THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS AND ITS PECULIARITIES

 

“The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain…”- a line from the Nigerian national anthem which every well-meaning citizen wishes and anticipates will come into fruition democratically, and therefore looks forward to the 7^th general elections since the dawn of the fourth republic. 

The February 2023 general election is one which has been anticipated for a long time. On the part of the ordinary citizen, it is so because the previous 8 years have been marked with intense socio-economic hardship in forms of: fuel scarcity, an all-time high inflation rate, ASUU strikes, police intimidation and insecurity.

On the part of the elites and ruling class however, the speculations of the positive and negative influences on the shift in federal might from one president and vice-president to the prospective other lingers in the high-class spaces.

Similarly, the offensive and counter-offensive strategies between the contending political parties has produced fresh talking points for political spectators and re-informed the Nigerian experience with respect to political participation.

From the ruling political party - the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) whose presidential flag bearer is Atiku Abubakar and to the coalition of seemingly threatening third forces led by Peter Obi’s Labour Party (LP), Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria’s Peoples Party (NNPP), and Omoyele Sowore’s African Action Congress (AAC); the stage seems to be set for the most anticipated elections in the history of Nigeria.

Perhaps one could say the major peculiarity of the 2023 general election lays profoundly in the trailblazing manner in which the Labour Party has arrived at the political scene. From being labelled as a mere protest party to one of the most critiqued organizations, the movement seems to have gained momentum rapidly and poses as a force knocking on the door of the political status quo symbolized by the APC and PDP’s involvement in governance since 1999.

While eighteen political parties in total prepare to woo Nigerians into voting for their preferred candidates, the discussions surrounding the foremost election monitoring institution is also brewing quickly as to its level of preparedness. This is in light of the novel provisions of the Electoral Act of 2022 which amplifies the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) established by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

One of the highlights of the Electoral Act of 2022 which further informs the peculiar nature of the upcoming elections are the technological innovations which will be making their first appearances in the electoral process of Nigeria. These include the use of electronic devices such as the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED), INEC Results Viewing Portal (IRev) and the popular Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) among other technological devices.

While it was reported that the performance of BVAS with respect to its turnaround time in the Osun State gubernatorial elections was preferable to its performances in the Ekiti, Anambra and FCT area council elections, several stakeholders have projected largely positive outcomes in light of the upgrade of the BVAS as evidenced in the Osun State election. Ultimately, there are hopes to witness free and fair elections through this development in INEC especially as the Commission will be deploying 176,846 BVAS machines for the 2023 general elections and backed up by another 17,618 machines.

Correspondingly, there have been reported sightings of heavy military presence especially in Anambra, Lagos and FCT-Abuja barely a week to the February 25^th which is the D-Day. While some see this as a good sign in favour of supressing voter intimidation by several party agents, others worry about the tendencies of possible human rights violations and post-election violence.

However, regardless of whatever the outcome maybe, it would be impossible to ignore the role played by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in implementing the currency change policy and the transition to a cashless economic society which is largely perceived as a move to cripple illegal dissemination of monies for the purpose of influencing voters.

Likewise, the internet elections polls are raising dust as to the preferred candidates to emerge as President and Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come February 25^th 2023. In reality nonetheless, the tensions remain high as we look forward to an election whereby for the first time since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999, none of the candidates is an incumbent or a former military leader.

According to a survey held in January 2023, 79% of registered voters have collected their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and this showcases a high level of political participation among the overall populace but still there are doubts as to if there will be a high voter turnout or if voter apathy will run its course.

Be that as it may, we the people must realize that for every action, a reaction beckons and if we truly desire the governance we all clamour for, the necessary action must be taken. Therefore, we must all rise to the occasion collectively to take part in the fight for our lives with our PVCs as our weapon of choice as it is most palpable that based on our past experiences as a nation, the chicken has come to roost and it is now clear more than ever that the time to take action is now.