Democracy has been in
practice for the past 16 years in Nigeria. Over time the growth of democracy
has been marred by the general apathy of the people to politics. Politics has
been termed as a dirty game with every eligible voter refusing to exercise
his/her franchise. The Nigerian government has a long history of not being
people-centred. Politics has long been seen as a gateway to wealth rather than
to serve the people and make provisions for the betterment of their lives. The
recently concluded general elections in Nigeria took a new shape. The social
media influence was massive. The social media came with a lot of ills too as
simple issues were being blown out of proportion. It was also used as a major
avenue to promote propaganda which was an effective tool used by the All
Progressives Congress against the People's Democratic Party. The political
atmosphere was intense with all manners of stories emanating from one angle to
the other. A lot of intellectuals both home and abroad contributed their views
in terms of articles which earned a substantial number of views. All these
raised the consciousness of the people.
This was likened to a Champions league final encounter with
Professor Attahiru Jega standing as the referee in this game of clash of
titans. The card reader machine was a great technology and innovation that
helped to check rigging. It came with some demerits which the country was able
to deal with. The fever of the just concluded general election will never be
forgotten in the history of Nigeria due its record-breaking trends. There was
never a time an opposition party amassed so much resources and support against
the ruling party in Nigeria. There was never a time the social media made an
impact in Nigerian politics. Nigerian politics was tackled at the grassroot
level and not concretely from the media root. There was never a time an
opposition party in Nigeria defeated an incumbent administration at the central
level. It also marked the first trend of politicians calling their opponents to
congratulate them before the official announcement is made by the Independent
National Electoral Commission. (INEC). This was a remarkable sign of peace. An
aberration to the times of opposing thugs bracing up to cause mayhem at the
announcement of election results. There used to be a time where elections were
just in name only. The outcome was always already decided by some powerful
godfathers in the state. The 2015 general elections changed everything. It
restored the faith of the people in the ballot box. It restored the dignity and
respect of the ballot box. Subjectively, we can say PDP spent more money than APC
if the 2 trillion naira reportedly spent by President Goodluck Jonathan for
campaign is true (PUNCH). APC exploited more of ideas and strategies of orientation
which ensured their success in 18 states. The one million man match in Lagos
raised the tempo of the electioneering campaign, General Muhammadu Buhari's
speech at Chatham house in London was another amazing strategy. The party's decision
to pick a pastor as Buhari's running mate was another excellent move. Professor
Yemi Osinbajo pastors one of the biggest christian circles in Nigeria which is
the Redeemed Christian Church, his knowledge of Nigerian politics helped and nominating
him facilitated Buhari's victory in the south-west filled with the Yorubas
which Osinbajo hails from.
We hope the country builds on this. The 2015 general
elections weren't perfect; there still loopholes to be fixed. The country has
set a good foundation to build on and in the next four years, the culture of money
politics being practised in Nigeria will begin to wane. The electorates are
getting wiser. They have realized electoral bribery is a trap to them and it
ushers in anti-people leaders.
God bless Nigeria.
0 Comments