Wednesday, 1 April 2015
Reflections on Elections... by Banky W
The morning after..
It has been quite an interesting time in our Nation's History. Exhilarating for some, disappointing for others... but interesting nonetheless. The announcement of the 2015 Election results has dominated every news medium, traditional and social media platform in the last few days. Alongside most Nigerians worldwide, I was glued to my television throughout the process as INEC members slowly read out each result from each state, and then as the Chairman Mr Jega gave the final results and declared the winner.
Now that the dust has settled a little, it's time to share some of my random thoughts on what has just happened, and celebrate/highlight some of the key factors.
Here's to the President-elect, General Muhammudu Buhari. Congratulations Sir on your victory. Yours is a lesson of perseverance. After contesting and failing in 2003, 2007 and 2011, some would have understandably thrown in the towel on this particular goal. But it's never failure until you give up, give in and quit trying. There's a lesson for all of us in this. When you get knocked down, you get back up, dust yourself off, re-strategize, and try again. That's precisely what he did, and now he's the President-Elect. He's got a tough job ahead of him...the economy is coming upon harsh times; oil prices have crashed and foreign reserves have been depleted. The Unemployment rate and poverty index in Nigeria is at an all time high. General Buhari's administration have their work cut-out for them, and here's hoping they hit the ground running. It's time to cut the excesses of times past... time to focus on what's truly important to the Nigerian people, and make significant strides in the right direction. Everything needs improvement. Security, Employment, Power, Education... you name it. Change is what we voted for, and change they must deliver.
Here's to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Many of us have been vocal critics of the present administration over the past couple of years... but you've left a legacy of conducting/overseeing/allowing two free & fair elections to hold in Nigeria. That's more than any other President can say in our Nation's history. You've also been gracious in defeat, and your move to quickly congratulate the opposition has probably helped ease the atmosphere in these tense times. That these elections have been MOSTLY violence-free, is no small feat. Your position, that neither you nor any politician's ambition, is worth the blood of any Nigerian, is noble, applaudable, and appreciated. If you're going to go out, this is the way to do it.. with your head held high and your dignity intact.
Here's to Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Muhammudu Jega. You've overseen such an intricate, tense, political process and come out mostly spotless. In recent times your job has probably been the most powerful and the most stressful in Nigeria, and yet you handled your affairs as cool as the other side of the pillow. Never once losing your temper, never once succumbing to pressure or drama, never once letting people see you sweat. Your attitude, manner, and competence in dealing with highly sensitive tasks and times, is one that is exemplary to all Nigerians. This is how to become a living legend. Our hope, however, is that INEC will improve upon this exercise and learn some very necessary lessons. The process to collate, calculate and announce results took entirely too long. It's 2015... we can't at this point, be that adverse to the use of excel sheets and calculators. Too much time passed between when votes were cast and when the results were announced that could be interpreted as an avenue for rigging to occur. The situation and allegations in States such as Rivers, and some areas in the North and East, should also be looked into for the purpose of eliminating any areas of malpractice in the future.
Here's to the young people that were actively involved in the political process this time around. It was encouraging to see more of us participate. For instance, one of the parties used peers of mine like Adebola Williams and Chude Jideonwo (and their media platforms) to handle their PR and campaign activities with great success; while other parties used spokespeople who some say may have done more harm than good. Sites like LindaIkeji's blog, Bella Naija, and YNaija, were just as, if not more important to candidates and voters, than traditional newspapers and media. This shows the innate tremendous power and influence that young people and our platforms have. Don't be surprised when you see some of these young people being appointed in strategic powerful positions in the near future.
Here's to the Nigerian People. This 2015 Election marks the first time in our history, that an incumbent President has been voted out of power. That in and of itself is a mark of a true democracy, and a sign that power still belongs to the people. My hope is that this will serve notice to the incoming administration at the Federal, State and Local levels. Gone are the days when our leaders can do whatever they like, and expect to remain in power with little to no backlash. Gone are the days when no matter how bad your actions are, or how bad a state we find ourselves in, we just say "it's Naija" and "God dey". The time has come where we must now hold our leaders accountable for the offices we have elected them into, and this election was the first step in that direction. We must pay attention... we must care. Not just about the office of the President, but the Governors, Senators, House of Reps, and Local Government positions. This is the only way we will see Nigeria truly change for the better. If we the people, just... care, again. Now is the time to keep track of campaign promises that were made, and see if they're delivered on. The reason Nigeria keeps recycling the same problems and issues with no end insight, decade after decade, is because of failed leadership and citizen apathy. Our leaders were corrupt and we just didn't care. Let's hope that change, indeed, has come.
