THE NIGERIAN POLITICIANS AND THE ELECTORATES - The way forward Gone were those days when electioneering campaigns and political rallies used to be hilarious and very interesting in the Yoruba land. The contents of the manifestos of the opposing political parties used to be subject of scrutiny, objective criticism, and a better alternative put forward for the electorates to decide. No political party would dare promise any elephant project for the community or mass anything for the populace without mentioning the source of the funding. Rather than building on the solid foundation laid by the founding fathers of democracy in Nigeria, it is mind boggling that the electorates are being treated these days with so much contempt! Of what use is the so-called higher level of education and awareness? I have watched on television the political debates, electioneering campaigns and rallies by the two major political parties in Nigeria. There seems to be nothing to choose between the two. I am far from being impressed by the quality of their presentation to the electorates. They seem to be measuring their popularity by the sheer number of crowd at their rallies, without giving their audience good and convincing messages to take home, and possibly to win over other undecided voters. The electorates are openly being bribed with token monetary and material rewards ostensibly in exchange for their votes mandating the rulers to loot the public treasury dry! It is a shame and absurd to see branded rice being distributed openly to the electorates all in the name of electioneering campaign! Does the electoral law in Nigeria permit that? If yes, that Law should be amended accordingly. The electoral process in Nigeria will continue to be challenged as long as its not free and credible. In a free and credible electoral process, the voter should be able to exercise his right in a peaceful atmosphere without any intimidation. Who he/she votes for should be his/her exclusive preserve and the valid vote must count. The mere presence of soldiers, let alone their huge number (30000) during elections is enough to intimidate voters and cause apathy. For the umpteenth time, I support the appeal of the Electoral Body (INEC) for the amendment of the Electoral Law so as to allow the use of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in Nigeria. The EVM will reduce to the barest minimum the various malpractices in our electoral process, and it will also reduce cost and frivolous litigations. The EVM can still be used in 2015 General Elections. We have got abundant human resources nationwide to do the bio-data capturing of voters while INEC should be supported by federal federal government to take care of other logistics. With that in place the fears being expressed by all stake holders concerning 2015 General Elections will be put to rest.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 07:23:56 +0000
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