By, Bapzeng Bapkek Swarlat
Another election cycle looms, and the controversy surrounding the process is eerily familiar, a troubling conjuncture with what has been described as a make or mar election around the corner.
The debate over real-time transmission of poll results brings to mind the late Frederick Faseun’s question: “Why are Nigerians resisting a Sovereign National Conference?” His words, though spoken years ago, resonate today.
History shows that Nigeria’s power dynamics often hinge on opportunism. Those who once championed transparency and reform now resist it. The ruling APC insists that transparent elections aren’t feasible, citing connectivity issues in rural areas – a stark contrast to their tech-savvy dealings with terrorists.
Those opposing reforms are often tied to the ruling party or are moles posing as opposition. It is a case of “the witch cried last night, and the child died this morning”. The party that once demanded electronic voting in 2015 now deems it inconvenient. Power changes tack, and principles are binned.
Nigerians recent push for electoral reform may seem futile considering how the country is awash with social, religious and political forces of centrifugal potency, but it is a necessary attempt. We demand clear rules, transparent processes, and an end to INEC’s opacity. But with Captain Black’s version of reform already signed into law, hope seems lost. The scaffolding has served its purpose; now it is being dismantled.
Democracy suffers a crisis of credibility, authority and legitimacy when an overwhelming majority of the people stay away on election day either out of apathy or growing frustration with democracy itself. Those who say this does not matter often discover that it does when the massive will of the populace to resolve erupts without notice.
But this is the reality of the current political situation on the country. Rather than being an arena of democratic examplars, the Nigerian Post-colonial state is a coliseum of political warlords. Despite the lip-service they pay to the tenets of democracy, it is clear that the Nigerian political elite are not interested in the rigours and rituals of genuine democracy.
As the curtain falls on another electoral cycle, it is clear that Nigeria’s democracy is being staged-managed by a few. The telcos, politicians and power brokers are all part of the show, pulling the strings to maintain their grip on power. Enough is enough. Puppets no more: it is time to cut the strings. The Nigerian people deserve a government that serves them, not a selected few… It is time to rewrite the script and take back control. The future is ours to shape, and it starts now with making right decisions at the poll.
@Bapzeng Bapkek Swarlat is a journalist who base in Nigeria.
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