[OPINION] From Presidential Poll with Great Lessons

By Kehinde Aderemi

In spite of the obvious electoral hitches and infractions, the presidential election held on February 25 was not without its lessons.

While preparing for the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission had raised our hopes, giving us the confidence that the election would be free and fair. INEC gave us no reason to doubt its capacity to conduct a credible election, assuring us that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System would be used to forestall possible irregularities in the election.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu urged the Nigerian electorate, including politicians, to play by the rule, insisting that the new electoral Act would offer the best guidelines for a free and fair election.

He assured Nigerians also that the results of the election would be transmitted instantly through the INEC Results Viewing Portal and uploaded immediately to the portal. The reason for this is to give us hope that the election would be transparent, free and fair and devoid of the usual electoral malpractices that had been the bane of previous elections in Nigeria. Yes, the election was held amid various challenges, including late arrival of election materials in some states, obvious logistics problem, technical hitches and human factor among others.

The 2023 presidential election also came with a lot of surprises, upset and controversies. The INEC, politicians and electorate were involved in what seemed to be the most keenly contested election in Nigeria’s history. After three days of waiting, INEC announced the All Progressives Congress standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner and President-elect.

In the same vein, let me appreciate the Nigerian electorate for their patriotic zeal and determination to change the course of history. The presidential election was a radical departure from the usual norms. There was a complete attitudinal change from the Nigerian electorate.

Nigerian youths also displayed uncommon courage, making sure that their votes counted when it mattered most. Today, their experiences and expectations before, during and after the presidential election are fast paced and I am sure history will accord them their rightful place in future elections.

The surprises were unexpected, yet there were lessons to be learned from the outcome of the election. From Katsina to Kano, Kaduna to Plateau. Delta to Enugu, Rivers to the City of Lagos. There were surprises everywhere. Lagos was most hit by what appeared to be a new political Tsunami. Up till now, Nigerians are still marvelled at what transpired during the presidential election.

March 11 is for the governorship election. I think INEC must have learnt its lessons from the previous election and come up with better options that can help in conducting a credible poll this Saturday. This is the only way the electoral umpire can correct the mistakes encountered during the presidential election.

There are lessons to be learnt from the presidential election. As far as I am concerned, the lesson for us is not about the election, it is about the future of this country. It is instructive to note that the various upsets that happened with the outcome of the election in the various states are great reminders of what to expect in the future. It is also a big lesson for the politicians to know that nothing is permanent in life and that there is time for everything in life.

Another important lesson is that there had been a paradigm shift in this election. The Nigerian youths became the heroes of the day. They rose from their slumber and sought complete redress from the usual political power-play.

The presidential election actually showed the struggle between the Nigerian politicians and the youths. It was a struggle for the soul of the country. There was an aggressive interest as exemplified by the youth.

However, the tribal and religious sentiments that played out in the election and how that obvious fault lines could endanger the unity of this country is also a reflection of impending danger ahead. We are all victims of this serious political tricks and efforts must be made to save this country from the sad narratives.

We need to learn our lessons from this election so as to salvage the country from impending collapse. We must discourage acts that are capable of causing crisis among the ethnic nationalities.

Election should be about the Nigerian unity. It should be a better opportunity for us to choose our leaders and to get Nigeria together. Issues that tend to separate us should be discarded at this point in time. Interestingly, the emergence of Peter Obi’s Labour Party has offered Nigerians another option to choose among the leading political parties.

Obi’s chance at the poll was never in doubt. But it is very dangerous for us to choose our leaders based on primordial sentiments by using religions or tribes as reasons for electing our leaders. Any tribe in Nigeria has the right be the leader and president of this country.

The organic movement of the Nigerian youths against the old order speaks volume of our resolve to alter the political space and bring possible change to the system. The presidential election was like a struggle for the soul of the country. Nigerians should not die or kill themselves for any politician. They are the same everywhere in the world. We have to make them accountable for their deeds.

Now that INEC had declared APC’s Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubabakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party have gone to court to contest the outcome of the election. They took the right step by seeking legal redress to what they alleged as flawed electoral processes. The duo’s intention to contest the results of the election in the court of law is not new. It is their rights and the constitution allows that as the best option in every election.

However, we need to know for a fact that nobody does the hiding behind a finger trick better than a Nigerian politician. He is always the victim whenever he loses in an election. But if he won, it was free and fair.

Whatever happens in the court of law is never to be determined by our individual preferences. It is a legal adventure that shows the beauty of our democracy. It is the best way to sustain the democratic ideals and experiment of Nigeria.

As far as I am concerned,I know for sure that there are ways history tends to repeats  itself. During the years of our founding fathers: Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubabakar Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello, issues were also raised about the various elections held at the time. The “Wet-tie” days are still fresh in our memories. The crises that set the Western Region on fire is not something we can pray for these days. The June 12 crisis was a complete national disaster that brought the entire nation to its knees.

However, in all of these, the electoral umpire is also culpable with the way it handled the presidential election. From the outset, INEC had told us that all the logistics have been put in place to ensure a hitch-free election. But it was another thing entirely as the election was marred with various human and technical errors.

Even the presence of the military during election is alien to the democratic values and practices.

As we look forward to the governorship election this Saturday, INEC must keep to its words and save us from unnecessary crises. The idea of waiting till eternity before the announcement of election results is not good at all.

Since the beginning of this democracy in 1999, the major milestone recorded in the last 24 years was the introduction of BVAS into the electoral processes. And it is no doubt that BVAS was meant to bring credibility to the electoral processes. Though the human element remains a major concern in every election, BVAS was meant to reduce the cases of manual manipulation of figures.

But with the failure of BVAS, INEC deliberately breached the trust reposed in it by Nigerians and gave us unnecessary reason to doubt the credibility of the election. We believed erroneously that the era of vote buying, ghost and multiple voting, and stuffing of ballot boxes is gone.

Despite the obvious pitfalls, let us see the bigger picture. Let us salvage the country and set a new future for Nigeria. Let the electoral umpire conduct a credible, free and fair election. That I think is the only legacy we can hand on to the next generation of Nigerians.

.Kehinde Aderemi writes from Lagos