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There are signs the 2027 general election in Nigeria will not be just like any other election in the past.
Considering today’s harsh realities and the hitherto unrivalled high level of awareness by common Nigerians, one can perceive this coming elections would be different, if not for any other reason, at least because many of the voters in this election would be among the 35 million unfortunate Nigerians the United Nations said “are facing acute hunger” and, therefore, need urgent help from the rest of the world.
The United Nations (UN), a global organization with high repute, which described Nigeria as “one of the world’s largest hunger crises, with the burden falling overwhelmingly in the northern part of the country,” warned that “If assistance is further delayed, millions of families will be forced to reduce meals further, sell assets or withdraw their children from school with the long-term impact that we know it has.”
The UN Humanitarian Country Team in New York City, United States, which raised this alarm at the weekend, said Nigerians are likely to face even more “acute food insecurity during this year’s lean season,” which runs from June to August.
Considering the nearness of the lean season to the much awaited 2027 elections, it would be naive to think the hunger in the land will not help to shape voters’ reactions at the polling booths and the ultimate voters’ choices.
One of the likely effects of acute hunger in the way the Nigerian electorate will react during this elections is that they will not be easily intimidated by thugs or other armed men or women.
Much more than what happened in 2023, Nigerian electorates are likely to be more aggressive, bold and determined to make their votes count.
I recall that many analyst of the 2023 Nigerian general election had linked the anger that fuelled the #EndSARS protests to the overwhelming interest and participation of youths across Nigeria during the elections. This, to a great extent, cannot be denied. The youths that marched on the streets of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Kano, Umuahia, Lokoja, Asaba, Benin, Warri, Uyo, Abakaliki, Maiha, Gboko, Ife, Maiduguri, Abuja, Ibadan, Item, Igbere, Ohafia, Owerri, Enugu, Onitsha, Awka, Nsukka and other cities and villages in Nigeria then set out to make a point.
Today, I foresee among common people and youths more passion, more desire to make a change and more determination to vote and protect their votes. This is because, as we have heard, a hungry man is an angry man. There is no longer any doubt that Nigerians are hungry, very hungry and bitter by the feeling of betrayal and neglect by the people that have been privileged to occupy positions of power and leadership, from local council offices to Aso Rock. This feeling of betrayal is deeper than it has ever been at any other time in Nigeria’s history as a country at peace,
Across the land, parts of the general questions today include: Given how much God blessed this country, Nigeria, is our current fate what it should be? The people that claim leadership across our lands, are they truly giving us their bests? If yes, is their best good enough for a country like Nigeria, so evidently blessed with great human resources? Should a child, born in oil-rich Nigeria stay hungry all day and drop out of school? Should the leaders that have failed so woefully to defend innocent citizens in Plateau, Benue and other parts of Nigeria from the wicked hands of killers be further entrusted with the leadership of Nigeria?
If not, what must the people do to save themselves and the future of their children?
The UN report also said the majority of the hungry lot are from the North. Yes, from the North, yet we know how the majority of Nigerians argue and faithfully believe the North has since independence continully held the aces. If this claim is true, why have these same northern political godfathers refused to or failed to take serious notice of the poverty and hunger in the land?
Over the years, our leaders have always anchored their claim of the right to preside, govern or occupy plum powerful seats either on the claim of the part of the country they come from or their religion, depth of pocket and control of political structures.
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These factors, lazy as they may sound, have always appealed to the sentiments of Nigerians to either support or deny a candidate.
But today, part of the uniting factor is the hunger ravaging Nigeria, the giant of Africa. Hunger, incidentally, does not respect any religion or ethnicity.
Except the right leader or leaders are allowed to emerge, our twin enemies, hunger and suffering, cannot be defeated in Nigeria,
Taking this reality into consideration, I am convinced the hungry electorate will not be deceived again by arguments to vote “our own,” that is, to vote our own ethnic brother or sister or a member of our religion. The current level of frustration, hunger and anger have combined to open the eyes of more Nigerians that what is actually needed to liberate this country and to release its huge potential as a regional power in global economy and politics will require us all to totally discard the old and false arguments of wicked political godfathers ever ready to manipulate the rest of us with the position that we shall be better or more positioned if ‘our own’ continues to hold on to power.
Knowing this to be the current trend of thought, I am convinced that, when hungry and angry Nigerians file out to vote in the forthcoming elections, they will not agree to cast their votes to any candidate just because he or she is from a particular tribe or because he has a particular religious persuasion. No. They will, most likely, not also vote for a particular candidate just because he belongs to a particular political party. That era that crowned people that should not have known the roads to our seats of power has gone for good. Today, the people will only vote for a candidate or candidates that can effectively combat hunger, poverty and insecurity in Nigeria.
They will also not accept any story about sudden malfunctioning or breakdown of any critical gadget or gadgets will puncture people’s faith in the outcome of the elections.
Yes, the recent amendments carried out on the Electoral Act may be said to have taken substantial care of a likely repeat of the 2023 glitch, but may I say that signals from the youths suggest they are not likely to depend only on the amendments.
They are more likely to opt to take the country’s fate in their hands.
With the increasing awareness and the internet tool now in the hands of the common mases, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should expect to read results of the elections online long before the final compilation at the INEC headquarters. INEC should be ready for this innovation by the people by allowing for true openness at the polling booths level.
is to say that INEC should be more transparent to ordinary Nigerians, by making the results open at the polling booths and by standing by that result. This will help INEC to win and retain the people’s confidence.
Considering the level of hunger, the depth of pain and frustration in our land today, I sincerely advice INEC never to do anything that would further provoke Nigerians. They are like millions of dry fields awaiting for mere sparks to catch fire.
• Samuel Hezekiah Egburonu Esq, lawyer, veteran journalist and literary scholar, is a current affairs analyst.