To those of us that voted, whether your candidate won or lost, thank you for playing a very significant and important role in our Nation's Democracy and History. Thank you for letting your voice be heard. Thank you for braving the inconvenient, tense, and sometimes harsh, conditions to make sure you voted and that those votes were counted. We laughed together and we fought; we stood in line together under the burning sun, then the rain, then the sun again; we discussed and we argued... but we voted.
Nigeria has a current population of about 182+ Million people; only 29+ million of which voted in the recent elections. The winner of the elections had 15+ million votes. That means, only 8% of our population chose the direction of our country for the next 4 years. That's not good enough. I was watching the elections coverage, and it was sad to see that state by state, the eligible, registered voter turnout was less than 50%. That's not good enough. Some people will say that we voted along tribal lines; I say that most young people, who do not have the tribal prejudices that older generations have, simply didn't show up. Time and again, I'd be among groups of young people and ask who has picked up their PVC. 9 times out of 10, I'd be the only one. We have to do better. We seem to be content with tweeting, and instagram-ing, and arguing and pointing fingers... but when it comes to the most basic of our civic responsibilities... when it comes to actually playing a part in bringing about a better Nigeria that we all seek, we're nowhere to be found. Social Media activism is simply not enough.
Some young people tried, but were frustrated by the inefficiencies in the PVC collection process. My heart goes out to you if you truly tried, but for some reason couldn't get your card. Others were just "too busy" to go through what was required. To these ones, I say this: We saw pictures of Billionaires such as Aliko Dangote and Wale Tinubu voting. You are not busier than Dangote. If these ones could put their affairs on hold to register and vote, then clearly, we all need to get our priorities straight.
Some may say that elections here are rigged... well, you make it incredibly easy for someone to rig elections by not showing up. All the unused ballot papers can very easily be stamped for whoever they feel like. It becomes increasingly hard to rig when we show up en-masse. I pray, and work towards the day, when all the young people who are eligible, actually care enough to get up, go out and register to vote... and in that day, when we all actually do vote, we will truly be in charge of our Nation's destiny. We'll see a Nigeria that has a chance to cast away the burdens, problems and prejudices of times past, and finally live up to our potential.
- Banky Wellington
PS: Here's to General Buhari's daughter, Zahra... in the immortal words of FahlzTheBadGuy... 'Ello Bae :-)
Pres. Obama praises President Jonathan for conceding defeat
The last few days have shown the world the strength of Nigeria’s commitment to democratic principles. By turning out in large numbers and sometimes waiting all day to cast their votes, Nigerians came together to decide the future of their country peacefully. I commend President Goodluck Jonathan and President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari for their public commitments to non-violence throughout the campaign. President Jonathan has placed his country’s interests first by conceding the election and congratulating President-Elect Buhari on his victory.
I look forward to working with President Jonathan throughout the remainder of his term, and I thank him for his many years of service and his statesmanlike conduct at this critical juncture. I urge President-Elect Buhari and President Jonathan to repeat their calls to their supporters to continue to respect the election outcomes, focus on unifying the country, and together lead Nigeria through a peaceful transition. Nigeria’s Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, deserve special recognition for what independent international observers have deemed a largely peaceful and orderly vote.
I commend INEC for its extensive efforts to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process. Looking ahead to the gubernatorial elections on April 11, it is imperative that national attention turn to ensuring isolated logistical challenges are overcome and peace is protected, even in the most hotly contested races. On behalf of the American people, I extend congratulations to the people of Nigeria and to President-Elect Buhari and look forward to continuing to work with the newly-elected government on our many shared priorities.
Pics: Amber Rose & Blac Chyna put on a s*xy show outside the club
Femi Fani-Kayode releases statement on the presidential election
Ladies and gentlemen of the media,We have come here today to express our gratitude to the Nigerian people for the overwhelming support that we received over the last few weeks when it comes to the issue of the Presidential election.
We are very proud of the efforts of our President and of our party and we are also very proud of the efforts of every single one of those who participated in the Presidential Campaign Organisation. As a Directorate we could not have asked for anything more in terms of support and encouragement from our colleagues and comrades within the party and the Campaign Organisation. I am personally very proud of my team, every single one of them; my Assistant Directors, my officers, my advisory team and every single one of those that joined hands to help us to state our case and to sell our candidate to the Nigerian people.
