Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count. As Nigeria heads to the polls on Saturday for its 6th post-Democracy general elections, a worrisome cloud of uncertainty continues to hang around the country’s ability to conduct a peaceful rig-free election.
Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count. But the die is cast. 93 million out of 109 million Nigerians, 18 years and above, how so far, collected their permanent voter’s card.
Here are 5 things Nigerians need to make their votes truly count:
Security:
Violence, intimidation, and a general lack of security is the biggest contributor to voter apathy. In the 2019 general elections, only 34% out of eighty million registered voters cast their votes.
Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count. Other things being equal, a large voter turnout cuts down the chances of rigging by a massive 90%. Nigeria must ensure neither the police, thugs nor military personnel are weaponized to scare away voters. Foul-playing agents of political parties rely on empty ballot sheets to rig their candidate into power.
Punctuality
In the last election, over 75% of INEC staff and materials arrived later than 8:00 AM at their polling units. The electoral must show up early to their assigned polling units to accord the maximum number of voters a chance to vote. Voters are equally encouraged to do so. History has shown late arrival by electoral staff is a problematic factor that gives rise to chaos, disorderliness, false counts, and ultimately, void votes.
Civil responsibility:
“After election comes selection” is an odious maxim likely to occur in situations where voters cast their votes and cannot monitor them afterward. Citizens can volunteer to be on the ground to monitor vote counting, ensure the correct tally is uploaded electronically, and observe the electoral officer’s signature on the count sheet. Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count.
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Court interference:
The current government in Imo and a few other states, has shown Nigerians how politicians influence the court to upturn the will of the people. While there are no magic wands to bar corrupt judges and justices from presiding over electoral tribunals, Nigerians can take every extra step to elect the right leader without complications. Complications breed lawsuits which is the most undemocratic way to select a leader. Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count.
Corruption by INEC.
As much as Nigerians want to believe the electoral body will remain fair and credible, it is the duty of the government to solidify that belief by implementing a whistleblowing policy to nab and prosecute corrupt electoral staff. Those who see the period of election as an opportunity to amass wealth by disenfranchising people must face prosecution. INEC must ensure that it upholds with the highest regard, its non-partisan neutrality.
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Postponement
Both INEC and Nigerian citizens must join hands to reduce postponement. If everything goes right on both parts, there will be no need to reschedule
While the election is not a do-or-die affair, a bad electoral outcome is, as we have seen over the last eight years.
Nigeria Decides: 5 Things Nigerians Must Do To Make Vote Count. May our labour, before, at, and beyond the polls never be in vain.
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