That’s just the way it is, things will never be the same again ~ Tu Pac Shakur
After over 72 hours of votes counting, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria electoral umpire finally announced the winner of the Nigeria 2023 presidential election around 4 am on the first day of March. However, rather than happiness, gloom beclouded the general public, except for the ruling party (All Progressive Congress) and its supporters whose candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the election.
A closer look at the contentious victory indicates that; what could be said to be the actualisation of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long-term dream has become a nightmare to the majority of Nigerian citizens, especially to the youths and first-time voters. Of course, it is the way of democracy to have an elected winner and loser(s), but then, the coldness among the populace is not necessarily due to Asiwaju’s victory, but rather INEC’s failure. It is due to INEC’s failure to conduct a free, fair, and credible election after several promises and reassurance that they will uphold fairness and credibility as outlined by the 2022 electoral act.
The aftermath of INEC’s failure to conduct a credible election leading to Asiwaju’s victory has led to what I tag as post-electoral trauma. After the announcement of the election result, many young people engulfed with the wild feeling of dejectedness and hopelessness took to different social media spaces to destroy their voters’ cards. Some were openly seen crying and heaping curse words on the chairman of the electoral umpire, Yakubu Mahmood.
It is, however, sacrosanct to affirm that it is normal for emotions to play up when people’s preferred candidates lose the election, but on the flip side, in a true democracy, whoever wins in an election is subject to the whims and caprices of the people’s right. Hence, the people are less disturbed. But in Nigeria, a different story. The Nigeria democracy regardless of the multi-party structure is seen as a winner takes all kind of democracy, which is a pseudo-democracy.
The promises of INEC raised the young people’s hope to vote. And while young people trooped out in numbers to vote, they didn’t see the voting process as mere vote casting, they saw it as hope planting.
This singular act of INEC may have successfully endangered our faulty democracy the more. According to Prof. Noah Harari, “in a democracy, a winner shouldn’t take all. If they do, it is no longer a democracy. The most precious aspect of liberal democracy isn’t majority rule but limiting the power of the ruler to protect the citizens’ rights”.
These words of Prof. Noah account for the post-electoral trauma young people are facing regarding the just concluded presidential election. The young people are asking questions such as if the last 8 years of the APC have not been favourable to the young Nigerians, what is their hope in the soon-to-be administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu? If they cannot protest for their fundamental human rights such as the EndSARS protest, how can they be sure that this new administration will guarantee such?
Even though, the result of the election is now before the electoral tribunal, the autonomy and the sanctity of the court to deliver justice remain vague. A nation with parties and elections is not necessarily a democracy. For Nigeria to become a true democracy, people’s votes must count. Strict adherence to the rule of law must apply.
The winner takes all structure must melt out. Without these, Nigeria remains a masked fascist nation. The upcoming governorship and state house assembly election may however allow INEC to redeem its tainted image a bit, but then, the damage is done. The youths are at the crossroad of either trusting in God or believing that their mandate is gone.
Samuel Ameh is a researcher and journalist
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