by Lateef Adewole
All glory be to God Almighty that we are witnessing today, 25th of February, 2023. Today is the day for the presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria. Many of us have remained apprehensive of this day. This was due many predictions of doomsday seers who have claimed that there will be no elections in Nigeria. That some sinister things would have happened that will prevent us from voting today. Up till this moment, nothing has indicated that we won’t vote today.
I pray that as we wake up this morning to go out to vote, the Almighty will protect us, guide our paths and our ways. He will allow the process to run through peacefully. All of us, who will go out to vote, will do so successfully and return home in peace. As the process continues, He will lead the country and make the best persons, who will lead Nigeria to great heights, win. All evil machinations of Nigeria’s enemies shall not come to pass.
It might surprise many and they wondered if I have suddenly become a “prophet”. But, as Yorubas will say: “Eni sango t’oju re w’ole, ko ni ba won bu oba koso laye laye” (once bitten twice shy). Nigerian elections were characterised by untoward events of unimaginable proportion, few times in the past. There was always the perennial smaller unrests that followed all our elections, but the possibility of those catastrophic ones is what scares me. I have witness a few as young as I am.
As Yorubas will say, “t’omo ko ba b’atan, yio b’aroba” (if a child didn’t witness historical events, he can learn from narrations of them). I was not born during the First Republic post election crisis from 1963, just three years after independence. I read about it. It is not an experience anyone should wish a repeat for Nigeria. It was what began the anticlimax of our democratic journey of less than four years post independent. But for it, the military boys would not have struck in January 15, 1966. This was explicitly narrated by one of the leaders of the coup, late Major Adewale Ademoyega, in his book: “Why We Struck”. He died in 2007.
The glorious years of Nigeria’s post independence and democracy government began to dwindle from that point onward, as military ruled for the following 33 years with interludes of democracy between 1979 and 1980, partial democracy between 1992 to 1993. It was the prelude to the unfortunate civil war that ravaged the country for 30 months too. Over two million lives were lost and millions of people were displaced, with attendant loss of properties worth millions of pounds (that was Nigeria’s currency at the time).
I was young, but very aware, in the aftermath of the 1983 crisis in the South Western region also. The conflagration that erupted between NPN, which was the ruling party at the centre and the UPN, which controlled the states within the region. It was caused by allegations of election rigging. The UPN governors and many other candidates were allegedly rigged out and their seats won by NPN candidates. In reality at the time, that was closer to the truth. This was because the UPN government at the states in the region was exemplary in performance and good governance, under the leadership and guidanceship of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
So, nothing could have justified any of them losing their seat to the opposition in the region, whose governments at other states and the Federal, were in no way, a match to UPN governed states. That created serious riots across the South West region. It was not long after when the military boys struck again and abruptly terminated the Second Republic. Coincidentally, the man that led, or who benefitted from, that coup of December 31st, 1983, was no other person than the present President Muhammadu Buhari. He was in the Army at the time, a Major General. He became the head of state. The rest is history.
About five and half years after, June 12, 1993 presidential election remained a landmark in our history. After the civil war, that was another period Nigeria was shaken to its root.
I was in Kaduna, when the most recent deadly post election crisis happened. It was after this same Buhari, as the candidate of CPC in his third attempt, lost in 2011 presidential election to the incumbent President Jonathan. He disagreed with the outcome, which led his followers and supporters to go on rampage. Lives were lost, including about 10 youth corps members. Many properties worth billions of Naira were damaged. We were stranded due to emergency curfew declared by Kaduna State government for almost one week. We were locked indoors living in fears and hunger dealing deadly blow on us. These were experiences I wouldn’t want to have again.
The worst could have happened four years after, had Buhari lost again in 2015, or had President Jonathan not conceded earlier than expected. He saved our country. He lived true to his mantra that “his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”. But how many of our today’s politicians know or care about such? In their desperation, they are ready to pull down the house roof on all of us. Let who will die, die! They don’t care.
At these times highlighted above, the situation before elections were not as combustible as we have today. While the political tension then was as palpable as we have now, the additional “fuel” to possible “fire” which the cash crunch and fuel scarcity created today, were not part of those pasts. For over a month now, Nigerians have been subjected to endless pains caused by the mindless actions of the CBN governor, as approved by President Buhari, which “confiscated” people’s hard-earned money.
Many rich people have become “beggars”, not for lack of money, but because their money have been “seized”. They no longer have access to them as and when needed. This has created hunger, anger and anguish. It is the grace of God that has kept the country intact till this morning. Some states have witnessed riots, attacks on banks and their staff, burning of banks, which has led to loss of about 4 lives and damage to properties. Many deaths have been reported as a result of their inability to access cash during emergencies, like pregnant women who wanted to give birth but died in the process due to delays occasioned by lack of cash. These wouldn’t have happened but for the senseless implementation of the cash swap policy.
