The Election in 2023 has come and gone, sincerely there are lessons to be learned to further improve the process. A detailed analysis should be carry out, clear and open-minded about the areas well done and those that were lacking, and then improve equitably.
Gone are the dark days when we assumed what was bedevilling the electoral process. Electorate determination to vote in 2023, especially the youth, exposed what had been kept secret.
Let’s dabble in what constitutes the electoral system in Nigeria proper.
Electorates:
The electorate is an integral part of the electoral system. They choose who to govern them. Unfortunately, most of the voters are ignorant of the power they possess.
That’s why politicians can easily deceive and sway voters either through monetary inducement, religion, tribes, or ethnicity to get their votes.
Factors affecting electorates
Poverty is the major factor confronting the electorate. Some voters cannot resist the temptation of a bribe, no matter the good intentions of politicians; they want to satisfy their hunger before considering any idea.
Illiteracy is also a factor that determines the direction of the voters. Here, the electorate cannot use logical reasoning; they go along with anything the politicians come up with.
Politicians:
The politicians are the major problem with the electoral system. They do everything possible within their power to make sure that the electoral process is defective for manipulation.
The politicians work against the progress of the nation, intentionally impoverish the people, and use them as tools to scuttle the electoral process. These are the clouds of uncertainty surrounding the electoral system.
Youth participation
The role played by the youth in a just concluded election has really exposed the nefarious activities used by politicians to rig elections.
In extreme cases, politicians use religion, tribalism, bigotry, and thuggery—even the state apparatus such as police and military men—to gain an unfair advantage over their opponent.
It’s imperative to understand the schemes used by the politicians, which will go a long way towards improving the electoral system in Nigeria.
University professors:
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) believes the lecturers and professors are people of integrity.
and as such, they are entrusted with the collation of results from the state and local government levels.
But most of them have been total failures in the system. They performed woefully and embarrassingly in the just-concluded election. Nevertheless, some did fantastic work in discharging their functions.
An exceptional professor who soars above the darkness
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Prof. Nnenna Oti, who was the returning officer in Abia State, did exceptionally well and did not go unnoticed by the people.
In the face of intimidation, threats to her life, and the opportunity to make more money, she stood her ground. She did the right thing by allowing the will of the people to prevail.
while some professors were tossed about by the desperate politicians trying to manipulate the process in their favor.
What is the fate of students in all these shenanigans?
It is a fact that you can’t give what you don’t have. Some may be wondering why the university students are “half-baked.” The evidence has presented itself in a just-concluded election that those who taught the young ones morality do not have morals. Sad!
If some of those INEC returning officers were lecturers or professors in our tertiary institutions, then there is a problem. The negative impact on the students can only be imagined.
The scheme of the politicians has propelled darkness into the Nigerian electoral system. The hunger for a better electoral system will see electorates soar above the storms, where there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
0 Comments