Before agents of destruction descended on the political space and bared their fangs on unsuspecting voters yesterday, reports from different parts of the country had shown relatively peaceful and orderly elections, such that political actors and voters alike had expressed a high degree of satisfaction with INEC’s preparedness.
But these agents refused for INEC to savour this glory before they unleashed their terror. From Rivers, where four persons were reportedly killed to Anambra and Lagos, especially in areas heavily populated by non-indigenes, reports of ballot snatching, burning of voting materials and disruption of the voting process were both shameful and disturbing.
That Africa’s most populous nation would still travel such reprehensible path in this time and age leaves much to be desired. Will Nigeria ever grow up or the people would have to live with such animalistic tendencies every four years? As it is, reports of pockets of violence had already cast a pall on the entire process and except scapegoats are made of such actions with strong message of sanctions, the nation might continue to go round this vicious cycle for a scary long time.
