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With the so-called election that held on Saturday 11/8/2018 in Lokoja/Koto federal constituency and the results accepted by INEC and announced to the whole world, Nigeria is back to square one. Like many other Nigerians, I watched the video clips of the debacle called election, saw and heard how guns were booming and people running helter-skelter, I just told myself that we were back to where we started from.
If you imagine the amount of time, energy and resources that have been wasted moving round and arriving at the situation that the election in Lokoja/Koto typified then you will feel thoroughly disappointed by the system.
Many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who thought that with the 2015 elections Nigeria had crossed the rubicon must have been completely shattered that what was achieved less than four years ago has been lost and instead of being the beacon of hope for democracy, peace and development in Africa Nigeria had become a source of concern and a cause for alarm.
The question is where do we go from here? Erewhon! Erewhon is nowhere if you reverse the word. Nigeria is not going to anywhere with this type of bestial electioneering culture.
What do we do? There does not appear to be anything that we can do unless and until the security agencies remain neutral among the contenders for political power, INEC stands firm in sticking to the provisions of the electoral law and the civil society rise up to the new challenges facing the country’s electoral system.
While Ghana and other smaller countries have gotten it right electorally, Nigeria is still in the wilderness.
– Chief Jibril O. Yusuf
Elderstatesman and Kogi West Senate Aspirant
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