Johnson Nwabu

ON Saturday, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect the next president, who will pilot the affairs of the country in the next four years. They will also elect members of the National Assembly. Not less than 84 million voters have been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in the exercise, which over 70 political parties have fielded candidates.

Some of the presidential candidates have withdrawn from the race citing one reason or the other. While there are many presidential candidates for the presidential poll, the contest is mainly between President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The presidential contest, therefore, is between the two hot contenders, who are both Northerners and Muslims. They also belong to the Fulani ethnic group. Both candidates are popular and have supporters across the country.

Many pundits believe that the poll will be too close to call. The campaigns so far have been fierce and largely issue-based. Nonetheless, the campaigns are not devoid of bitterness and acrimony that characterize electioneering in this part of the world. At times, the campaigns are laced with abuse and outright name-calling of political opponents. They are all part of the game.   

We have seen the campaign drama and intrigues. After listening to the candidates, there is no doubt that most of the voters may have made up their mind about who of the candidates they will give their votes. The candidates have also signed the peace accord to ensure that the election will be peaceful, free and fair.

Members of the international community have expressed their concerns over the poll and urged the electoral umpire, the security agents and all stakeholders to ensure that the elections are transparent and credible. Even though, President Muhammadu Buhari, INEC and head of security agencies have assured Nigerians and the international community of free and fair elections, there are fears by the opposition that the elections won’t be free and credible.

Many prominent Nigerians are also nursing fears that the elections will not be credible. Although INEC extended the distribution of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) till Monday, there are reports that many prospective voters could not collect their cards because the cards were not there. In other words, the affected voters have been technically disenfranchised because without the PVC, they will not vote.

What we have seen so far is not quite different from what we saw in 2015. The role being played by the PDP now was played by the APC then. The political situation is not quite different from what was then. Perhaps, the only difference is that while it was north versus south in 2015, it is north versus north in 2019.

While the APC is struggling to convince Nigerians why they should be given another four years to take Nigerians to the next level, the PDP is highlighting the failures of the ruling party and telling Nigerians what they can do to make the country work again. The choice before Nigerians is between Buhari and Atiku. It is between what is now and what is to be expected.

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Nigerians are wise enough and can see the two political parties the way they are. Nigerians can no longer be deceived. They have gone through this path before. They have married two political husbands and they can now determine which one is better. Since the stakes in the election are so high, INEC and security agencies must ensure that the wishes of Nigerians are respected and made to count.

All the political parties and their candidates must be given a level playing field. Any attempt to change the outcome of the poll will portend grave danger to the country, the sub-region and the continent. The sanctity of the ballot must be preserved and respected.

It is worth reminding the politicians that election is not a do or die affair. Election should be a celebration of democracy. Election should serve as an avenue to select our leaders and should not be turned into a warfare. Therefore, foreign and local observers should be allowed to observe the polls and make recommendations on the outcome.

They were here in 2015 and nothing happened. They are here in 2019 and nothing will happen to them, irrespective of the threat to them in some quarters. Nigeria should learn lessons from the US elections and others in which the votes were made to count. We should not turn Nigeria into a banana republic where elections are rigged and the wishes of the people are not respected.

Some weeks to the election, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was suspended in controversial circumstances over alleged anomalies over declaration of assets. The opposition interpreted it as an attempt to cow and rubbish the judiciary before the polls.

The politicians must treat Nigerians with respect and ensure that the results of this poll are credible and seen to be so. In 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election and conceded defeat. He has since then become an international figure and defender of democracy. He has observed elections in many countries in Africa and elsewhere since then.

Let our present political actors learn enough lessons from President Jonathan. They should learn from him that their victory at the polls is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Nigerians are tired of electoral violence and infractions.

Nigerians want a peaceful poll. They want a total break from the ugly past. They want a break from vote buying and vote selling witnessed in Ekiti and Osun governorship polls recently. The security agencies drafted to election duties must not be partisan. And like Caesar’s wife, INEC must be above board and seen to be so.

As Nigerians troop out en masse on Saturday to cast their votes, they must be allowed to vote according to their conscience. There should be no ballot snatching and the outcome of the poll should not be tampered with. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, should rewrite the outcome of the poll. Any attempt to change the outcome of the poll will amount to a great injustice against Nigerians and the constitution. Such a temptation must be highly resisted.

Nwabu writes from Orlu