It has however come to a point that we must tell the world and the Nigerian people about how we feel about the outcome of the election. What we will say here today is basically to reiterate and to reflect the words of our leader and President, President Goodluck Jonathan. We start by saying that we commend and we congratulate General Muammadu Buhari for winning this election. We also wish to commend our President, President Goodluck Jonathan, for having the courage to concede that he has lost the election at the earliest moment and also for being able to stand up and rise above party politics and being able to speak like a statesman.
We therefore urge the Nigerian people and our teeming supporters to stand firm and continue to support the democratic process and continue to agitate for a better Nigeria. We urge them to continue to support our party the PDP as best as they can even though we lost this election. We ask them to co-operate with the incoming government and to remember that we are first and foremost Nigerians before anything else.
On the day of the election when I went to vote at Ile-Ife, I held a press conference in which I told the people that more than anything else that we should try our very best to keep the peace in this country and to keep the country moving forward. I also reminded them that in every election there will always be a winner and a loser. It is a mark of our humanity and it is also symptomatic of the type of people that we are and who we are that when the time comes we can say we fought a good fight but we lost.
And having lost, it does not mean that it is the end to the world, it just means that we need to re-group, re-organise ourselves and begin the process all over again because another elections will come in a few years time. And that is where we are today. We have conceded that we have lost. We acknowledge the fact that we fought a good fight. We do not have any fears about the future. We did the right thing during the campaign. We have no regrets about our candidate or the way in which we conducted our campaign and we will live to fight another day
Finally let me commend all our colleagues on the other side for also standing up for what they believed in. There was absolutely nothing personal as regards this Directorate or myself. I had nothing personal against anybody. I was simply doing my job for which I have no regrets and I wish them well and I sincerely hope that they will take Nigeria to a level that we can all be proud of.
May God grant each and everyone of us peace. May He watch over our nation. May He guide our President for the next two months whilst he is still in power and thereafter and may He guide and lead the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, in the herculean task that lies ahead for him. My prayer is that he brings our nation together, heals the wounds and that he builds the bridges in terms of religion, ethnicity and region that he needs to build in order for us to make Nigeria a better place and to ensure that Nigeria becomes a great country that she is destined to be.
I want to end this message by thanking our colleagues in the press for always responding to us so quickly and for always being ready to hear our message and for putting it out there. Also those on the social media, both friend and foe, we thank you for your efforts. We thank our foes because they kept us on our toes and we thank our friends because they encouraged us and gave us hope.
May God grant you all peace and joy and may you live long and prosper.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Acceptance Statement by Gen. Buhari, President-Elect of Nigeria
I am immensely grateful to God for this day and for this hour. I feel truly honoured and humbled that the Nigerian people have so clearly chosen me to lead them. The official announcement from INEC was the moment the vast majority of Nigerians had hoped and been waiting for. Today, history has been made, and change has finally come. Your votes have changed our national destiny for the good of all Nigerians.
INEC has announced that I, Muhammadu Buhari, shall be your next president. My team and I shall faithfully serve you. There shall no longer be a ruling party again: APC will be your governing party. We shall faithfully serve you. We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to government.
Our long night has passed and the daylightof new democratic governance has broken across the land. This therefore is not a victory for one man or even one party. It is a victory for Nigeria and for all Nigerians. Millionsof you have worked for this day. So many have risked life and livelihood; and others have died that we may witness this moment.
And it is with a very heavy heart that I report many deaths and injuries amidst the jubilations yesterday. We send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives; and wish speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries. I appeal to all our supporters to celebratethis victory with prayers and reflection instead of wild jubilation.
May the souls of those who died rest inpeace. Let us take amoment of silence to honour all of those whose sacrificeshave brought us to this fine and historic hour. As the results of the electionhave shown, their labor has not been and will neverbe in vain. Democracy and the rule of law will be re-established in the land.
Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behindus. We must forget our old battles and past grievances—and learn to forge ahead. I assureyou that our government is one that will listen to and embrace all.
Ipledge myself and our in-comingadministration to just and principled governance. There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender or social status. I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates,and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection.
You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and that your constitutional rightsremain in safe hands. You shallbe able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation. My love and concernfor this nation and what I desire for it extends to all, even to those who do not like us or our politics. You are all my people and I shall treat everyone of you as my own. I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those whodid not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation:we are all Nigerians.
