By Najatu Mohammad
Democracy is often considered the best form of governance, as it is supposed to represent the will of the people and promote equality and freedom. However, there are instances where democracy fails to deliver on its promises.
The past 8 years of the APC led government is one of such instances. From rampant corruption, to disregard to the rule of law, and finally, the blatant abuse of our democratic rights and institutions. A reason for the failure of democracy in Nigeria is the presence of special interest groups.
When a President is receiving Gold bars from a serving Governor without any explanation as to the origin or end use of these Gold bars, certainly democracy is on the brink in such a country.
These interest groups have maintained a significant amount of power and influence over our resources, which they use to shape policies that favour their interests and rig our elections against our collective interest and our collective future.
The just concluded presidential election has further exposed the inability of President Buhari to rule this country fairly and justly. A President that has never shied away from spitting on the laws of the land that has been entrusted to him to serve, and to protect. A President that has led the most inept and corrupt regime in history of Nigeria.
A President that promised us free and fair elections after putting Nigerians through the most hardship recorded in the history of this country, only for him to fail to deliver on his electoral promises. A President that will openly and brazenly raise his ballot paper to the Public to show the world who he has voted for.
With such an embarrassing action, not only did the President commit an illegal act by going against the secret ballot system enshrined in our electoral law, but also against the electoral law that calls for the end of political campaigns 48 hours before the election.
These unlawful acts by the President is a clear directive by the President to INEC and to the security agencies on what party to favour and to rig for. This administration will unfortunately be remembered as an administration that has maintained contempt for the rule of law and never shies away from disobeying court orders.
With such disregard for the new electoral act, it is clear that INEC as an institution, starting with the Chairman of the commission has been compromised and therefore, the Chairman of the Commission should resign with immediate effect, as Nigerians cannot trust him to oversee the gubernatorial elections.
The INEC Chairman told Nigerians and I quote, “The system of using the BVAS for the conduct of elections has come to stay. There’s no going back”. Unquote.
However, throughout the just concluded Presidential election, the INEC Chairman disregarded repeated calls by the relevant stakeholders to suspend the collation of results to address the complaints raised by party agents relating to failure of INEC to use BVAS for the electronic transmission of results. For over 24 hours, no result from a single Northern state was declared by INEC. Why?
Furthermore, as reported in multiple media channels, we want the INEC Chairman to tell us how a syndicate in possession of the BVAS machines was arrested in Abuja.
How did non INEC Staff under the leadership of Mamood Yakubu get the BVAS machines prior to the elections to start with? What is the outcome of the Police investigation on this regard?
It is clear that Nigerians have been deceived by not only the President, but also by the INEC Chairman Yakubu Mamood who publicly assured Nigerians that using BVAS for the conduct of elections is here to stay. I believe this deceitful grand lie was part of the grand plan to rig the 2023 Presidential election in favour of the ruling party, the APC.
Moreover, a matter that truly breaks my heart is the failure of security agencies to address the issue of voters intimidation, snatching of ballot boxes, disruption of polling units etc despite repeated warnings and intelligence reports on threats against voters of certain ethnic groups and political parties across the country prior to the election. Our security men and women must understand that the struggle for a better Nigeria is also their struggle.
This is a struggle for the future of their children. This is a struggle for the prosperity of our nation. This is a struggle for our collective destiny. I believe every security agent out there has a deeper insight into the situation of our country more than an average Nigerian does.
Therefore, it is also the responsibility of the security agents to protect the larger population of Nigerians that truly want a change of their situation and have come out en masse to demand for it.
The brave majority of us that have simply refused to allow another decade of our lives to be plundered by greedy and selfish politicians, will continue with this struggle to its logical conclusion within the parameters of the law and within the ambit of our rights.
Although it is true that most Nigerians no longer have confidence in the judiciary, most especially after recent supreme court judgements related to electoral matters. As we approach the courts, we must remain resolute, observant, and confident throughout the next stage of this struggle. Over 200 Million of us will not be held to ransom by a few corrupt individuals planted across our institutions.
These corrupt individuals, be it in our Government houses, court rooms or INEC offices must realise that even the instruments of coercion such as the law enforcement agents are themselves victims of the greed of corruption and are also tired of this injustice. We are all tired of this decay. This struggle is not about Atiku Abubakar, or Peter Obi. This is a struggle for the youth of this country who constitute over 75% of the country’s population.
We stand with the youth to see this struggle to its logical conclusion. The Nigerian youth must refuse to be used as cannon fodder by deceitful politicians. Already, about a decade of these youths lives has been plundered by the current Buhari Government.
Another decade of their lives is about to be robbed from them by the same APC led Government. No way. No way. Ooh no way. The youth of this country must retrieve their future and their destiny. We stand with the youth of this country for the struggle for a better Nigeria.
The intimidation and arrest of opposition party members and activists for calling out the blatant electoral fraud throughout the Presidential election must seize immediately.
No body can silence us, no body can silence the millions of Nigerians that have come out en masse to cast their votes.
And definitely, no one will be allowed to steal those votes. No one. The level of oppression and injustice done by this government must be addressed and challenged by Nigerians lawfully. We will not be silenced.
All citizens that have been killed, maimed, or injured throughout this election must get justice. Never in the history of this country has the country been more divided and balkanised as has been under President Buhari.
This government has enhanced division and tension between Muslims and Christians, Fulani’s and Hausa’s, Yoruba and Igbo’s. This tactics of divide and conquer due to failure of leadership must seize immediately.
As for the INEC chairman and the politicians responsible for the decay of our democracy, while your children and wives have been flown out of the country in comfort and into comfort, the children of the poor are being used as political thugs, and being slaughtered by the hour.
For how long will this injustice be allowed to continue?
Finally, we are grateful to the international observers who were honest, courageous and effective in leading to the conclusion that the conduct of the elections was deeply flawed.
As for the foreign entities that precipitously congratulated the perpetrators and beneficiaries of the fraudulent elections, we urge them to retrace their steps. Their actions in this regard is most harmful to the people of Nigeria.
I further urge the International Community that has witnessed this electoral fraud to continue to speak out against this injustice and to sanction anybody found guilty in this blatant theft of our country’s future, the blatant theft of the future of our youth, the blatant theft of the destiny of our youth, and the disruption of our hard earned democracy. Nigeria remains the largest democracy in Africa.
The breakdown of our democratic system puts democracy across the entire African region in a state of limbo. Hence, we must not relent on saving the future of the African child.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria._
