The campaigns are raging. The vultures are gathering around our carcasses again. Are you not sick and tired of the empty promises? Are you not sick and tired of the nastiness of our Nigerian politics? It is frustrating and exhausting. Sometimes, we feel like giving up and shuttingdown our interest. We feel like thrashing our patriotic spirit in the cans and Stay at home on Election Day.
But the problem is, when we are tired and burned out, there are some folks who are getting ready to show up on the Election Day with their back room deals. The Nigerian ‘Democracy’ continues with or without you. They are voting in every election from the Local Government Chairman, to the Governors, Senators and the President. And they want you to believe that votes do not count in Nigeria. People who vote now in Nigeria know the impact the leaders they pick can have on every single part of our lives.
If you don’t vote, you are letting other people to make key decisions about the life you live in Nigeria, the place you live, and how it’s going to work out for you.If you don’t vote, you are directly saying ‘just take these decisions for me’. The point is: you may not like what they decide. You may not like living with the consequences of other people’s choice on you. But this is what happens when you don’t get your Permanent Voters Card. This is what happens when you stay at home on Election Day. It means you are essentially putting your future in the hands of others and the truth is, that’s exactly what these folks are hoping that you will do.
The whole voting exercise is all about democracy, which gives the people the right to vote their representatives. The more the people participate in elections and exercise their vote, the more important it is for party representatives running for office to represent these voter’s interests. When people fail to participate in voting during elections, able representatives won’t have the enthusiasm to listen to the voice of the people because they don’t feel their positions would be at risk. When people actually come out to vote their representatives, this singular act protects democracy.
Voters have a whole lot of power to choose their leaders. If aspiring leaders are chosen because of their promises and they then fail to fulfill these promises, voters have the exclusive right to vote them out of power. It is voting that gives people the right to hold their representatives accountable. Accountability is one of the reasons why elections without malpractice are important in society today. When people have the freedom to exercise their right to freely vote for the representatives they deem fit, this hinders them from have the ability to hold elected people in power accountable.
Also, when people don’t come out to vote, corrupt politicians can remain in power even after breaking their promise. Elections affect so many social policies. These social policies are all determined by the outcome of voting. Social policies like the policies and laws concerning freedom of speech, social security, marriage, religion, and others. All these affect people in the society in one way or the other. Voting is very important because you get to be able to have a say in who gets to pass laws on social policies and also the laws that are put in place.
We must change the narrative in this forthcoming election. The general lack of interest among Nigerians in exercising their civic responsibility by voting to elect those who lead them should become a thing of the past. If you haven’t got your PVC by now, you are the problem of this country because this election will be very decisive about the future of our nation.
Years upon years, we have prayed and prayed that God change and transform our nation miraculously. But the truth is: God cannot change us without us. The only way God can change this country is to vote for the miracle we have been praying for. We care about the people you are voting for because they should be the people to pull up this miracle and you know them. Talk to your friends about this miracle. Be an evangelist of social change for once in your life time.
This election is not about the leaders. It is not about political parties or manifestoes. It is about the power of true democracy in us. We are very determined to run through the leaders. Therefore, Be part of this process. Be part of this change. The time is now.
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