Why your vote is important

DEMOCRACY is important because it gives room for everybody to participate in politics. Unlike during the military era, Nigerians can join any political party and contest on the platform for political positions.

However, since the return of democracy in 1999, history was made in 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the presidential election.

The 2015 history has made it possible for Nigerians to be able to vote in or vote out candidates.

If the people of the country feel that a particular government is not performing as expected, then it will be voted out for another candidate to take over.

• Don’t sell your votes, I won’t disappoint you, Alao-Akala tell traders, artisans

This is, therefore, the only way through which the country’s democracy can be sustained.

As a result, I want to call on all eligible voters to go out on February 16 and March 2, to vote for their candidates. They should, however, vote for candidates that they are sure will make huge difference in their lives.

However, if the electorate feels disappointed in any candidate, they will only have to wait for another election year to come before such candidate is voted out.

The forthcoming elections provide another opportunity for Nigerians to put the right candidate in positions of authority so that Nigeria can truly develop.

Aderemi Mariam,

The Polytechnic, Ibadan.