nigeria decides today
Today’s Presidential Election, taking place simultaneously with the National Assembly’s, has been described as the most expensive and keenly contested in the nation’s political history. Weekly Trust examines events leading to the crucial polls today. Today, across Nigeria, citizens will exercise their civic right to vote for a candidate of their choice. The Presidential Election […]
Today’s Presidential Election, taking place simultaneously with the National Assembly’s, has been described as the most expensive and keenly contested in the nation’s political history. Weekly Trust examines events leading to the crucial polls today.
Today, across Nigeria, citizens will exercise their civic right to vote for a candidate of their choice. The Presidential Election was supposed to take place on February 14 before it was shifted to today, with the gubernatorial and state assembly ones for 11 April. The controversial move saw National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki credited for laying the foundation for the postponement with his comment in London’s Chatham House that the nation’s security chiefs cannot guarantee security.
The six-week extension has been said to have been justified, with the security forces recording success dislodging Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) getting more time to tidy up issues circling the permanent voters card (PVC) and the usage of card readers for the polls. There were widespread protests against the electoral body’s handling of the PVCs.
INEC also released figures of the PVC collection rate showing that 81.98 per cent of registered voters have collected theirs. But about 12.4 million eligible voters are yet to collect their PVCs, according to the body’s spokesman. The data further revealed that out of 68 million eligible voters, only 56.4 million registered voters have collected their PVCs. A breakdown of the table of PVC distribution made available to newsmen, dated March 21, showed that 11 states crossed the 90 percent threshold collection rate, 11 states also were in the 80 per cent range. Similarly, nine states were in the 70 per cent range, while six states fell in the 60 per cent zone.
The states in the 90 per cent zone include: Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Taraba, Zamfara states. Those with 80 per cent collection rate are: Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger and Rivers states. Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kwara, Ondo, Osun, Plateau and Yobe fell into the 70 per cent range.
Among issues that plagued the elections, perhaps the most striking is the intense campaigning, more so from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which resorted to dramatic, sometimes over-the-top methods which evoked ire more than support. Hate speech, death wishes and more were constantly churned out by one group or the other.
Notable, also, were the court cases against the eligibility of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to seek re-elections and also that of his main challenger Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, mostly bordering on his educational qualifications. Last Wednesday, however, the tension was doused with the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja putting paid to apprehension that Buhari might be barred from participating in today’s polls. Justice Adeniyi Ademola adjourned the eligibility suit seeking to stop the APC candidate till April 22 and 23 for hearing.
Apart from the aforementioned suit, there were over 24 other cases across the country filed by different groups and individuals especially in Abuja where over 12 cases were filed and three were already transferred or re-routed and some others likely to be transferred to Abuja by trial judges.
As part of measures to ensure the success of the elections, the two major contenders President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari on Thursday in Abuja, signed another undertaking binding them to a violence-free election. Jonathan and Buhari, together with candidates of nine other political parties, signed a similar agreement tagged ‘The Abuja Accord’ on January 14, brokered by the National Peace Committee for the elections headed by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The new accord was read by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah and saw the candidates pledge to respect the outcome of a free, fair and credible presidential election. They also urged all Nigerians and their supporters to refrain from violence. They equally called on INEC and security agencies to ensure strict adherence to their constitutional roles. It was rounded up thus: “Today, we again renew our commitment to a united, democratic and prosperous Nigeria. We want all Nigerians to stand together at this critical phase of our nation’s history. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
On security, there was widespread contention on the deployment of soldiers for elections with three different courts stating it to be unconstitutional. But President Goodluck Jonathan appealed one of them, asking the Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, to set aside the Federal High Court order, which restrained him from deploying soldiers to assist the police in providing security during the elections. The judge at the lower court, Justice Ibrahim Buba, had in the suit by a House of Reps member, Femi Gbajabiamil held that the President cannot deploy soldiers without the National Assembly’s approval.
Although polling will be organized in 119,973 polling units across the 36 States of Nigeria and the FCT, civil society organisations have called on all stakeholders to play according to the rules. Leading the call are the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) and the Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development (CPALD) who urged Nigerians to shun violence and apathy.
Today, as the world watches Nigerians cast their votes, the hope in the air will be palpable, being that for better days of security, economic stability and general well-being.