In a few months time, Africa most populous nation, Nigeria will be heading
\nto the polls to elect its political representatives in an electoral exercise
\nthat has been predicted to be the fiercest yet political battle in the
\nhistory of the country and a great decider to the unity and continuous
\nexistence of the 1914 amalgam and by extension the stability of Africa as a
\nwhole.<\/p>\n
For a country that has witnessed decades of military misrule and
\ndictatorial governments, there is a resounding appeal to ensure the
\ncontinuous play of democracy and political stability. Like every other
\ncountry, Nigeria is faced with its own challenges. The slippery war against
\nterrorism, where the dreaded Boko Haram group has continuously held the
\ncountry to ransom with tonnes of atrocities among which are the numerous
\ngenocides that is claiming thousands of helpless and vulnerable lives. The
\nunabating kidnappings especially that of over 200 girls of Chibok Secondary
\nSchool and the unending massacre of many others on a nearly daily basis has
\nbecome a major source of concern to residents of the country and even the
\nworld at large.<\/p>\n
The current political play in the country towards the 2015 general election
\npoints clearly towards doomsday. The country is currently divided along
\npartisan class laced around religion and ethnicity. While majority of
\ndistance analysts simply see the current brouhaha as normalcy in the build
\nup to the election, experiences of the immediate past points otherwise.<\/p>\n
In 2011, shortly after the presidential election which saw Mr. Goodluck
\nJonathan emerged president, a devastating turmoil broke out in major states
\nand cities in the Northern part of Nigeria. Many who had analysed the
\nscenario saw it as the uprising of some individuals against the failure of
\ntheir preferred candidate to emerge victorious but far away from this
\nassumption, the violence that greeted the 2011 election was bitterness and
\nhatred concoctioned in betrayal. As against the widely reported news then,
\nthe violence was nothing other than a civil war. For individuals like
\nmyself who was caught between the flames and brimstone it wasn’t just about
\nloosing an election but the outpouring of decades of suppressed hatred,
\nintolerance and ethnicity. Individuals who were lynched and house razed
\nweren’t done because of the differences in voting, it was a direct attack
\non non Muslims and non Northerners alike. Many who had lived in the North
\nall their lives and even voted for the Northern candidate fell victim of
\nthis rage and innocent youth corps members’ ( who were seen as strangers to
\nthe land) were brutally declared persona non grata.<\/p>\n
I say this because the current political situation in the country is
\nheading towards 2011 and maybe much more dreadful. The major opposition
\nparty called the All Progressive Congress (APC) is hell bent on taking over
\nthe country’s affairs in 2015 while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
\n(PDP) which has been in power for over 16 years has sworn not to let go.<\/p>\n
But morality of the parties is nothing to lose sleep over. The greater
\nthreats are the candidates both are likely to put forward. President
\nJonathan sees a failed reelection as a shame and insult to his family and
\nhis region as a whole. His kinsmen from the Niger Delta feels the same and
\nthe unguarded statements from top ‘ex’ militants from the region (who seems
\nto have an expansive arsenal) points clearly that they would give
\neverything to hold on to power. The opponent on the other hand, retired
\ngeneral Buhari is a well respected man who enjoys a wide range of appeal
\nacross the country (except for his perceived rigid mono-religious believe)
\nand commands an assembly of radical and unruly followers majorly Northern
\nyouths who are determined to ensure he emerge president or they die trying.<\/p>\n
With the current postulations of possible electoral outcome, the odds
\nfavours the President as the Nigeria voting pattern is more ruralist than
\ncosmopolitan. Unfortunately for the opposition, the rural climes are less
\nconcerned about who emerges president as their major concern is limited to
\nthe local and state politics hence the party with the most ubiquitous
\nstructure in a particular state wins such state no matter who is flagging
\nits presidential flag. If Mr. Jonathan emerged victorious ‘the baboon’ may
\nlikely be ‘soaked in blood’.<\/p>\n
Far from the rumoured analysis of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of
\nthe possible breakaway of Nigeria in 2015, the response to another defeat
\nof General Buhari in 2015 will be nothing short of catastrophic especially
\nat a time when more weapons and IEDs seems to have gained access to the
\nNorth coupled with a psychological frame mind of war that as engulfed the
\nregion as a result of the unending insurgency.<\/p>\n
To say Africa will not share in this if Nigeria burns is underplaying the
\nobvious. For a country of over 160,000,000 people the number of possible
\ndisplaced persons seeking refuge will overwhelm the whole of Africa.
\nNigeria being a center piece of Africa’s unity will cause greater
\ninstability to other regions and creates a vibe of fear and a volcanic
\neconomic crisis.<\/p>\n
Suggesting that the 2015 election be postponed will amount to only shifting
\nthe danger. 2015 deserves to hold, the people deserves to choose their
\nleaders. A possible way to avert the looming war is having the President
\nstepdown from the presidential race in the interest and unity of Nigeria
\nbut this will be asking too much of a man the world has already tagged weak
\nand indecisive. Another way out is appealing to the opposition party to
\nchose another candidate other than Buhari whose defeat may send the country
\ninto flames but for a party that has given everything to become where and
\nwhat it is today, such plea will appear selfish.<\/p>\n
While the world awaits the coming tsunami, the electoral commission and
\nindeed concerned world leaders should ensure that the parties and
\ncandidates sign an undertaken to take full responsibility of any uprising
\nthat might ensure after the election, such document shouldn’t be localised
\nbut better signed at Hague.<\/p>\n
Nigerians should be made to understand that killing fellow citizens in the
\ndisguise of political persuation is nothing but murder and such can never
\nbe justified. Politicians are never worth dying or killing for, as those
\nwho declare war most often never lead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a few months time, Africa most populous nation, Nigeria will be heading to the polls to elect its political representatives in an electoral exercise that has been predicted to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n