TWO MONTHS TILL ANARCHY Once again the suicide bombers of Boko Haram have unleashed hell on the streets of Jos killing scores of innocent Nigerians in their blood lust. In the midst of this melee, one sees more blood letting on the horizon. How does Nigeria escape the impending death and destruction the next general election is sure to usher in. In a classic case of damned if we do and damned if we dont, the spectre of violence no matter the outcome of the 2015 elections looms large like the sword of Damocles over the Nigerian state. A victory for Goodluck Jonathan will certainly unleash an array of arson and pillage as the fanatical supporters of General Muhammadu Buhari will definitely not succumb to such defeat in good faith. Likewise if Goodluck Jonathan loses, the likes of Asari Dokubo will carry out their threat to unleash bedlam to avenge the loss of their kinsman at the polls. This is indeed more than the do or die scenario painted by Olusegun Obasanjo in the past. It is akin to a Someone must die if I lose scenario. A statesman should be at the helm of preaching peaceful coexistence, instead Nigerian statesmen are more concerned with sacrificing the expendable canonfodder to further their political ambition. There is only one route to avoiding the forecast of an outburst of violence upon the announcement of the 2015 election results. The electoral process must be transparent, free and fair. Disenfrachising voters in the stronghold of opponents is a recipe for disaster. Thugs must be excluded from the electoral process. Ballot snatching and the subsequent thumb printing of ballots in the comfort of the sitting rooms of party faithfuls must be eradicated. Special training on how to be a visible and reassuring presence at the polls and not a source of voter intimidation must be accorded the Nigerian security personnel on election duty. Prompt release of results must be the bane of the process to avoid the suspicion of manipulations or other sophisticated forms of rigging. The politicians must also learn to take defeat in good faith and imbibe the attitude of congratulating a victorious opponent while encouraging their supporters to do likewise. This is a sign of maturity and it is the sustenance that will truly breathe fresh air into the putrid Nigerian democracy. Talk of making the nation ungovernable for a victorious opponent, by the vanquished should be shelved lest they act as a motivation to commit atrocities against innocent Nigerians. But alas this is Nigeria, where ethnoreligious sentiments is the toga that conceals the shallow nature of our democracy. There is absolutely no permutation that will see peace reign in Nigeria in two months time. GMB wins, GEJs supporters led by Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo will beat the drum beats of war. GEJ wins, GMBs supporters will cry foul play and will hit the streets as they have done in the past. It is a lose-lose situation for Nigeria that could lead to anarchy and the termination of the Nigerian State via an acrimonious break up. Anarchy is inevitable presently, lest by some miracle a middle ground of peace is found. No one wants to be painted as a prophet of doom but the impending anarchy staring Nigeria in the face is an ugly spectre whose inevitable nature cannot be ignored. For the sake of innocent lives I hope I am proved wrong. If not then the two candidates for the next Presidential elections are indeed undertakers preparing the mortified body of Nigeria for its final internment.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 05:33:12 +0000
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