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Of carrot-and-stick presidential election (1)

By Femi Ajayi
13 April 2015   |   4:53 am
NIGERIA’S fifth quadrennial election, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the control of the central government since 1999, ushered in the man we hate to love, General Muhammadu Buhari, with Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his deputy, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with 15,424,921 votes, representing 53.96 per cent; to beat President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo of the PDP, who polled 12,853,162 votes, representing 44.96 per cent of the total valid ballots.
Buhari-Jonathan-posters

Buhari and Jonathan posters

NIGERIA’S fifth quadrennial election, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the control of the central government since 1999, ushered in the man we hate to love, General Muhammadu Buhari, with Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his deputy, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with 15,424,921 votes, representing 53.96 per cent; to beat President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo of the PDP, who polled 12,853,162 votes, representing 44.96 per cent of the total valid ballotNs.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) publication, the 2015 presidential elections had the margin of 2,571,759 votes.

Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s foremost man of letters, described the election as the “most expensive, most prodigal, wasteful, senseless, I mean really insensitive in terms of what people live on in this country.

This was the real naira-dollar extravaganza, spent on just subverting, shall we say, the natural choices of people. Just money instead of argument, instead of position statements.”

The traditional rulers resorted to collection of dollars from politicians and using their traditional titles to rain curse on those who would vote against their wishes.

The American style of democracy, the presidential system, since 1999, has been experimented through General Olusegun Obasanjo, a 61-year-old at his election, a Christian of Yoruba stock, from May 1999 to May 2007; Umaru Yar’Adua, a Muslim of Fulani aristocracy, became the president at the age of 56 years at his inauguration; and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, at Yar’Adua’s death on May 5, 2010, became the president at the age of 53 years, a Christian, from the family of an Ijaw canoe maker. All the three belong to the PDP.

Jonathan will be handling over to General Mohammed Buhari of Fulani stock, who will be 72 years when he assumes office on May 29, 2015, and he belongs to the APC.

INEC recorded 844,519 votes as invalid or blank, which totalled 29,432,083, to make the 100% of the votes cast. Registered voters’ turnout as recorded was 68,833,476, which made up of 42.76 per cent of those who registered to vote. Nigeria could be having a two-party system for now; consuming the other 12 mushroom political parties which could disappear to the big reptiles.

Alternatively, as the political parties would start crumbling as time progresses, they could form a third party, as the ‘spoiler’. Nigerians will witness political cross-carpeting within the political parties very soon.

Significantly, before the final announcement of results by INEC, President Goodluck Jonathan exhibited elegance and leadership by calling his opponent, General Buhari, to congratulate him and concede defeat. It was a gesture signalling restraint to his followers as indicated by the majority wish of Nigerians, which is greater than individual’s desire or ambition. Jonathan’s decision has created an environment for goodwill that would create a good working relationship with the incoming President Buhari.

In addition, Jonathan’s demonstration would give the country a remarkable leverage in the comity of nations and boost principles of democracy in Nigeria. By so doing, the president leaves Aso Rock on a high note and would enter history as the first president to accept defeat.

Nigerians have never seen power changed hands through the ballot on an incumbent president or a serving president being defeated in an election since 1960 when the nation gained independence. Most elections have either been rigged, or even annulled by the military.

There may be millions of people who are not ecstatic with the outcome. However, this year’s presidential election represents a triumph for democracy and the rights of Nigerians to determine who rules them. Despite several logistical challenges, delays and attempts by some politicians to frustrate the process, Nigerians showed guts to exercise their democratic rights. Consequently, the main heroes of the presidential elections are Nigerians who showed commitment and discipline by coming out to vote and stayed in their polling units, sometimes into the second day, Sunday, as the process dragged on.

Buhari’s victory has definitely changed the political landscape of the country, laying a roadmap for all the political terrain in Africa. It has helped an average Nigerian to believe in the representative government, especially at the federal level.

The election turned out to be largely a referendum on key national issues pertaining to the state of the Nigerian economy and security; and the widely criticised Jonathan’s performance record. It emanated from his failure to tackle corruption, improve infrastructure, especially electricity supply.

In addition, most Nigerians agreed that his administration was marred by incompetence, corruption, dishonesty, favouritism, and cronyism.

Other issue that shaped the election was the dramatic rise in strength of the Boko Haram Islamist group.

In spite of its fierce criticism from both the APC and the PDP during the campaign, INEC held its head very high during the elections. The Commission’s chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is a tough-minded, independent administrator, committed to overseeing a fair and credible vote. A career academic, who cut his political teeth opposing the brutal military dictatorship of General Abacha in the late 1990s, showed his excellent leadership skills, even under attack.

He maintained calmness in the turbulence of a sensitive electoral process. The new technology earns INEC the respect and admiration of Nigerians and across the world.

We still believe that the electoral umpire should address all the hiccups that characterised the March 28, 2015 election.

•To be continued tomorrow.
•Ajayi is a Professor of Policy, Management and Conflict Resolution at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State

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