On Saturday, February 23, 2019 many eligible Nigerian voters enthusiastically went to their polling units to exercise their civic responsibility. While many were brutally disenfranchised; a few lost their lives in the process.
In many places across the country, an exercise that should ordinarily go on smoothly ended in bloodbath. The voting process was in many places disrupted and ballot boxes either carted away or burnt.
Allegations of manipulation of figures were rife. It was alleged that the figures were either inflated in some areas or drastically reduced in some other places for whatever reasons. At the end of the day, people’s votes did not count and this killed the enthusiasm of voters in participating in this Saturday exercise.
This decision is worsened by the threat in some states by some politicians and their thugs to deal with whosoever that wants to vote against their party or anointed candidates.
Since the February Presidential and National Assembly elections, the rating of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in the estimation of many Nigerians has drastically dropped. INEC was accused of being complicit in the electoral fraud recorded during the exercise.
The decision of the Commission to postpone the elections from their original dates, and at an unholy hour (a few hours to the polls) was an embarrassing or tactless act.
There was also anger over the inability of the INEC to make necessary materials available at the polling units at the right time. In many places across the country, the ad-hoc staff and materials arrived very late which largely disenfranchised many people.
Although the umpire has since explained and blamed the shift on logistics problem, critics insist that there was more than meets the eye.
Recall that even before the elections, the two prominent parties- the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had accused the INEC of pandering to the whims of their opponent. That sentiment appears stronger now than before with the conclusion of the Presidential election and the award of certificate of returns to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The role of the security agencies was also called to question during the February 23 elections. The perception that the nation’s security agents went beyond their brief or were overtly partisan, may have eroded the confidence of many in stepping out on Saturday to exercise their franchise.
As the gubernatorial and state Assembly elections are a matter of hours from now, indications are that the exercise may witness a measure of voter apathy in some states.
The fear of looming violence is palpable. There is also the concern about the neutrality of the INEC and the security agencies, despite repeated assurances.
INEC has been criticised by many Nigerians over the alleged shabby manner it conducted the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Moreover, a number of International and Independent observers reported that elections in several polling units, especially in the Southern part of the country were marred by late arrival of election materials, failure of card readers, manipulation of election result and violence which left several eligible voters disfranchised.
The decision of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to challenge the result of the election was premised on the above listed alleged lapses.
Olusegun Mayowa, an entrepreneur, told BusinessDay he had decided not to vote because it appears the authorities already had a predetermined result and their preferred candidate in his constituency.
“I am not sure I would come out to vote this time; the last time, a lot of us came out to vote, but they declared someone else the winner. With all this violence and I would just fuel my generator to watch what is happening on TV,” Olusegun said.
Shola Ogunwale, a stock broker, advised INEC to ensure early arrival of staff and materials to the polling units across the country, adding that he would watch the tone of event before deciding if to vote in the election or not.
“Yes I have my PVC, but INEC has to improve on the supply of election materials to polling units; in my area, the election commenced at 12pm the other time and during the counting of votes, hoodlums invaded the venue.
“It seemed to me that INEC was colluding with them because it all appeared like a planned work. So, I would watch first; I would not just go out in the morning until I have watched how peacefully the election is going on before deciding if to vote,” Ogunwale said.
Kate Olatunji, a teacher, said she would not venture out of her apartment on the day of election and that none of her three children would.
“I narrowly escaped death on February 23. I had just finished voting when some boys riding in keke Maruwa swooped on the ballot box and emptied the contents on the ground. They were shooting in the air and everybody scampered for safety. Even if they are going to give me one million Naira cash on Saturday, I would not come out. My vote will not count as it not count the other time,” Olatunji said.
According to her, “My husband has not recovered from the trauma of what his eyes saw on that day. In fact, none of my children will step out the house on Saturday. You can imagine, from my family alone, five people would not vote. I have never seen this type of election. The most annoying part of it all is that after March 9, you will not see them again until next four years. Look at Nigeria; does it look like a place that human beings are governing? I am sick and tired of everything.”
By the same token, Mike Anumba, complained about too much threats that may have frightened eligible voters into taking a decision never to participate in the election on March 9.
“I voted in the last election of February 23. My area was quite peaceful. But with what I am hearing about Saturday, I am not sure I would go out that day. Some other people have also said so to me. You know the kind of words we hear people use and what they say; the threat and all that, are really giving people concern. So, it is as if that some people have decided to stay back in the comfort of their homes to avoid being caught in any crossfire,” Anumba said.
Femi Akinbiyi, public relations officer, (PRO) of INEC in Lagos State, said the commission had corrected security lapses noticed in the February 23 election, expressing confident that Saturday’s election would be peaceful, free and fair, not only in the state but also across the country.
Zebulon Agomuo and Iniobong Iwok
