#NigeriaDecides: As Nigeria picks next President today! – AN EDITORIAL

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and seat of ECOWAS, Economic Community of West African States, goes to polls this Saturday 23 February 2019 to pick who becomes its next President among, particularly, the leading candidates vying for the office of the President.

Last week Saturday 16 February was the original date scheduled for this purpose but activities of unfaithful people who are supposed to be but failed to be patriotic citizens did not allow it.  The polls which hitherto were planned at relax mood on the side of military and other security forces became a thing that government needed to get harder because of experience which led to the sudden shift by the midnight of the elections last week.

This Saturday, Nigerians, according to assurances by President Muhammadu Buhari, are asked to come out and vote for candidates of their choice.  The President however warned that whoever would be out to snatch ballot boxes or lead thuggery activities to disturb the peace of the electioneering exercise should know that doing so may be the last unlawful action that he will take. 

Particularly speaking, the Commander-in-Chief has given adequate briefing to the armed forces and other security agencies in ensuring that whoever snatches ballot boxes or disturb the peace of the elections does it at the risk of his own life.  By this bold statement of the President of the country, whoever among citizens had thought today’s election day would be his day for violence should prepare to contend with the law. 

It should be recalled that President Buhari’s directives on ballot boxes snatchers contravenes no part or section of the law.  If he does not take such action, then who does? More so he stands the risk of having all negative outcomes of the elections hung on his neck, if he does not take such presidential action.

Since therefore nobody under the firmament of any society in the world wants to be associated or be seen with evil practice, if it is thus indisputable that ballot snatching and thuggery disturbances of election process are evil practices and that Nigeria must not end with an election, it should not be difficult for any partaking group or individual in this Saturday’s election process to understand why the path of peace is inevitable.

As a media organistion, with our main essence of existence being for defending the truth and national integrity, we hereby join the government in calling on eligible Nigerian voters to come out and exercise their franchise at polls.

We equally call on the security forces to ensure neutrality as they promise to be but must not be deterred by any thought in ensuring that sanctity of the process is protected no matter the temptation.  Enforcement of the law should be total against anyone found to be contravening the rules of engagement particularly among the electoral officers, ad hoc officers and even the politicians particularly whose only known way of democracy is do-or-die.

The international observers who said they were in the country on invitation of the government should live up to the bidding of their invitation.  Ordinarily Nigeria has capacity, with various non-partisan groups in the land, to conduct and monitor credible elections.  If they have been invited they should see it as further conviction on the part of the government of Nigeria to show the world its spirit of transparency in ensuring credible and flawless election process.  The foreign observers should therefore prove the information we have heard wrong by not tilting towards any side of the scale.  We are therefore with all voices which tell the election visitors to stay clear from interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs even as we thank the Chinese Government, who is Nigeria’s leading development partner currently, for choosing to partner in managing our country’s resources for development without interference in its internal affairs.

The Judiciary; judges and lawyers should beware making sure that they do nothing but positive over these elections outcome in the interest of the country. Any Judge who thinks he has the sacred authority to apportion guilt to the guiltless and favour to the guilty should be rest assure that Nigeria is now a public space where blockage covering eyes from truths yesterday is now clear and nobody, no matter his status, will go unpunished. If, as a judge, you know that a single injustice you issue to the society is capable of total destruction of lives and property, you should then stay well on the seat of justice. Same goes to lawyers. No need to repeat what many have known about people of this category.

The media too are called upon to realize that without a peaceful Nigeria they cannot practice and that being, therefore, that they are first and foremost Nigerians before they are media practitioners, they owe the country and themselves the lawful duty of accurate, fair, truth, balanced and unbialised reportage.  From the look of things, they should realize clearly, whether they do the right thing or not, the government superintending over the process has its own internal checks with which it is capable of delivering on credible polls without them.  It is therefore left to the Nigerian Media to be part of the process so that when the history of better Nigeria is told, they will not be left out of the good chapter of it.

Finally, all of the religious and ethnic groups allowing themselves to be compromised by some politicians should beware during and post-elections because, we stand with the government in ensuring that nobody would hide behind religion or ethnicity cover to churn out unguarded utterances which, if care is not taken, will jeopardize the peace and development of Nigeria.

Nigerians must rise up against violence at elections and vote for candidates of their choice who they know will not return them to the dark old days.  They should vote for candidates of their choice who they know will bring about peace, economic development, development progress and not backwardness and who they know will abide by the resolve for unity and greatness of Nigeria.  Nigerians must shun vote-selling to vote-buyers.  This is key because the future is bigger than the present of any citizen.  Nigeria must continue to be great under the grace and mercy of the Almighty Allah!

Wishing all Nigerians a very, greatly, assuredly successful elections!