NIGERIAN ELECTIONS ARE BECOMING MORE CREDIBLE
Believe it or not, Nigerian elections are actually becoming more and more credible. There are cases of elections where no single cancellation occurred throughout the entire election (An example of such is the 8th July 2017 Osun West Senatorial District Bye Election). Nigeria in 2015 experienced an incumbent president losing his seat which never happened before and is uncharacteristic of Nigerian politics and African politics in general. Many governorship and legislative elections have been held since then and the majority have been reported as credible by diverse stakeholders. There are still challenges but now more that any other time in Nigeria’s past you are probably going to get a free, fair and credible election.
It is quite important to appreciate this germane issue. One of the greatest reasons Nigerians give for not voting is that the results are predetermined or that their votes won’t make any difference. While there have been times in the past where elections were fraught with serious levels of irregularities, this is fast becoming a thing of the past in the Nigerian electoral system. Today we have a much improved election management body, INEC which undisputedly is one of the leading EMB’s in the whole of Africa. There have been a number of INEC officials investigated for collecting bribes in recent elections. This is a departure from the past and has helped to build confidence in Nigerians that elections can no longer be bought. The use of technology in the 2015 General elections has also helped to significantly increase the credibility of Nigerian elections. All in all, you’re more guaranteed of your vote counting today that at any other time in our nation’s history. Since your votes will be counted, then you have no excuse at all but to get out and vote.
According to Election Monitor, one of the domestic accredited election observer groups for the 2015 General elections in Nigeria, “it would not be out of place to summarise that despite the challenges associated with the smart card readers, they have generally had a positive effect on Nigerian elections and have made accreditation in particular much more credible”. According to the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) report of the 2015 General elections, "Compared to the 2011 elections we can say there were reasonable improvements in the conduct of the elections by INEC. Election and post-election violence was minimal compared to the previous elections".
It’s important to note that as more and more people get involved in the elections they will get more and more credible. Once citizens arise to their civic responsibilities, there is much less room for detractors to perpetuate election malpractices. One of the reasons for the success of the 2015 general elections was the dogged tenacity and commitment of Nigerian citizens. Despite challenges in some areas, voters were seen voting throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning. This sort of commitment dramatically reduces the potential for manipulation in elections. There is a need to increase our collective drive to Nigerian elections and this begins with getting registered to vote.
If you want to join Nigerians who want to make a difference by exercising their civic rights, please you need to Register to Vote Today! It’s TIME TO GET REGISTERED! INEC has made it very easy for you to GET REGISTERED! You can walk into any voter registration centre, on any week day (except public holidays) between 9am and 3pm and GET REGISTERED (find out more and get the app at www.getregisterednaija.com). Just fix one day before the end of this year to get this done. Just a day! Arrive early and you’ll be registered in no time! If you participate you will have your voice heard. So now is the time. You need to register. Don’t delay anymore.
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