Thinking Beyond Party Politicking

THINKING BEYOND PARTY POLITICKING AS THE GENERAL ELECTIONS ARE FAST APPROACHING

        

An election is a decision-making process in which a population chooses an individual or group of persons to hold an official position or a public office. In the same vein, the election of a person or a political party is their success/victory at the electoral polls; or the situation whereby one is being chosen for a certain position of authority by the majority.

Elections are usually employed in order to fill vacant offices in the legislative and/or executive arm of any government. The process is also used in many private or business organizations such a clubs, voluntary associations and corporate societies.

The universal use of elections as a tool for selecting political leaders or representatives in modern democracies is in contrast with the practice in the democratic ancient Athens whose elections were conducted by an oligarchic process in which most political offices were filled via Allotment method through which officeholders were chosen by a lot.   

Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the Seventeenth (17^th) Century. These aforementioned assertions have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that it is only in a thorough democratic setting, that, elections are witnessed or allowed to take place.

Democracy which is referred to as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, is indeed a practice that needs to be sustained by all means by any concerned country or nation because it is only the form of government that grants the citizenry the opportunity to choose their leaders or representatives. And for democracy to be sustained, elections or electoral matters must be taken very seriously by the electorates.

Since the emergence of democracy in Nigeria, the giant of Africa, it is obvious that elections which are widely regarded as a veritable tool have been maltreated by both those seeking for political offices and the electorates due to corruption. Ab initio, disheartening cases including molestation, thuggery, sale of Voter’s Card, bribery, lobbying, impersonation, as well as election rigging among other forms of electoral malpractices have been the order of the day.

As the 2015 general elections are fast approaching, there is urgent need for the electorates to look beyond party politicking while making their choices, especially as multi-party system is being observed in Nigeria. Perhaps, since the multi-party system routine has the tendency of distracting the electorates, they are therefore expected to concentrate on the individuality of the candidates rather than their political affiliations.

In view of this, the background of the aspirants ought not to be taken for granted. The social, religious, educational and parental lineages of the aspirants speak volume than any other factor because it is the recipe that would inform the electorates where exactly the candidates is migrating from thereby enabling them (the electorates) to know what he/she can offer if emerged victorious at the polls.

Also, for the candidates seeking for second or third term, or who wants to divert to a different position, as the case may be, the electorates should thoroughly assess his/her accomplishments during the first tenure or while in the previous office. In this aspect, the person’s achievements during the previous term(s) should also be seen as his/her background thus must be critically considered by the concerned electorates. By so doing, they would be able to separate the grains from the chaffs.

On its part, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ought to as a matter of urgency, disqualify any candidate with any questionable character or any trace of criminality. Those who have violated or who possess the tendency of violating any of the electoral laws or regulations should not be exempted in this line of action.

The electorates should also assist INEC that is poised to conduct free and fair elections, by ensuring that each of them is registered for the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and afterwards, go for its collection at the designated quarters. Registration for and collection of the PVC is the civic right of any bona-fide Nigerian citizen who has attained the age of eighteen (18).

Anyone who registered at a particular ward, zone or state but wishes to cast his/her vote elsewhere is statutorily meant to apply at the INEC office for onward transfer of his/her bio-data to the affected electoral ward, zone or state as the case might be. Also, those who have registered in 2011 and were issued Temporary Voter’s Card (TVC) are not meant to register again before they would be entitled to collect their PVC. INEC and the civil society should on their respective capacities help to create more awareness in this regard.

Above all, we must ensure that our votes are duly counted having voted for candidates of our choice. Our votes are our mandates; therefore we must at all cost endeavour to safeguard them irrespective of the circumstance. We ought to note that, for the anticipated free, fair and credible elections not to end up as a mirage, all hands must be on deck towards its actualization.

So, as the various political aspirants in the country are currently busy with their respective electioneering, we are expected to look beyond party politicking and concentrate on the candidates’ individuality and most importantly, the future of the country. Think about it!

 

   COMR FRED NWAOZOR
  The Media Ambassador
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