Tomorrow, Nigerians will head to the polls to elect candidates of their choice in the Presidential and National Assembly elections. For a while now, the nation’s landscape has been characterized by massive political activities. It is quite understandable as the much awaited 2019 national election is just few hours away. As a result, it is imperative to address the need for a peaceful electoral process, because, much cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of needless chaos and protracted crisis.


Thus, political leaders and followers should toe the line of decorum, having witnessed pockets of needless violence in parts of the Country of late. It has been stated, over and over again, that elections should not be a do or die affair. If the overriding interest of all aspiring public office holders, as it really ought to be, is to better the lives of Nigerians, it would be contradictory for them to turn the political scene into an orgy of violence. It would only compound the woes of the people as violence has nothing to offer but to complicate the economic and security troubles of the Country.


Historically, our previous attempts at democracy were grossly hampered, partly because of acts of violence that engulfed the electoral process. For instance, the First Republic, the chaos and other such political violence that followed the 1965 general election heralded the coming of the military. A series of events that followed eventually culminated into the civil war.


In the Second Republic, yet another attempt at entrenching democracy was bungled, partially as a result of the tension and crisis that followed the 1983 elections, which were alleged to be heavily rigged. Fifteen years after, we decided to give another shot at democracy. Presently, we have had an unprecedented nineteen years of uninterrupted civil rule. This should be enough motivation for principal actors in the political process and all stakeholders to play according to the rules. Doing anything to the contrary would only make a mess of whatever gains we have made in the past years. This is why it is vital that political parties and, indeed, all concerned Nigerians, must maintain decorum in all they do, so that the future of the nation’s democracy will not be jeopardized.


The 2019 election, therefore, offers another huge platform to get things right. This is the time to get it right. The only interest that should be paramount in the ensuing political contest should be that of the country. It is not in anyone’s interest for the country to be engulfed in crisis because of election. We have had enough of blood shedding in the country. We have lost enough innocent souls to the criminal activities of insurgents across the country.


In the 21st century, killing or maiming people in the name of election portends backwardness and barbarism. If relatively smaller and less endowed neighbouring countries could conduct peaceful and credible elections, it behooves on the most populous Black Country in the world to demonstrate the needed political leadership, worthy of emulation across the continent.


However, there can be no peace when justice is compromised. Therefore, it is very crucial for INEC and the various security agencies to be fair to all in the elections. From past experiences, the inability of past electoral umpires to conduct fair and credible elections had been largely responsible for the resultant chaos that trailed the outcome of previous elections.
Hence, INEC’s officials, at all levels, must not compromise the electoral process. The vote of every Nigerian must be made to count. Same goes for the security agencies. It is unethical for security agencies to display partisan tendencies while overseeing the conduct of a national election. The police, in particular, should be civil and impartial in their conduct before, during and after the elections. Their allegiance should be solely to the country, and not any parochial political interest.
To INEC, the late arrival of personnel and voting materials often leads to agitation, frustration and apathy among the electorate. The electorate must also resolve to be of good conduct in discharging their civic responsibilities. They must shun violence and desist from acts that can compromise or mar the election because without the cooperation of all Nigerians, INEC will never be able to deliver a credible and acceptable election.


So, every Nigerian is a major stakeholder in the ability or inability of INEC to conduct a credible election this year. Hence, we must all desist from acts that can compromise, mar or discredit the process.
Above all, irrespective of our varying political leanings, we remain brothers and sisters living in the same landscape. Hence, it behooves on us to ensure that the peace of the land is not endangered. It will be foolhardy to do otherwise. God bless Nigeria.

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