It could have been minority’s win because of the absence of majority participation.
―Ebuka Onyekwelu
The just-concluded governorship election in Edo state was a clash of powerful political forces and no doubt part of the buildup to the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. But most importantly, the victory in that election belongs to the people of Edo. The less than six hundred thousand Edo voters, who matched their words with action, went out to cast their votes on Election Day and thereby showing openly their disgust for the imposition of leadership.
The people; the ones who took part in that election are the champions of democracy in Edo state. The fact is that by participating, and by the majority of the voters having their way through their votes in Edo state, the mandate of democracy was fulfilled. It cannot be any better in a democracy. Although Edo people, particularly the eligible voters, took a big risk when they allowed only about five hundred thousand and fifty voters, to decide for millions of them.
Most times people tend to focus in excess, on institutional reforms like electoral laws, unbiased umpire, and security agents’ neutrality as the sole basis for having a free and credible election. However, while those are important, massive participation and involvement of the people in the political process is as important. This is because; you cannot rig an election where the choice of the overwhelming majority of voters is clear and unmistaken.
With about one million, seven hundred and twenty-six thousand voters that are ready to vote in Edo state based on the number of collected permanent voters’ card, only about five hundred and fifty thousand voters decided the fate of the one million, seven hundred thousand voters and the rest of the population. In so far as it is still a win by the majority, there are legitimate concerns owing to the very nature of the democratic system which presupposes that election of leaders ought to interest citizens. Even so, as the people place more demands on the government, democracy places higher responsibility on the people; here again supposing that if they chose their government freely, it will meet their expectations or they will vote it out the next time. What happened in Edo is a clear demonstration of abdication of civic responsibilities to a few others.
People increasingly generally do not show the seriousness with taking part in the political process, they are simply not interested. But somehow, they expect those who are interested to go and make the right decision for all of them and on behalf of the state and the government. Now, although Edo state has a population of about four million, two hundred and twenty-three people, with over one million, nine hundred and eighty-three thousand people between the ages of fifteen years and sixty-four years based on the 2006 population census; only less than six hundred thousand voters decided the fate of over four million people! That this is not coincidental but a prevailing pattern should cause worry.
Democracy in our clime is fast degenerating into a rule by the majority within a minority. In most recent elections across Nigeria, participation is a big issue. Beyond the election, there is rarely another form of engaging elected leaders to get them focused and not misuse the people’s mandate. It just appears the majority of the population does not care. Basically, we have a teaming population and eligible voters who grin from corner to post about bad government but still cannot take responsibility to go out on Election Day and vote, to sack a non-performing government or support and re-elect a performing government. Still, “Africa’s battle for democracy will be won or lost by Africans themselves”, writes The Economist and that is true. It is true because, fundamentally, democracy hands over sovereignty to the people. So it is the people that decide the trajectory of the state through the leadership they elect. Not everybody, I must admit. But the majority. A critical majority who are eager to install a new government or unseat a bad one, with the power of their vote.
The essence of elections therefore lies with participation. People going out on Election Day to cast their vote freely to their preferred candidate is the first and most critical point of duty for citizens, in a democracy. But even more, is expected; engaging the elected leaders on critical issues of governance and accountability, is next. But the people must start with the first assignment.
There are reports of a steady increase in voter apathy in Edo state governorship election over the past couple of election seasons. The year 2020 governorship election is not different in contrast to the past year’s governorship election. This year, voters’ participation is lower. But this is not just in Edo state. The truth is that generally, voters’ participation in elections is declining. People are more indifferent and unconcerned. From my participation and observation of elections in Anambra state, it is difficult to have up to twenty percent participation. A polling unit with about two hundred voters may have less than fifty voters who actually voted in an election and this is usually the case in most polling units in Anambra state.
People simply do not have interest to take part in the process of electing their leaders even as that remains their only hope of shaping the direction their leadership must take.
In the 2017 Anambra governorship election, with about two million, one hundred thousand voters, there were only about four hundred and forty-eight thousand voters that voted. Meanwhile in the 2013 Anambra governorship election, with about one million, seven hundred thousand voters, there were only about four hundred and sixty-five thousand voters that voted in the election. People simply do not have interest to take part in the process of electing their leaders even as that remains their only hope of shaping the direction their leadership must take. This trend, by far, is the single most important motivation to those that wish to scuttle popular will and aspirations of the people, by illegal interference in the election process. Interfering with election outcome becomes even near impossible with massive participation, but a lot easier with fewer participants.
In Edo state, of the five hundred thousand plus that participated by voting in the election, the people are lucky to have a majority within that small number of participants. It could have been minority’s win because of the absence of majority participation. In many other states, the people or the electorates may not be that lucky. Nigerians in general may not be as lucky. Election in a democracy is each citizen using his/her vote to define the kind of leadership he deserves. It is a time of personal action that does not require delegation of duty. The challenge is for those who feel that they deserve better from their government to go out and vote a government they deserve or suffer whatever may be the outcome of the election.
Therefore the Nigerian electorates must be dutiful in their commitment to active involvement in electing their leaders. And like Lee Kuan Yew posited, “We cannot forget that public order, personal security, economic and social progress, and prosperity are not the natural order of things, that they depend on ceaseless effort and attention from an honest and effective government that the people must elect”. In other words, it is the job of Nigerians to develop their country through the quality of leaders they elect into public offices.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
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