Some unfortunate issues about my eligibility have been raisedduring the campaign.I wish to state that through devotionto this nation, everything I have learned and done has been to enable me to make the best possiblecontribution to public life. If I had judged myself incapable of governing I would never have sought to impose myself on it. I have served in various capacities and have always put in my best.
But despite the rancour of the elections, I extend a hand of friendship andconciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I hereby wish to state that I harbour no ill will against anyone.
Let me state clearlythat President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Althoughwe may not agree on the methodsof governing the nation, he is a great Nigerianand still our president. He deserves our supportand permanent respectby virtue of the office he has held.This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and conducts its affairs; and this is how Nigeria shouldbe.
Ilook forward to meeting with PresidentJonathan in the days to come to discusshow our teams can make the transition of administrations as efficientas possible.
Here, I want to thank my party for selecting me as its candidate. I thank our party leaders and members for the steadfast contributions they made to bring our dream to fruition. I thank INEC, the police and all other government agencies for performing their tasks in a proper manner and for refusingto be induced to undermine the election and the democratic process.
Ialso wish to thank religious Leaders, traditional leaders,the media, labor unions, Civil Society organisations, organisedprivate sector, youths and students for their roles in this election.
Igive special thanksto President Obama and his timelyintervention and supportfor peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria and for sending Secretary John Kerry and other United States officials. The European Union - especiallythe United Kingdom, France, Germany and other nationsthat were activelyinvolved in ensuringthe success of this election are equally appreciated. My sincere thanks to the United Nations Secretary General Mr Ban-Ki Moon. The Commonwealth, China, India and other Asian and Gulf states are also hereby appreciated. Finallyour brothers in the AfricanUnion and ECOWAS have truly and clearly shown and demonstrate their commitment to our democratisation process. Former PresidentsJohn Kuffour, Amos Sawyer, BakiliMuluzi and his team are well appreciated. I must also add my appreciation for the role played by civil societies, national and International observers, other worldleaders in ensuringthat Nigeria holds free and fair elections.
Iassure all foreigngovernments that Nigeriawill become a more forceful and constructive player in the globalfight against terrorism and in other mattersof collective concern,such as the fight against drugs, climate change, financialfraud, communicable diseasesand other issues requiring global response. I want to assure our fellow African nations that Nigeria will now stand as a more constructive partner in advancing the matters of concern to our continent, particularly with regard to economic development and eradication of poverty.
Former head of state and presidentChief Olusegun Obasanjo,General Yakubu Gowon, Alh. Shehu Shagari, GeneralIbrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekanand General Abdulsalami Abubakar deserve commendations for their statesmanship and words of caution and counselfor peace during the tense moments of this electoral period.
Most of all, I thank the people of Nigeria for reposing their confidence in me at this tryingmoment. Our nationwrestles many challenges including insecurity, corruption, economicdecline. I pledge to give you my best in tackling these problems.
The good people of Nigeria, your obligation does not end with casting your ballot.I seek your voice and input as we tackle these problems. This will not be a government democratic only in form. It will be a government democratic in substance and in how it interacts with its own people.
No doubt, this nationhas suffered greatlyin the recent past, and its staying power has been testedto its limits by crises,chief among which is insurgency of the Boko Haram. There is no doubt that in tackling the insurgency we have a tough and urgent job to do. But I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collectivewill and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcyto all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.
Furthermore, we shall stronglybattle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism—the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character. By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intendedfor the publicpurpose, corruption distorts the economyand worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people.
Such an illegal yet powerful forcesoon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believethey can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic developmentand democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monumentin this nation.
Iask you to join me in resolving these and the other challenges we face. Along the way, there will be victoriesbut there may also be setbacks. Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted; so, be rest assured that our errorswill be those of compassion and commitment not of wilful neglectand indifference.
We shall correct that which does not work and improve that which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle. We shall, if necessary crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.
Irealise that the expectation of our peopletoday is as high as their commitmentto change has been strongand their beliefin us unshaken. While we pledge to begin doingour best withoutdelay, we wouldlike to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become more realisticin our expectations.
We will govern for you and in your interests. Your vote was not wasted. This is not the firsttime Nigerians have cast their votes for us, and this is not the first time they have been counted; but this is the first time that the votes have been allowed to count.With the help of God, we pledge to do our utmost to bring forth the Nigeriayou seek.
Thank you for your patience and attention.
General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR
President-Elect,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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