The 2011 elections are fast approaching in Nigeria and I think it is time that we look at the past elections we have had in this country since the advent of democracy and what we have gained as a nation from such elections. We can then try and suggest ways to make elections better, ways to make sure our votes count this time around. We have to be sure that this time around the elections will not just be another waste of time so precious.
In the past, elections have been a very big affair in Nigeria and since when I have been able to understand things going on around me, I have got the impression that elections time is a like a time of activities and various political maneuverings in Nigeria. However, I have also noticed that in Nigerian elections, the votes of the electorate does not really count and we are only wasting our time by going on the queues on election day to cast our votes. Since the advent of the Yar’adua government and by extension the Goodluck government, we have been promised that this time around, our votes will count and things will not just be business as usual. We can only hope they mean what they are saying!
This article however, is an attempt to examine the state of the preparedness of Nigeria as a nation and the state of the electorate with regards to making sure our votes count in a Nigeria where the rule of law is relegated to the background and morality and justice are nowhere to be found, one can only wonder what effect the elections will have and why we are being so disturbed as a people. Why don’t our leaders just go ahead and install whoever it is in whatsoever position and stop playing on our intelligence as a people since we all know that our votes don’t really count.
We all know that what actually happens is that they monitor the voting exercise and doctor the results just to make sure their candidate gets the position. And afterwards, they say the will of the people has been done when in actual fact, it is their own will that has been done. In order to make sure that this time our votes count therefore, we have to stand up as a people and monitor the votes ourselves. We have to defend our votes with our lives and realize that it is better for us that way than for us to fold our hands and watch while they force candidates on us and such candidates in turn make life more difficult for us.
So as election year draws near, I shall propose some ways through which votes of the electorate may count and shall try to enumerate some responsibilities to be carried out by the government and citizens alike.
If the government is to make the election truly credible, then I think the election process should be made transparent. I also think the Independent National Electoral Commission (I.N.E.C) should be made truly independent; I.N.E.C should be made independent of the office of the president. I think the president should not be the one to appoint I.N.E.C chairman as this is tantamount to asking a player to be the umpire in his own game. Also independent candidates should also be encouraged by the government as it has been discovered that candidates that got in on the platform of a political party think their allegiance is first to their political; a case I find absurd and morally repugnant.
Also, the general populace should be sensitized as to the importance of voting as many people have lost hope in the election process itself after having discovered that their votes don’t count. Many people would rather stay in their homes than go and queue up in the sun to cast their votes and then seeing their votes don’t count at the end of the day. The national assembly should also rise and perform their duties as a legislative house; they should create an enabling environment for the votes of the people to count. They should pass laws that protect the integrity of the vote of the common man. Also, strict punishment should be meted out to those found to be rigging or influencing the result of the election in any way; this would serve as deterrent to others who would want to follow in their footsteps.
As a people, we should also stand and be counted when election time comes. We should defend our votes with our lives and realize that the future of our children both born and yet unborn, depend on the decisions we make today and in order to guarantee a rewarding future for our children, we have to make a good decision today; decisions that will make future generations bless and pray for us after we are gone and not one that will make them curse us! We should pay attention as we are casting our votes and call the attention of those present to any untoward act being perpetrated by anyone at the polling venue. We should realize that as Yoruba’s say; “oju ni alakan fi’n so’ri” meaning “the crab watches his head with his eyes” and as such we should watch our votes by ourselves and not wait until someone defrauds us before we lodge complaint.
I am also of the opinion that anyone thought by the court of law to have been illegally sworn in should be made to give account of the time he/she has used in the office and made to refund everything that has accrued to him/her as a result of the office he/she occupied illegally; every allowance, salary etc. he/she should not just walk away. Everyone discovered to have been part of the scam that brought the man or woman into the office should also be punished severely so as to serve as deterrent to others. Proper monitoring should also be carried out by the relevant bodies so as to make sure that the whole election process is carried out with transparency and integrity.
I believe that if all these steps are taken, the electoral process can be sanitized and made corruption free and the will of the people can actually be done in the selection of public officers for our various political offices and we can rest assured that our votes actually count.
GOD HELP NIGERIA!!!
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