NIGERIANS AND THE 2027 ELECTION

Amidst the jarring noise from the forest where Nigerians, including children, teachers, men, and women, are held by captives, drumbeats are beginning to rise into the air in a futile attempt to get Nigerians to dance. These drums are pounded by a collection of diabolical drummers that have perfected the art of deception.

In 2023 Nigeria stood at a crossroads. Eight years after the All Progressives Congress had whipped up the flames of hope in Nigerians, a disastrous outing had many Nigerians on the brink.

The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had been an unmitigated disaster, yet the APC had the cheek to ask Nigerians to trust the party again. As usual, in their peculiar way of self destruction, Nigerians decided to continue with the APC even if it took the intervention of the supreme court to extinguish the contention.

In three years, the APC has huffed and puffed with nothing to show for it. In that time the mendacious medicine men of the party have deftly and dexterously mixed cocktail after cocktail of lies, deflection, dissembling, and avoidance to feed an ailing country.

Now, with the 2027 general elections just around the corner, they have deployed their diabolical drummers to roll out their empty drums, pound up deafening noise, and drown every last decibel of meaningful conversation and reasoning.

Among the tissue of lies unfurled for Nigerians is that meaningful and sustainable development takes an eternity. Another massive lie is that Nigeria’s problems are so complex that they cannot easily be solved. But, perhaps, the biggest lie of all is that only the current set of political officeholders can fix the country. This is simply not true, and Nigerians must reject the lies that have been carefully and strategically deployed to deceive them into choosing wrongly again.

Nigeria can work, and this fact can’t be expressed more clearly. For Nigeria to rise and walk again, they must be systematically shown the way out. However it will not be easy because they control many of the country’s institutions. It will take sacrifice.

It will take a lot of sacrifice and discomfort. But because Nigeria is a democracy, every action would have to begin at the ballot box. The first step is certainly to eschew every form of voter apathy. Every Nigerian of voting age must make the effort to get their voter card and then resolve to exercise their franchise on election day.

It Is all too common to hear Nigerians casually say that they would not vote on election day because their votes would not count. Refusing, failing, or neglecting to vote would be a grave mistake. Votes count during elections, but vigilance counts just as much. Nigerians must not only vote but must remain vigilant throughout the process.

Finally, there is the question of agency and responsibility. The politicians who manipulate Nigerians to perpetuate themselves in power do not go to some distant planet to fetch their agents. They draw them from among gullible, greedy Nigerians who are ready to do anything for a bushel of rice and a few Naira notes.

 This group of Nigerians must now check its greed if Nigeria must make progress.

Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com.