So, as we are going out to vote today, many Nigerians are very unhappy. If not for the responsibility of performing our civic duties, the conditions warranted a total boycott. However, doing so would means we have served into the hands of those scheming against the country. That could lead them to achieving their sinister goals, as being alleged. Allegations that there will be no elections, or that an Interim Government will be installed, have become rife for weeks now. But, they will not succeed, if there was anything like that.
All parties, their candidates at all levels, their members, loyalists and supporters, have had a good run up to date. As vicious as the campaigns were, the violent clashes have been minimal. All they need to say have been said. All they need to do have been done. They should leave the rest to the electorates to decide who among them they truly want to lead them. The time has come for each party to harvest what they have sown in the last six months since campaigns started.
Everyone should go out enmass to vote. As at today, INEC said 72.8 million Nigerians registered and collected their voters’ cards. Only these are eligible to vote. It is important that large percentage of this number go out to vote. This will confer greater legitimacy on the elections and the mandates given to those who will win in different positions.
It is always embarrassing to see the number of people who choose our leaders at elections. In a country of over 200 million, with over 150 million of voting age, we always see situations where less than 20% of the population elected our president. In 2015, the total votes were about 29 million. That is 15.9%. In 2019, it was 27m (13.45%). We have the highest number of registered voters who collected this time around. That’s 33% of the population. How many of these will come out to vote to elect our next president and members of the National Assembly remained to be seen. This is why we are imploring the citizens to come out and vote.
As we go out, most of us have made up our minds as to who we want to vote for. An open secret ballot gives each voter the opportunity to their privacy. It is important they do so. The CBN and FG have said the purpose of the cash swap is to curb vote buying. This means we should not expect votes to be sold and bought, given the unavailability of cash. Let everyone cast their ballot for their choice candidates based on their conscience and free will. No one should be coarsed or intimidated to vote for any particular candidate against their will.
As the elections end, and counting and announcements follow, everyone should brace up for whatever the outcomes will be. For each position, only one person will win. If fortunately, it is our preferred candidate, we should be happy, be grateful to God and be cautious in our celebration. We should not gloat. If it happens the other way round that our preferred candidate loses, we should accept it to be how it is destined. In any event we disagree with the process that leads to the outcomes, the courts are there to hear our grievances, rather than make inciting statements that could lead to uprising, the consequences and end of which we might not anticipate.
It was good thing seeing all the presidential candidates and their parties at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, on Wednesday, for the National Accord for peace, under the chairmanship of the former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar. They all signed peace accord. Many eminent Nigerians. Other dignitaries present include President Buhari, former President Jonathan, five former African leaders, INEC Chairman, IGP, state governors, party leaders, Rev. Fr. Hassan Mathew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses, eminent business men and women, representatives from foreign countries and organisations, international observers, and others.
The candidates were seen shaking hands and laughing together. This is a good optic. However, it is easier to laugh before elections. What each candidate does after the election if the outcome does not favour them is more critical. They need to do more than laugh. They must tell their supporters to calm down too. It was a reaction that caused the 2011 post election conflagration. It was another reaction that doused the post 2015 presidential election “would-be” crisis. So, post election reactions of the candidates matter.
Also, from the various pictures and videos of the event that we saw, and others like them that we usually see online, the masses should realise that all these guys (political elites) are friends. They wine, dine and enjoy life together. What unite them are more than what divide them. All these contestations are simply struggle for control among themselves. Each wants to be in charge. At the end, they have ways of having one another’s back and taking care of one another’s needs. It is so sad when we see ordinary Nigerians, who count for less or nothing to them, fight one another because of the politicians.
Many have destroyed their friendships in their bid to support one candidate against another. Many have broken family ties. Relationships have been ruined because of blind followership of candidates. All these because of politicians “wey no send them”, in the real sense of it. Therefore, let everyone calm down. Election is not a do-or-die affair. It will come and go. By this time next week, we would have had new president-elect and all these brouhaha would have ended. Where would we put our faces then with our friends and families who we have fought because of elections? It doesn’t worth it.
In all, as we go out to elect the next president of Nigeria and members of the National Assembly for the next four years, let’s do our parts by voting peacefully and leave the rest to God. Power belongs to Him and He gives whoever He pleases. May the best candidates win in all positions.
May God continue to protect us and guide us aright.
God Bless Nigeria.
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February 25, 2023.