Now that election is over

The 2019 election has become a daily song on the lips of political analysts and  public commentators, that are seen or heard in the media, both local, international and even on social  media and that characterised the true picture of African politics and these truly reflect Nigeria traditional politics that is based on religious or either colorations

However, Nigeria is the only country in the world which has a polygamous marriage of different groups, cultures, traditions, and religions brought together by British colonial masters living together today under the pretense that they are one federalism. This is the basis of the advocacy for federal principles like devolution of power between member units and common institutions.

Sokoto: We accepts INEC verdict in good faith, APC Guber candidate

Since the introduction of the fourth Republic in 1999 till date, Nigeria’s democracy has been characterized by failure. Rigging  has become our electoral culture, such as ballot snatching, now  vote-buying, another electoral disease that dominated our body politics, which if care is not taken will destroy the whole political system. If this ugly monster continue in our body politics we will not get the dividends of democracy if candidate bought his votes from electorate he will not do anything for them as result of that we have poor representation and lack of dividends of democracy

Now the election is over in Nigeria which described by 36 international and 120 domestic observers overseeing voting in 119, 973 polling units in 8,809 electoral wards, declared the election free and fair. But local civil society groups and the opposition party said otherwise. Most political analysts and public commentators also said it is the most free and fair election in the history of Nigeria democracy since 1959 election which become the benchmark for all the future elections in Nigeria.

The greatest obstacles to Nigeria’s political advancement which assumed a conceptual historical trend in the country since 1964 Western regional election crisis that culminated in the 1966 military coup was handiwork of opposition politicians who had always demonstrated a high degree of intolerance and lack of sportsmanship to accept defeat at polls.

My advice to Nigerian political parties, 23,213 candidates that have contested the 558 positions from all the strata of Nigeria is that election is a brotherly contest not a war. The various political parties should learn to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship in order to emulate the legacy of former president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s gesture in the then 2015 general elections by accepting defeat and also to close ranks to move this country in to the league of the world’s powers and industrialised nations.

Bello Shehu Shuni

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