Nigerian Presidential, National Assembly polls: All eyes on Electoral Commission
The Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria have witnessed some high and low points, with results already being collated at different levels leading up to the final collation in Abuja.
There have been reports of violence, deaths, ballot box snatching, disruption of polling in some polling units, late arrival of election materials, vote buying and underage voting.
These are very low points indeed, and must be thoroughly investigated and remedied, with stiff sanctions for those found culpable.
The election, which was originally scheduled for last Saturday, February 16, 2019 was postponed to Saturday, February 23, 2019 by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on account of logistics challenges.
The INEC has said that the Collation Centre for results of the election, which is in Abuja, will open on Sunday, February 24, 2019.
All eyes would be on INEC and its officials and on that Centre from its opening to the announcement of results.
Results are being posted on the social media by all manner of interests and most are at variance with each other and, expectedly, favor whoever the interests support for the Presidential or National Assembly seats that are presently in contention.
Though results declared and documented at the polling units are what would be tallied at the different other collation points up to the National Collation Centre where the INEC Chairman is the Chief Electoral Commissioner (Chief Returning Officer), the expectation is that nothing would happen in-between to change the results of the votes as cast by the Nigerian people.
The expectation is that the INEC officials at the local government, states and up to the federal level would refuse to bow to any pressures, pecuniary or otherwise to change the figures already entered. It is hoped that the ballot box snatchers that intimidated, killed and terrorized voters in some states would not metamorphose into result sheet snatchers or figures changers or storm the collation centers to terrorise the officials into subverting the will of the people as expressed through their votes.
The security agencies must recognize that they are the servants of the Nigerian people and must not allow themselves to become terror to the same people they are supposed to protect.
What must be uppermost in everybody’s mind now is that Nigeria must not be allowed to collapse on the head of President Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on the head of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or on the head of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu. What must, indeed, be uppermost on the minds of all should be that no more lives must be lost as a result of the Presidential or National Assembly, Governorship or State Assembly elections, now or in the future.
Losers must accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship, especially if the results are a correct reflection of the will of the people. Very importantly also, winners must not gloat or plan punishment for their opponents. Nigeria belongs to all, both the winners and the losers. Indeed, Nigeria must be seen as the winner and together, all Nigerian patriots must close ranks, irrespective of party affiliation, to ensure that the country must march forward in the right direction.
The eyes of the world are glued on INEC. What they make of the results of this election would determine, to a large extent, the direction that Nigeria heads in the days to come.
