2023 elections: Is democracy worth the sacrifice?
The recent presidential elections presented a first of its kind in Nigeria. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was declared the winner and all sorts of objections arose from opposition parties, international observers and the foreign press. As usual, there is a mountain of evidence pointing to the fact that the election was shambolic, so […]
The recent presidential elections presented a first of its kind in Nigeria. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was declared the winner and all sorts of objections arose from opposition parties, international observers and the foreign press. As usual, there is a mountain of evidence pointing to the fact that the election was shambolic, so it’s not surprising that the two main opposition parties are going to court. What is surprising is that the candidates from both the Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claim to have incontrovertible evidence of “correct results” proving that they won! This of course simply isn’t possible.
Indeed, from all reports, it isn’t even possible to declare a winner because, in alleged violation of the new electoral law, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to electronically transmit results from polling booths in real time to the server. There is ample evidence of results being altered and updated later after voting was concluded.
Inexplicably and inexcusably the INEC results portal experienced undefined “technical glitches”, which quite absurdly enabled the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to upload National Assembly elections results, but not presidential election results! A Financial Times of London editorial accused INEC of badly mismanaging the election and failing to set the good example required despite its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s repeated assurances of commitment to uploading results in real-time and conducting a free and fair poll.
Rescue Nigeria Global Network, a political pressure group, believes the outcome of the election was pre-determined and the INEC chairman, together with all zonal coordinators of the commission, should be dismissed! Jim Ritch a US Senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advised US President Joe Biden not to embrace the outcome of the recent presidential election in Nigeria, because there were a number of irregularities ranging from alleged fabricated figures, to glitches in the result viewing portal.
Senator Ritch said the electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by election observers and many Nigerians. In a completely unnecessary televised defence of INEC’s lapses and declared results favouring their candidate, APC Presidential Campaign Committee spokespersons put up a second-rate bellicose performance. Despite being mere political appointees, none of whom has ever contested or won any elective seat, they rained insults on everyone who questioned the elections result, and insisted they would go to any length to “defend their mandate”!
Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese lambasted them for poor conduct and acting as if they have license to be foulmouthed and speak disrespectfully to everyone. Indeed Festus Keyamo and Femi Fani Kayode in particular must learn to observe public decorum, tolerate opposing views and cast aside their offensive manner which alienates people and doesn’t reflect well on their candidate.
Asiwaju himself is trying to build bridges and hasn’t adopted belligerence or bellicosity. He is aware that with regard to his mandate INEC’s declared result reveals that the majority of those who voted in the presidential election did not vote for him. He lost in 25 states including Lagos and the Federal Capital of Abuja. In addition, top APC officials including the incumbent President and Party Leader Buhari, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the party chairman, and campaign director-general all lost their states.
Thankfully, there has been no major breakdown of law and order because those aspiring to overturn the result believe there is ample evidence for the court to overturn the result following the lead of courts in Kenya and Malawi which did likewise.
Truthfully, INEC repeatedly squanders an ever-increasing budget to conduct elections which fall far below standards of acceptability. There is little disputing that Nigerians have lost faith in their democracy. The voter turnout of only 27 per cent was a reflection of public apathy against political buccaneers who routinely contest elections or seek public office.
Citizens understand that corruption, ethnicity and incompetence have ruined governance in the nation bringing chaos and misery, instead of bliss and tranquility. They believe that participating in the political arena is something done by “professional politicians”, not to render public service, but in order to facilitate a life of luxury at public expense. After investing heavily in political aspirations the winners surround themselves with political jobbers and jettison national interests in favour of personal interest.
Nevertheless, Nigerians should still treasure their democracy even if the Supreme Court does not invalidate the results of the election fiasco. At the very least there will be a change of government, and it’s doubtful that any incoming government could be as incompetent, nepotistic, ethnocentric, fiscally irresponsible and dismissive of constitutionality and legality as the outgoing administration. It is a sad commentary on Nigerian democracy that many undemocratic nations, in which there is no constitutional democracy and no political parties, are indisputably far better managed than Nigeria.
The question has severally been asked that if democracy is an integral part of good governance and human development, then how come the UAE, China, Jordan, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia are more developed than Nigeria? Lamentably Nigerians are repeatedly encouraged to make sacrifices, accept poverty, deprivations and suffer hardships in order to sustain an overly expensive democracy in which billions are squandered on shambolic elections and “winners” are rewarded with a life of subsidized luxury. They have every right to question whether or not the sacrifice is worth it.