Nigeria And 2015 Elections (I)

Nigeria is on the match again! Bar
    ring another last minute orchestra
    tion, the much anticipated 2015 general elections will kick-off tomorrow with Presidential and National Assembly polls. Yesterday, the Presidential campaigns officially ended bringing to a halt many weeks of political mudslinging and campaign brawl.
For obvious reasons, including predictions that Nigeria may disintegrate this year, the 2015 general elections have attracted both regional and global attention more than any other election since 1999. For the first time in the history of Nigeria’s electioneering, the US President, Barrack Obama made a direct broadcast to Nigerians, urging them to exercise their franchise peacefully.
Other world leaders, including the US Vice-President, Senator Joe Biden; former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, former South Africa President, Thabo Mbeki, and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, have also shown concern in Nigeria’s election by appealing to candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the elections.
As Nigerians file out tomorrow to elect their new leaders for the next four years, The Tide wishes to join the world leaders to appeal to the electorate to vote in an orderly and peaceful manner devoid of rancour. This is important because life will continue after the elections and those who died in previous elections have nothing to show.
This year’s elections particularly carry a lot of hope for a better Nigeria, the same way they pose an ominous threat to national peace and unity. Already, there is palpable fear in the country given the belligerent and desperate manner campaigns were conducted and the attendant pre-election violence that had resulted in many deaths and injuries.
Threats were issued, physical attacks were unleashed, including the ones on President Goodluck Jonathan in Bauchi and Katsina. There were other forms of violence that claimed many lives and left several others injured. Above all, fear ruled the polity and startled the international community. Even economic activities were kept on hold.
We want to remind Nigerians that the outcome of tomorrow’s elections and the way the results are received will determine the future and the continued existence of the country. It is on this note that we urge Nigerians, especially the contestants, to see the elections as a contest they must use to the benefit of the nation.
Above all, the security agencies must be on top of their game. Their services and impartiality is more required during this period. They owe the nation a duty to protect the citizenry, including the electoral officers and materials before, during and after the elections.
Experience has shown that things often go wrong owing to the nation’s inability to manage post-election emotions. Even as we expect politicians to respect the Abuja Accord and the electorate to play by the rules of the game, the security agencies must be pro-active by installing pre-emptive measures to deter people from violating the electoral laws. They should also be on the highest alert to combat possible threats to peace across the country during the elections.
In the same vein, we call on the media to be patient and respect the electoral law that forbids the announcement of results ahead of INEC. At the same time, the citizenry should be wary of reports and election results emanating from the social media in view of its capacity for misuse and susceptibility to half-truth.
As Nigerians go to the polls tomorrow, they should vote with the mindset that free, fair and violent-free election is achievable, not impossible; the same way the contestants should imbibe the democratic and sportsmanly spirit. That way, Nigeria will internalise the culture of democracy, and come out stronger and more united. And with the verdict, there would ultimately be no victor, no vanquished.