2019 general elections: Now that the die is cast, which way Nigeria?

The long-awaited and tension-packed 2019 general elections have come and gone with a lot of conspiracy theories to their controversial details. Most disturbing of them all is the glaring manipulation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Consequently, with national spotlight on INEC because of the sham it caused, there is currently a social media crusade, with people clamouring with veritable reasons, for the change of its name from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Inconclusive National Electoral Commission (INEC).

With the level of preparation, financial resources and manpower INEC boasted before the elections, one should have no doubt about the credibility of the elections. Many have described the elections as the most unfair in the history of Nigeria. The most worrying is the fact that, while these widespread electoral injustice and crime transpired before the eyes of Nigerians, virtually all their perpetrators are at large.

With liberal democracy and how Nigerians miraculously survived the 2015 elections, many believed that both the government and the electorate should have learnt their lessons. This led Bishop Hassan Kukah, in a recent lecture, to asked, “Should we be going into another election with so much fear worse than the one we had in the last elections?” The ideal answer to this simple question is No. However, it seems the reverse was the case in these past elections.

Many still believe that the reverse would still be the case in future elections, because of the depressing outcome and voters’ apathy that marred the elections. With the issuance of certificate of return before supplementary elections, announcement of results under duress or before conclusive vote counting, one wonders the role of ordinary electorate and democracy in them, the kind of politicians that would emerge from them and the kind of policies the elected politicians would offer the citizenry.

Denial of campaign promises and manifestoes would soon be the other of the day. Massive defection would soon satiate the news. Looting of commonwealth and political witch-hunt would soon make headlines. From Nigerian history and current political trends resplendent in treachery, deceits, subterfuge and allied principalities, many have no doubt that the country would soon be plunged back into status quo, even worse. The sad reality is that the masses are increasingly losing faith in these so-called leaders that have manipulated their ways into elective offices. These are indications that Nigeria is morphing into a conglomerate of absurdities where failure is unabashedly celebrated.

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Festus Adedayo, in his recent Sunday Tribune column article titled ‘Buhari, Atiku and consequences of our vote’, captured this rife voting apathy and pessimism in many Nigerians. “We have voted one of the two people (Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar) whose presence in the ballet box is a calamity ab initio. The UK Guardian put our choice succinctly recently: One between an infernal despot and a thief.”

Lasisi Olagunju, in his recent Tribune column article titled ‘Lessons from my voided vote’, did not only second Festus Adedayo, he also laminated the saddening outcome of the elections. He noted that some politicians are cloth diapers that are washable for re-scent and reuse. “Because the past is the future, I always know that nothing will change—whatever your vote has said,” he stressed.

In spite of those who are chronically pessimistic about Nigerian political system and its politicians, there are others who believe that the socio-political mess of the country could be salvaged with time. For this group of optimists, it would be important to remind them of two fundamental things: that a problem well diagnosed is a problem half solved, and that while Roman was not built in a day, it took the collective effort and sacrifice of romans to build it. Therefore, to purge Nigerian electoral and political systems of fraud some vital things have to be done.

Perhaps, the most important of them is far-reaching voters’ and moral education. Leonard Stern buttressed this further: “All the advantages of intellect and education and social class do not inoculate young people against making bad moral decisions.” Hence wide-spread moral education is vital in emancipating gullible electorate from the clutches of desperate politicians and their moneybags. If Nigerians could understand what it means to win elections on moral grounds, a lot of positive changes would be recorded within a short period of time.

If it is possible for INEC to deploy election materials in urban and remote areas within few days to elections, then it is also possible for them to ensure that Nigerians, in every nook and cranny of the country, get proper moral education as regards electoral matters. This could be done on ward-by-ward basis, not just few months to elections, but at least once every week. The press and social media could be used for this critical national crusade.

Urgent amendment of the electoral laws could not be overemphasised at this fragile point in Nigeria’s existence. Some months to the 2019 general elections, there were legislations to amend the electoral laws, but the presidency, due to some ulterior motives, did not consent to it. Now the elections are over and almost four years to the next one, it would be imperative for the lawmakers to enact pragmatic laws that would not only ensure that credible political candidates merge from their respective parties, but that would also ensure fairer elections that would reflect the will of the electorate. More importantly, such laws should succinctly stipulate how electoral offenders should be meted with justice irrespective of who the person or persons are.

Furthermore, such laws should also include the recommendation—if not mandatory—merging of the over seventy currently existing political parties in the country into three or four major ones. This would enable the citizenry to easily identify the parties they are interested in and their respective candidates by heart. It would also reduce cost on the side of INEC in terms of printing, distribution and counting of ballot papers, thereby aiding speedy collation and announcement of results. Moreover, worthy of recommendation is the much-anticipated electronic voting system which would immensely help to improve INEC’s database and to drastically reduce electoral frauds.

At this juncture, it would be germane to condemn the actions of many Nigerian elites and academics that aided and abetted electoral fraud in the last elections. It is demoralising that some professors used as returning offers could not confirm and authenticate electoral results before announcing them. How much intellect is required to properly examine the statistics and collate the results? In fact, many of them were bribed to thwart the mandate of the electorate. Furthermore, some elites willingly did not vote because of reasons best known to them. If the elders and elites could not come out en masse to vote, what kind of message are they sending to the younger generations vulnerable to Nigerian underhand political landscape.

In conclusion, while it would be a disaster to trust Nigerian politicians or to believe that they could solve the many problems robing Nigeria of peace and development, there is seemingly no harm in giving them some benefit of doubt. Nigerians’ objective attitudes towards them would go a long way in checkmating their excesses. However, discouraging tendencies like apathy towards voting, negative political ideologies, selling of votes and sycophancy would not help in propelling Nigeria and Nigerians forward. The 2019 general elections are over with their challenges. It would be improvident on Nigerians to repeat such problems in the future.

Kingsley Alumona is with the Nigerian Tribune