Since the end of the military junta and the return to a democratic system of government in Nigeria about a quarter of a century ago, six (except the most recent) presidential polls have been held so far. None of these elections are free from contestation. The results are legally contested and contested up to the Supreme Court level because the final decision on the officially supported winner (swearing in office) is not made in the ballot box but in the jury box or courtroom.
The new presidential election is not only headed in the same direction but also many Nigerian voters and observers (local and foreign) of the election who expressed skepticism about the results to a level unseen in the history of the country’s democracy, which is considered by most. fraudulent elections of all time, FOAT.
The rejection of the results was based on the fact that the conduct of the election was not consistent with the legislatively supported electoral guidelines and that the electoral body, INEC, the military, and the ruling party had colluded to grab votes and victory. Nationally, the public mood was not happy with the announcement of the election results because the streets were (and still are) lacking the joy and excitement that intense presidential elections often bring.
Why is this a ‘victory’ in probation?
Regarding electoral guidelines, Nigeria has not yet adopted electronic voting, but the latest Electoral Act mandates the electronic transmission of results from polling units to the electoral commission database and then to the national collection center where the winner will be announced. by the chief returning officer, INEC chairman. The Electoral Law is well received by the local and international community as it will increase transparency in electing leaders and deepen the largest democracy on the African continent.
BVAS, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, is for the election process in the polling booth whether supervisor, to conduct academic exams in the hall or college environment, where the answer script (or booklet) will no longer be trusted if there is no supervisor. is present throughout the examination period. In addition, the results of the election are highly requested due to the lack of direct transmission of BVAS results from the TPS to the collection center. Due to the non-transmission (in real time) of the election results, it is equivalent to dismantling the fence built to protect the electoral process from corruption: fraud and manipulation.
Statistically and historically, it is practically impossible for a candidate to win the Nigerian presidential election without winning in the triple-K states (Kano, Katsina and Kaduna) and Lagos, plus losing in 25 (out of 36) states and the federal capital. The announced results seem to have offset this oddity. At this point, it should be noted that the three main candidates, according to the questionable results, won 12 states each, with wins spread across at least four of the six subregional zones.
Will justice roll like a river?
The election was contested by 18 candidates but only three received approximately 90 percent of the total valid votes. Two other candidates with more than two-thirds of the total valid votes have vowed to restore their mandate through the courts. But “Will justice roll like a river?”
The Supreme Court as a legal institution is in question because the supreme judge responsible for appointing members of the presidential election court is accused of supporting the ruling party and its presidential candidates. This skepticism is supported by recent judicial antecedents of the supreme court: for example, the transfer of mandate from Machina to Lawal and from Akpabio to Ekpoudom. Both rulings favor the party in power. There is nothing wrong with the scale of justice tipping in this direction if the verdict is unfair.
Part of the distrust of the justice system is driven by antecedents. Previous executive actions have shown that the judicial arm of government is not independent from the executive branch of government because through the power of the president, the Chief Justice of the Federation was once removed from office due to allegations of corruption. In a stable democracy, judges are removed from office by at least two-thirds of the members of congress, the legislative branch of government. However, there seems to be a ray of hope on the horizon.
The two main legal challengers in the presidential polls have had historic legal successes throughout their political careers. Mr. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, when he was the vice president of Nigeria, won 11 legal battles against the current sitting president. Also, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labor Party revoked the two electoral mandates he stole as the governor of the richest state in the southeast region of Nigeria. However, he seems to be showing a shaky faith in the current justice system.
A victory standing in the sinking sand?
Government by the people will benefit from the will of the people. Tellingly, a blissful marriage is a two-way street. The bride is in love with the groom and the groom is also in love with the bride. But chaos set and reigned in the Union where the princess was foisted on the groom, or the groom was imposed on the bride.
However, a leadership that is not established by the absolute will of the people will struggle to manage the people despite promising golden roads to the people because the government – because of the process it controls – fails to win the affection of the people as it wants to be thrown away. Furthermore, the government became disliked by the people, eventually spreading and cultivating the seeds of rebellion by the governed. Wounds inflicted unjustly can only be healed through one way: return to the people of the legitimate mandate. Finally, the people (struggle and) hope for a new and better Nigeria believe that the destiny of the nation is superior to the desperate and sick ambitions of politicians and that one person cannot redeem more than a quarter of the country. of billions of people. Nigeria must be freed from the iron shackles that hold back its progress.
Twitter: @dapelzg