After the elections…

The much-anticipated general elections may have come and gone with all the shortcomings, the time has come for Nigeria to be on the march again. Without any iota of doubt, the elections really fell short of all expectations, despite the chest-thumping by the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission.
The accolades being showered on the exercise by the incumbent government at the centre, as well, will not also erase the disappointment the exercise had become in the minds of the average Nigerian.
Truth be told, we’ve never had the kind of desperation and violence that accompanied the last exercise in the history of elections in Nigeria. The whole exercise succeeded in bringing out the real intention of many of the politicians – to partake in the plundering of the resources of the country – and they were ready and willing to go to any length in achieving the selfish goals.
The results of this blind ambition was the wanton destruction and violence witnessed across the country just before, during and after the elections.
And to say that the elections really succeeded in dividing Nigerians the more would just be stating the
obvious.
It is sad that in a desperate bid to remain in office or assume leadership positions, our so-called leaders threw caution to the winds. They went as far as capitalising on the poverty that had been imposed on Nigerians by years of misrule to engage in brazen vote-buying and selling as if our electoral process had become a
trading platform.
The unwarranted killings and maiming of innocent persons also added another dimension to the exercise. It was so sad that under the “watchful eyes” of an administration that lays claim to having the interest of the masses at heart, especially with its much-flaunted welfarist programmes, the country became a killing field just because of elections. Where exactly did we get it wrong?
And with as cheap as a plate of rice and ‘pure water’, in some instances, our so-called leaders stole the hearts of poverty-stricken Nigerians to get their votes.
While the winners of the elections are already singing ‘hallelujah’, millions of poverty-stricken Nigerians will continue to wallow in their pitiable state for more years to come, having sold off their rights for a plate of rice.
We condemn all the deceit, coercion, intimidation and manipulations that came with the entire exercise and call for a rethink from our politicians. Politics of deceit is fraud and is so unfortunate that this is foisted on vulnerable Nigerians by those who claim to be ‘holier than thou.’
All these notwithstanding, we believe that many Nigerians must have learnt their lessons, though the hard way, and may just be ready to move on with their lives.
Our leaders should also have an introspection of the havocs they have wreaked on their fellow countrymen all in their bid to assume the mantle of leadership as politics in decent climes is never a
do-or-die.
We believe that the time to move Nigeria forward is now and tomorrow may just be too late. The winners should adopt the ‘winners take all’ attitude
and they should embrace the losers in order to move the country
forward.