Every election has a winner and losers. Losers should be bold enough to show their sportsmanlike mettle
Elections in a democracy are part of the periodic process of leadership selection. And because the offices being sought are usually few, elections are also designed to produce more losers than winners. In the immediate circumstance of the announcements of the outcomes in our recent elections, it is only natural that winners modulate their triumphalism and losers summon the courage to accept their loss with sportsmanlike equanimity. Sadly, that is not what we witness in Nigeria today.
Following the presidential election of 25 February and the subsequent governorship election of 18 March, many contestants have rejected the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Those who think they have grounds to dispute the results have resolved to head for the law courts in line with the relevant laws. A few who may not have empirical grounds for such rejections have resorted to threats to public order and peace.
It is true that frequent tardiness in our electoral process often leaves doubts in the minds of those who lose these elections. In such cases where the process leaves doubts, recourse to litigation is only a logical avenue for reprieve. But we are also aware that frequent and sometimes frivolous recourse to litigation has become a permanent feature of the post-election atmosphere in our country. As a rule, almost every loser would cry foul and threaten mayhem. In some cases, opponents in elections have ended up as life enemies.
Ordinarily, a political contest comes with too many unknowns and incalculable risks. Not even the most adept political player can be certain of victory until the results are out. The electorate can sway and swing in any direction. The rules may change, and the parameters that determine victory or defeat could alter with unconsidered variables. While victory in an election remains a privilege, the possibility of defeat and loss is an ever-present reality. The conventional wisdom therefore remains that every election will have a winner and losers. That is one reality that most Nigerian politicians and their supporters have not accepted.
The difficulty is mostly sociocultural. In these parts, those who contest elections do so for various reasons. Sometimes politicians enter these contests on behalf of a community of interests or partisan followers. The fear of disappointing these constituencies often makes it harder for the contestant to accept defeat and move on. At other times, the restriction of opportunities in our economic setting often transforms electoral contests into do or die battles for economic survival. In that regard, contesting an election becomes a desperate job search in which a loss or defeat could condemn the individual to an uncertain future in the unemployment market. That also explains the high number of political parties.
While 18 political parties contested the presidential election in the just concluded 2023 general election cycle, only few registered serious presence at the polls. Instead of being an aggregation of commonality of interests of its members, Nigerian political parties tend towards a complex mixture of ethnic, religious, economic, and political interests. And to achieve their “win at all costs” objective, parties and their candidates adopt all means, fair or foul. Some politicians even register parties and trade off the certificates to individuals who are seeking platforms with which to contest for electoral offices.
The greater challenge is perhaps that we have not managed to develop a culture of handling electoral losses and defeats. I
t is a certain eventuality that requires a mature philosophical disposition that sees defeat as the inevitable corollary of victory. In that event, those who lose in an election must adopt a spirit of sportsmanship hard as it may seem.
This moment requires a large dose of that spirit as the consequences and outcomes of the last elections begin to settle in the minds of those who may not have been lucky to win. In any event, a career in politics demands a certain fortitude in the knowledge that a political journey is one that observes a succession of seasons. Since there will always be another set of elections, the losers of today could be the winners of tomorrow.
