Election Day: Let Nigeria win

As most Nigerians, and indeed the international community that has keenly followed the twists and turns of this particular election, know, there was no guarantee that the polls will hold as scheduled. Indeed, if schedules had been respected, we will now be talking of the shape and direction of the next administration, having long completed […]

As most Nigerians, and indeed the international community that has keenly followed the twists and turns of this particular election, know, there was no guarantee that the polls will hold as scheduled. Indeed, if schedules had been respected, we will now be talking of the shape and direction of the next administration, having long completed the ritual of voting and declaration of results as the vote was earlier fixed for February.
 Be that as it may, the 6 weeks’ postponement is now over and the 58 million or so voters who have successfully collected their permanent voter cards will, in the next few hours, be queuing up for accreditation and subsequent casting of ballots in the Presidential  and National Assembly election. This is the first election, to be followed by that of gubernatorial and state houses of assembly two weeks thereafter. There is no doubt that tomorrow’s Presidential election is the one that agitates most Nigerians and in which the whole country has to decide on one candidate.
This election is coming against the background of a lot of fears of possible violence and unrest, largely because Nigerians have not been as polarised as they currently are, and the prospect of a very keen contest that could displace the incumbent.

With the experience of the violence that followed the 2011 presidential election, men and women of goodwill, both within and outside Nigeria, have been even particularly concerned about how things may turn out before, during and after this particular election. In our own modest contribution at the beginning of this year towards highlighting such issues, Daily Trust organised its Annual Dialogue around the coming elections with the theme 2015 Election; How to make Nigeria the winner. The consensus that emerged from the gathering is that no matter who triumphs at the polls (or who loses), Nigerians should endeavour to eschew violence even as it was also agreed that free, fair and credible polls are the ingredients of an acceptable and rancour-free process.
We are glad, too, to note that even the initial postponement of the dates of the elections has been acknowledged to have further help towards achieving that objective, given the way it provided the Independent Nigeria Electoral Commission the opportunity of distributing more permanent voter cards thus achieving over 82 percent distribution level. The electoral body has also achieved greater consensus on the use of the electronic card reader that could further promote the credibility of the polls. However, even now that the voting process is just hours away, there is the need for more vigilance on the part of Nigerians and the international community, as represented by the voters  and election observers,  to ensure that INEC lives up to its commitment to conduct transparent elections that will be the pride of all. It is obvious that the saying that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty is particularly true of the current situation in Nigeria.
The one critical area that needs particular attention is the role of the security forces in the elections. We are encouraged by the recent court order which affirmed that the military should play no role in elections; this, after all is the exercise of civic responsibility by the citizens, which should not be undermined by martial presence. As always however, the devil is in the details and the detail here is how the military, police and the State Security Service personnel carry out their duties in providing the atmosphere that gives the electorate the confidence to go out and discharge their civic duty at the polling station. It is certainly not in the place of members of these security agencies to intimidate and overawe citizens to induce them to stay at home, instead of turning out to vote; or to, in any way, aid the subversion of the popular will of Nigerians.  Whatever they decide to do, it is important that the various security organs and their officials uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and remain always aware that they are being closely scrutinised and will certainly account for any untoward order they carry out.
With the prospect of a high turnout, we call on voters to be patient and law abiding so that the two-pronged voting process, of accreditation and actual voting, are conducted without any serious incident. It is the duty of the voters to ensure that they only approach their polling station with their permanent voter card and cooperate with the electoral officials that are, in turn, expected to carry out their duty with patriotic zeal.
Daily Trust is encouraged by the show of support for the conduct of a credible process by the international community. The personal message from President Barack Obama of the United States of America is unambiguous:   “Successful elections and democratic progress will help Nigeria meet the urgent challenges it faces today….I call on all leaders and candidates to make it clear to their supporters that violence has no place in democratic elections and that they will not incite, support or engage in any kind of violence before, during or after the votes are counted.”
It is gladdening to note that the main candidates in the Presidential election, the incumbent, Dr Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have committed to the peace credo, which they again reaffirmed yesterday at a ceremony in Abuja yesterday. Our only wish is that they and their supporters abide by that commitment.
 INEC should ensure that it manages the post-voting stage of the election very well to ensure transparency and credibility of the collation and release of result in order not to create unnecessary tension and rumour mongering in this age of new media. For us at Daily Trust our prayer is that may the best candidate win so that Nigeria truly wins. If that happens in a credible and transparent atmosphere, there is no basis for the loser to do anything other than congratulate the winner. The democratic process is thereby strengthened. The Commission’s ad-hoc staff, especially members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) deployed to election duty should be appraised of their role and be protected, not only for their safety, but also from being compromised by special interest groups.
At all times, it is important to remember that there is life after the elections and, indeed the challenges of insecurity as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of violent crime and shrinking economy following the dramatic fall of Nigeria’s revenue earnings mean that even tougher choices still face us long after the 2015 polls have been decided.