There will be no election in Nigeria without out-of-the-poll contests and court cases. This is simply due to a lack of credible institutional framework, high power tendency, and wealth attributable to public positions, sentiments- religion and ethnicity, and generally the mindset of the African race. We are, however, moving away from violence and the killing of voters.
The February 25th Presidential and National Assembly election is no exception. What is constant is the desire of the political elites to remain in power, the desire of regional apologists to dominate others and the valuation of religion above national values and merits.
In my predictions six months before the election, I have acknowledged the existence of paradigm shifts, perplexities and a third force that speaks the languages of the helpless majority. However, I maintained that it would take ages and the education of the section of the country with the highest vote potential to manifest a noble change.
Nigerians should not be deceived or pushed by pastors, imams, and past leaders whose opinions should be valueless because they are based on their aspirations, not logic
We need thirty to sixty years to put Nigerians on the same page in believing we can be a united country with diversity by making people vote without thinking of religion or ethnicity. My thirty to sixty years period is an overzealous estimate from someone who wishes Nigeria well.
The presidential results declared so far have its twist, which has overshadowed the House of Assembly’s turning point. Four sitting governors lost their bids to represent their senatorial districts. They were defeated despite their power, position, influence, and wealth to ride their way to victory.
That’s a massive achievement and credence to the electoral body by introducing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). It shows Nigerians’ votes can count. However, the desperation of the cabal in the north, who sponsored underaged voters and failed to educate most of the people, is yet to be erased. There was a couple of arrest of underaged voters.
The upset in the presidential election is not only in the defeat of the APC in its stronghold of Lagos. The unpredictable win of Peter Obi in the state should be the minimum standard for all states in Nigeria. Despite Tinubu’s achievement and grip on Lagos, the rock in Peter prevailed, as declared by INEC.
Also, Peter Obi, a first-time presidential aspirant, is presently projected by civichive.org to lead in fourteen states with a landslide win in the FCT, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba. This is a call for a new order. However, it might manifest later because Peter is in third place regarding the popular votes.
One clear fact from the exploit of the Labour Party and its pole bearer is that a new Nigeria is possible, and the irregularity of using an uneducated and enslaved population to win elections and cause mayhem is at its near end. Also, it is a final call for the perennial presidential aspirants who had contested several times to quit contesting. Nigeria and Nigeria’s youth had moved beyond their usefulness and electoral value.
Everything will not always remain the same in the election of those representing and leading Nigerians in the future. The Labour Party might not be declared the winner. The winner has yet to be announced, but it might not contradict my prediction in June 2022. This election, however, marks the beginning of a living hope for the people of Nigeria. It will be a potent pressure point for whoever is announced as the president to either perform and live to his promise or fight a battle of his life in the next four years.
Now to the issue of contention. INEC failed to transmit the election results before being collated and announced in Abuja. That’s a promise that failed! The failure to send results is less severe than the failure of the electoral body to admit and communicate such a considerable drop of balls to its stakeholders.
However, that failure shouldn’t be tantamount to rigging if all the party’s representatives have signed the declared votes at the ward and state levels. Most Nigerians had hoped for BVAS and the electronic result transmission as the game changers.
These two processes are complementary, and many compensating options exist to seek redress rather than truncating the whole electoral process. The big question is: would any of the party heed the call to stop the announcement if their results declared so far goes their way?
And to the influencers in the likes of the pastors, imams and past presidents with comments or letters insinuating violence, I am sure your ego and self-interests are placed above the ordinary Nigerians without police protection and money to run outside the country if violence erupts.
Your outburst is completely unnecessary, and a reaction to your desire that is not coming into fruitful. There is no value in your call for violence; instead, Nigerians need a civilised approach to resolving all the issues around the presidential elections.
Read also: INEC presents certificates of return to Tinubu, Shettima
I am sometimes nostalgically amazed by how optimistic people are about Nigeria’s politics. Even those who had been in positions that should understand the political structure and enslavement in Nigeria tend to be carried away by their personal preference rather than logic. Can anyone win an election without winning the core north, where voting patterns are sentimental? Yes, it is possible in the near future, but not at the moment.
Should we focus on making an average Nigerian, wherever they reside, be educated and be able to make an informed decision? Tinubu lost to Peter in Lagos because Lagosians irrespective of their states of origin benefitted from the past works of Tinubu and could smell beyond what they were being told. I wish Anambra under Peter Obi could be in the same calibre as Lagos.
That would have complemented the independent mindfulness exhibited in Taraba, Nasarawa and Abuja so far. I love how Tinubu responded by pleading for calmness and seeing the bigger picture. I love those northerners who voted for southern candidates, whether Obi or Tinubu, in the interest of fairness and equity.
Nigerians should not be deceived or pushed by pastors, imams, and past leaders whose opinions should be valueless because they are based on their aspirations, not logic. We shouldn’t cry thief, thief where no windows and doors had not been opened, and nothing has been declared missing.
We should conduct our regular business while INEC does what it has been empowered to do. After all, it is time for the lawyers and judges to reap the reward of their education and positioning, given the lop-sidedness in our development.
Just like their endorsement is worthless, don’t allow their comments or letters to push you or your wards out of your peaceful zone to the violent terrains. Remember, the state protects them and the cause you thought you were fighting.
We need an understanding as we wait for INEC to declare the winners for the normal court process to start.
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