Elections Under Force
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| A Voter Casts Her Vote in Nigeria's Election |
It is quite clear that the
elections currently going on in the country has nothing to do with taking the
country to the "next level", bridging the gap between rich and poor
or better governance. The clear desperation of all concerned shows that the
country will not fundamentally change its trajectory from a failed state to an
egalitarian and progressive one.
Nigeria is still an unapologetic
plutocracy and the will (if they still have one) of the people is ruthlessly
gaslighted through shameful impositions orchestrated through monetary
inducements and thugs who masquerade as security forces. And the tragedy of the
whole scenario is that the people are active participants in their own
oppression. In fact, the rather psychotic tendency of Nigerians to live
vicariously through their leaders is legendary. They will risk their lives for
"oga", some potentate or someone they consider a benefactor without
counting the ultimate cost because of the immediate pecuniary advantage. The
rulers get away with misrule mainly because the majority of people in Nigeria do
not enjoy any form of stability in their lives and no matter what issues you
consider in the form of basic index of human needs, most Nigerians are in dire desperation
and willing to sell their souls in order to survive.
What many overlook is
that the nation or its geographical area was subjugated and its future mortgaged more than a
hundred years ago. What happened at independence was simply a renegotiation
of the original agreement between our leaders and the real masters of the
country. The agreement was that the country should have the semblance of
self-governance but with extremely weak or non-existent institutions that could accelerate its evolution into a self-sufficient and progressive entity. Though beneficial to the ruling class, this
arrangement has challenged our effort at becoming a real nation. For example, how could an organization
saddled with conducting elections be as ill prepared as INEC despite the nauseating
resources at its disposal and the fact that this is not the first election it
is conducting? Postponing elections have become a national pastime without
national protest. In fact, some of the most vociferous comments about the
fairness of our electoral process are from outside the country. When American
and European politicians or their surrogate institutions hover over our
elections as "observers" and "approvers" of the legitimacy
of our electoral process it is time to question our so-called independence. But
don't be fooled. These angelic foreign powers have no iota of interest in our
"national development", they care only about one thing - their
political and economic interests. Just see how much care they have had for the Congo
since its "independence".
The way Nigeria's leaders treat citizens
during elections is a study in the absolute contempt they have for those whose permission
they need to govern. Citizens abandon
their personal comforts to stand in the sun, rain or cold for hours (sometimes
the whole day) in order to perform a civic duty without the guarantee of
coming back home alive. Elections have become a theater for the demonstration
of self-hatred that is at the heart of the African tragedy. They keep the
people in the dark as to who really has the power to change Nigeria. They do
this by enforcing a strict and ruthless hierarchy that is maintained by keeping
the majority poor, ignorant and uneducated. It is from this army of
disenfranchised horde that the political class recruit into their brigades of
shame. These thugs have become the bane of our political ascendancy. Electoral violence never affects the leaders,
only the pitiable and ignorant electorate. The day Nigerians wake up to the
fact that their leaders are paper tigers who cannot last more than a couple of
weeks at the onslaught of "people power" the country will change.
The current process of voter
registration, card collection, card readers, accreditation and voting is an
egregious citizen-abuse. It is too cumbersome and time wasting to participate
in Nigeria's electoral process. The fragility of the system is so obvious that
only a ruling class bent on maintaining political instability and a
manipulatable, corrupt electoral process at the expense of the progress of the
nation will continue with the current electoral process.
The current president of the
country has had the chance of signing a new electoral bill into law but failed
to do so. The current electoral process ensures that the ruling class continues
to be the beneficiary of a warped system that is an encumbrance to a hapless and
obviously ignorant electorate.
JR can be reached at jrotimibgood@gmail.com
