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As Nigerians prepare for the 2023 general election, there are fears in some quarters that the outcome of the election might be compromised. There are also concerns that the wishes of the people may be scuttled by attempts by some politicians to circumvent the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the election.
These are legitimate fears. They stem from the fact that the stakes are so high in this election. For the first time since the advent of this democracy in 1999, the horizon is not clear as to who will win the presidential election. It is no longer a game between the two dominant political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Today, the Labour Party and perhaps the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) are serious contenders.
No doubt, certain politicians will attempt to deploy different rigging strategies to win the election. Vote buying is one of them. Thuggery, violence and ballot snatching are some other ways the integrity of the poll can be tainted. Already, we have witnessed the burning of some INEC offices and the destruction of vital materials like ballot boxes, voting cubicles, and uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in different parts of the country. The latest was the burning of INEC headquarters in Imo State by some hoodlums. Over 50 of such offices had been burnt in different parts of the country.
Besides, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently raised the alarm that some politicians were buying up PVCs and financially inducing some voters to harvest their voter identification numbers. According to Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner overseeing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, two people were recently convicted for illegal possession of PVCs in Sokoto and Kano states.
Some of these politicians have also planned to use underage voters during the poll. Recent media reports indicated that some civil society organisations discovered about 84,000 underage registered voters in Plateau State. They also alleged multiple registrations in five out of 17 local government areas in the state. This may have been happening in some other states.
The days ahead call for vigilance. Any error in the forthcoming elections will mean that the winner will not be a product of popular votes.. We should not allow that to happen. Security agencies must ensure that their neutrality is not in doubt. They must resist the temptation to side any politician or political party no matter the amount of inducement. They must be patriotic and willing to defend the constitution of Nigeria by defending the electoral process.
Good enough, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, recently promised that the military would play its role without compromise in the elections. According to him, military personnel were being trained to be more professional and that Standard Operating Procedures before, during and after elections had been codified and distributed to their men.
This is in line with the admonition of President Muhammadu Buhari who had earlier warned security agents to remain neutral during the elections. The President has also repeatedly promised Nigerians that he would bequeath a legacy of credible elections to Nigeria.
The electoral umpire has made similar promises. It has consistently assured Nigerians that it is in a position to conduct free, fair and credible elections. We urge the electoral umpire to walk its talk by ensuring that it does everything within its powers to ensure that the outcome of the 2023 elections reflects the wishes of Nigerians. It must make sure that its staff members are above board; that they resist the temptation to compromise the integrity of the poll. They must be on top of the game.
Politicians should urge their political parties and their supporters to play by the rules. They should behave themselves and rein in their supporters. They should avoid incendiary comments that overheat the polity and engender violence and disruption of our electoral process. There will be no room for vote trading and other forms of rigging. Every attempt to manipulate the election must be resisted. Nigerians want to see a clear departure from these anomalies.
Elections ought to be a celebration of democracy. The expectation of many Nigerians is that next year’s general election will be a watershed and another mileage on cementing the gains of our democracy. With BVAS, we are hopeful that things will not be like before; and that the elections will be nothing short of free, fair and credible. The world is watching to see what will happen in 2023. We must show that we have come of age as far as marching towards an ideal democracy is concerned.
