrace. You are a scandal. An election organizer that takes bribe to rig election is worse than the persons that offered him the bribe.  Also, those that gave you the bribe will always consider you as a mean person.

But once you place your integrity ahead, you don’t look at the money. You don’t care about the damn money.  And when you don’t soil your hands with bad money, you have that moral authority to ensure that all parties in the election play or abide by the rules.  And there, you will succeed to organize an election that is free, fair and transparent, and thus credible. And all the parties in the election will have respect for you, including those whose money you refused to take.

 There are election organizers that are manipulated or intimidated by some authorities, to close their eyes to electoral malpractices carried in favour of the candidates of the ruling party. You definitely know that.

If some authorities or whoever manipulates or intimidates an election organizer in the field, and he plays into their hands, then he has failed woefully. There can be no excuse for that. An election organizer has to be courageous, and stand by the terms of reference for that election, no matter what. I always tell people that if somebody for example, is designated by the President of the country who has the mandate of the people to do an assignment, perhaps to organize an election, the person should make sure he does his work well for the good of the nation.  The person should stand firmly by the terms of reference for the election, and should not for whatever reason allows anybody to derail him. At the end people will be happy with him. The person who appointed him will be happy with him. And God too will be happy with the person, that he did a good job for his country. That is a patriot. When somebody organizes a credible election, there is peace, and everybody is happy.

I am a no nonsense person in organizing elections, both locally and internationally. I don’t work to please any individual. When you are charged to do an election, do the right thing. Follow the terms of reference. Don’t rape the Electoral Code or violate the terms of reference because you want to please somebody. It is in trying to please somebody instead of God that you play into the hands of the devil. Without brandishing perfection, I do my best whenever I am assigned to do an election.

 In Africa where morality is a problem to many, pressure will always be there on election organizers and monitors. But anybody who has observed me organize or monitor elections will tell you that I am unbendable. Pressure is what? That some people will tell you to do the wrong thing, and you yield!  No. You should not yield to pressure because you want to please some people. I am not a lackey. Each time I am asked to do an election, the terms of reference are given to me, and that is what I follow. I cannot go to the field to do an election and fabricate my own terms of reference to please some people. Not Nico Halle.  I am an election expert with many years of experience, and I have a mastery of organizing free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.  I do everything in fear of the Lord.  I strongly stand against fraud, rigging in elections.  I cannot sell my conscience for money or whatever. If you are given the responsibility to do an election, and you accept bride, you accept to sell your conscience for money or whatever, you are nothing but Judas Iscariot. You have betrayed the people for pieces of silver. What legacy do you want to leave? How much money can one use to buy Nico Halle? Of course no amount of money can buy my conscience.

 I don’t have kind words for people, be it in njangi groups that rig elections. If somebody can rig election in a njangi group or in an association, he will not be different if given the responsibility to organize national elections. Whether elections in njangi groups, elections in village meetings, elections in the churches, elections in development associations or whatever association, as well as State elections at the local, regional or national level, fraud is fraud. I don’t have kind words for any person who rigs his way to an elective office, no matter whether in the secular world (society) or in the spiritual world (Churches). Fraud is fraud.

If you rig your way to any post, you are occupying a post that you do not merit. That is not your post. You have stolen that post.  You have no legitimacy in that post. I have over the years participated as a candidate in a number of elections both in the society and in the church, and I personally make sure that the election is free, fair and transparent, and thus credible. Even in a case where I happen to stand unopposed in an election, I insist that voting should take place, to ensure that I am both the legal and legitimate occupier of that post. Also, I have never spent a franc to bribe anybody to vote for me.

What is certain is that if you use unorthodox means in an election to get to an office, you are not in that office for the interest of the people. If a majority of the people (members) of an association or whatever, do not want you as their leader, you cannot rig election to the post of President of the association, and claim that you are there to serve the association and its members. No, you are not there to work for the interest of the association. Rather, you are in that post for your own selfish interest, and for the interest of the unscrupulous persons, that took part in the rigging of the election for you to get to that office.

Somebody cannot rig election to an office because he wants to serve. That is unrealistic. If somebody’s real intention to run for election to an office is to serve, there is no reason whatsoever to fraud or use unorthodox means to get to that office. If the members of an association want you to be the President of the association, they will vote for you. You don’t have to force yourself on them. If members of a constituency want you to be their parliamentarian (member of the National Assembly), they will vote for you. You cannot use fraudulent means or corruption to get to the National Assembly, and claim that you are there to serve or to represent the people? Which people? Did the people of your constituency vote for you to go parliament and represent them? Of course not!

  When you get to an elective office by election rigging, you have deprived the real person who should have been in that office, of the opportunity to occupy the post and serve.  You have also deprived the association, the constituency or whatever, of the opportunity to have in that post somebody who would have worked for the interest of the association or locality. The electorates should also bear in mind that anybody that uses money to bribe or buy his way to an office, is not going there to serve or to work for the interest of the people. Once in office, not only will he do everything to recover the money he spent to buy his way to the office or post, but he want to multiply it by six or more times. There are also those who participated in rigging the election for the person to get to that office. They too will have to be compensated either with money, appointments, contracts, promotions and so on.

 Yes, fraud is fraud and should not be condoned at any level. There is nothing like a small or big election. Election is election. Even if a family wants to put in place an elected executive bureau, the family members have to ensure the election is free, fair, transparent, and thus credible. Even in my Law Firm, whenever there is an election of staff representatives, I make sure that the election is free, fair and transparent. Influence peddling, buying of votes and so on in elections, at whatever level, is bad. It is even worse when the malpractices take place at elections in the churches, the spiritual world. Unfortunately, there are reports of electoral fraud in the churches. You cannot count the thousands of churches that are mushrooming everyday across Africa. Does it surprise you that Africa is so much into moral decadence, yet we have the highest number of churches in the world!

 Most of us go to church and listen to sermons, but do not practice the sermons. Even quite a number of of pastors or priests who deliver the sermons or who do preach in church, do not live their sermons. They don’t practice what they preach or teach. Rather, they tell the Christian faithful to do what they say and not what they do. So some preachers in our churches also have problem of lack of moral values. They rig elections, they embezzle and so on. So in Africa we don’t need divine intervention only in our society, but also in our churches.

 INTERVIEWED BY JOE DINGA PEFOK (UNCLE JOE)