After the Independent National Electoral Commission postponed the
\npresidential election from 16th February to 23rd February, 2019, it became
\nobvious that the Commission was not ready for the elections. Prior to
\nthat, the Commission had declared the Osun state gubernatorial election
\ninclusive, which made discerning Nigerians to raise their eyebrows about
\nthe preparedness of the electoral umpire to conduct the forthcoming 2019
\nelection. Its postponement was therefore, not a surprise to many.<\/p>\n
After postponing the election, the electoral body made efforts to convince After the Independent National Electoral Commission postponed the presidential election from 16th February to 23rd February, 2019, it became obvious that the Commission was not ready for the elections. Prior…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nNigerians that it was ready for the elections. I didn\u2019t expect less from
\nthe Chairman of INEC. What will he tell the world about his inability to
\ncarry out a function he had four years to prepare? We all watched the
\nChairman\u2019s daily briefing as he laboured to bring us up to speed with
\npreparations and how he plans to defeat Mr. Logistics.
\nDespite the daily update, the presidential election wasn\u2019t without
\nchallenges. Problems of poor distribution of electoral materials, failure
\nof the card readers, and late arrivals of electoral officers to polling
\nunits, still echoes and trails the result that was \u00a0declared.
\nThe electoral umpire may want to create an excuse on why the presidential
\nelection experienced challenges, considering the large number of polling
\nunits, the desperate antics of politicians to deliver their state at all
\ncost in order to impress their masters, and a host of other reasons.
\nThere is a popular aphorism that once you make a mistake, you should learn
\nfrom it. The general expectation therefore, was that the gubernatorial and
\nHouse of Assembly elections would be an improvement on the presidential
\nelection. Like everything Nigerian, that didn\u2019t happen. It is beginning to
\nlook like Nigerians cannot get anything right.
\nElection plays a significant role in the life of every nation. It is a
\nserious business that we should not contaminate with our Niaja attitude.
\nIt produces or is supposed to produce the leadership that will manage the
\naffairs of a country. Where an election is stained, the leaders produced
\nfrom that process remain stained. Nigerian elections over the years, have
\nbeen stained. The people cannot beat their chest to say that they have
\nproduced the leaders who have governed this country over the years,
\nthrough a hitch free electoral process. The will of the people is always
\nmade subject to the will of the one who knows how to rig better. I said
\n\u201crig better\u201d because all politicians rig elections. Winners who are
\ndeclared are usually those who have outrigged their opponents.
\nThe gubernatorial elections conducted by the Inconclusive (Independent)
\nNational Electoral Commission in some states, already have credibility
\nquestions hanging on its neck. The word \u201cinconclusive\u201d is now synonymous
\nwith our election.
\nPeople are tensed and the opposition is shouting, claiming that the
\naffected states declared inconclusive are states where it is winning or
\nleading. One cannot blame them; we all witnesses to the magic that played
\nout in Osun.
\nFrom reports across the country, fewer people came out to vote for the
\ngubernatorial and house of assembly elections. The voter apathy in this
\nyear\u2019s election is massive. There was enthusiasm for the presidential
\nelection, but INEC\u2019s poor handling of that election caused the voter
\napathy were experienced in last Saturday\u2019s election. In the future, we may
\nexperience a situation where no one comes out to vote, considering how
\nelectoral umpire managed the last elections.
\nNothing will be more tragic for a country than when the electoral body
\ncharged with the responsibility of creating the platform for the people to
\nexercise their civic duty, turns out to be the one that has discouraged
\nthem from doing so.
\nIt\u2019s a shame.
\nFrank\u00a0Ijegefrankijege@yahoo.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"