By Stephen Ojate
My experience at the just concluded INEC civic registration exercise is nauseating. The mindset of some people are mindboggling and such one can ascribed as unexpected of Nigeria Citizens. It is not exaggerating to say that the INEC services avail me to have direct interaction with people of different social classes. My encounter with people of different background had given me an insight on the thought of an average Nigerians as it relates to election matters. It will amaze you to hear that large proportion of Nigerians have never voted in their life since they were born. This category of individuals were not teenagers who current attained the voting age but people of advanced age.
I began to wonder what makes them to reframe from voting at every election year without exercising their franchise for once as a citizen of this country.If I am not mistaking, I will not be wrong to say that people within the range age of 45 to 50years have witnessed 8 different elections in Nigeria not to talk of 60 years and above. You mean in all these elections, these people never see any reasons to obtain voter’s card in order to cast their vote at the election day?One of these people I had interaction with, one gave a flimsy excuse for abstaining from voting. He said votes in Nigeria don’t count as those he had voted for in the past were not declare victorious in spite of glaring evidence that they won.
To him, he sees no reason to vote anymore and this was the basis he had stayed clear of voting at every election years. He hinted further that it is nonsensical to vote when it was generally known to everyone that the election would be rigged.I will not be wrong to say that many of my readers have the same assumption and thought too. It is because of this irrational thinking of this class of Nigerians that precipitated my writing this article.Do you know staying at home without voting, you are not doing any harm to any undeforming Leader? By staying at home, it implies you are a useless Citizen and likened to bad Leaders in power. It is totally a disservice to this Nation as a citizen of this county to reframe from voting. If you reframe from voting, on what ground will you hold your Leaders accountable to what they had promised?Your decision not to vote is even a benefit to the ruling class as if bulk of Nigerians who were displeased with the government of the day who formed the majority take this same approach of yours, this will give the minority who were pleased with the ruling class to have their way on the Election Day.
Do you know victory at election is not won by those who made the loudest noise but for those who go out to vote?We should also know that if the majority who are displeased with the ruling class come out to vote, there is no way the election figure would be inflated and manipulated? Even if they do, it will not make significant impact as the majority have overwhelmingly vote cast. To support my argument, in the past we have observed in many state of the federation where the incumbent Leaders and the ruling class were defeated at the election. This clearly implies there is power for the dissenting voice to come en mass to vote.On the assumption that voters have not been counting, this is a wrong analogy. Votes have been counting and it will still continue to count. I have been voting since 1999 and my votes had contributed to the victory of three different former Presidents of Nigeria. It should be noted that election is not a must win game. It is either your vote aligns to the majority or minority. If your vote forms bulk of majority votes, it is on that ground your prefer Candidate will win.
Even if your prefer choice does not emerge victories, your votes still count as your preferred party’s candidate would still be boastful to tell the public what he garnered at the election day. If he didn’t win today he might win tomorrow. Take the case of former President Muhammad Buhari as an example. He contested several times and lost but won at the later years.
He operates in Wuse 2 Abuja. He opens to the public Monday to Saturday by 9am to 6pm daily. He facilitates the collection of voter’s card domicile in Abuja only
Stephen Ojate is a Journalist and public affairs commentator writes from Abuja. He is into NIN new registration, NIN and BVN Change of Name, Date of birth modification, and printing of NIN plastic Card.
