NIGERIA DECIDES

I know it’s not the best time to discuss elections since they are almost over and the freelance as well as paid journalists have already discussed the issues in as many ways as possible. But this isn’t another article on “let’s review the 2015 presidential elections and the consequences of the outcome of the elections”. No. This is simply the story of a Nigerian from her perspective on a monumental time in Nigeria’s History.

For weeks we’ve been experiencing the desperation of the politicians in their campaigns – digging dirt on each other and spilling it all over the media waves, sharing bags of rice and money to people they hope will vote them, etc – and the general impression was that these elections were going to be ‘bloody’ afterwards. People who came home for whatever reasons or had valid visas to travel out decided that week of March 28th was the best time to get out. Those of us who had nowhere to go could only preach against violence, avoid volatile conversations that could lead to negative physical expressions and pray for peace before, during and after the elections. Christians were divided in their choice of who to vote, some wanted continuity of the good works this administration had done while others were tired of making excuses for this administration’s inadequacies which involved not listening to the cries of the people as well failure to safe guard human lives. Pastors spilled political opinions all over social media incurring both the praise and wrath of listeners.

Barely six weeks to the elections, with help from neighboring countries, our armed forces began an effective counter attack on the dreaded Boko Haram. Assurances of security presence at the election grounds were made. New technology to cancel out rigging mechanics were also promised and yet many registered voters still felt disinterested or too scared to go out and vote. Many claimed lack of PVC cards or inability for them to vote at the closest polling unit as opposed to travelling to wherever they registered for their PVC was the reasons why they had no intention of coming out to vote. I with my pregnancy, determined to exercise my franchise irrespective of the challenge it would pose to me physically, I went out to vote. I figured if I prayed for peace, I should trust God enough to provide protection for me and those who would vote at the polls.

When I got to the grounds, the first thing I noticed was many people leaving. Albeit they were mostly those who were already accredited and didn’t want to hang around before the actual elections at 1pm. A few people left and never came back (accredited and not accredited) because they figured the stress of voting for candidates they had no faith in was not worth their hassle. So in the end, those who did vote were a handful of our over 100million populace (say below 40 million people). Yet I was amazed at the dedication of those who did come out to vote. The old were undeterred by the heat, long wait in line and lack of seating arrangements; to them voting was their gift to those they may leave behind when death calls on them. Babes were strapped to backs of nursing mothers who stood under the sun unprepared with umbrellas. Rumours of non-functioning PVC card readers put a scare in people but the reasons were discovered in time before the accreditation process was over (there were nylons covering the part of the machine for finger print verification).

In some parts of the countries, the INEC officials never showed up, others showed up late. A few polling units in the North East were attacked by Boko Haram but after which voters came back out to cast their votes. During the voting session, I was given preferential treatment much to the anger of many because I was pregnant, something that should have been done from the start of the elections (get an extra card reader and area for the aged, disabled and mothers – pregnant or nursing – to enable them get through the process faster). After casting our votes, we all went home and waited for the counting of all the votes from each state and its polling units on National television for three days. Unlike most, I already knew who would win irrespective of who I chose to vote for. I believe a lot of Nigerians did but they just wanted to believe their candidate would win. Either way, what Nigerians really voted for and accepted as the final result was electoral peace. That’s why we were elated when the incumbent president conceded defeat before the results were finalized, despite his party’s claims of unfair treatments in regards to their claims. Some Nigerians even sat in front of INEC offices for hours to prevent any intruders with the capability of rigging from getting in and refused to be turned back by threats from the government and police force.

As the governorship and state house of assembly elections draw near, Nigerians have already made it clear the values they stand united on. We’ve decided on having no more corrupt or ineffective leaders, no more insensitive government that would turn a deaf ear to the cries of the people, no more cabal that are not subject to the law or accountability to the Nigerian people, no more tales of fraud or a dying economy with no way out, no more rigging of elections, no more lack of power supply that hinders the manufacturing and entrepreneurial sector from attaining great heights, and so much more. The people have realized we finally have a voice and our votes count. It’s time to demand from the government what is our right for the sakes of our children and the next generation. Yes we are still plagued by religious and ethnic divisions, blinded by erroneous party system beliefs; but the New Nigeria, the one I belong to, are learning to look beyond what divides us as a nation to what unites us. And it’s on the strength of this knowledge that we have began to hope again for our nation just like our parents did. From now hence forth, we are Nigeria and it is us who decides the fate of the Nation and its leadership.