March 3rd, 2023

A tumultuous and grueling process, elections are a time of crucial reckoning and change for any country. They have the power to shape futures, livelihoods, and everything possible regarding their citizens lives. However, there also come a lot of obstacles and issues during this time, as portrayed most recently in the troubles of Nigeria’s risky election. 

So why is this election particularly important and what makes it so hotly debated about? Well, to a lot of Nigerian people, this election serves as a window of opportunity for hopeful change amid a time of crisis. This comes after President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office for health reasons after sitting in office for the past 8 years, which is the maximum amount of time one is allowed to serve. Unfortunately, under his rule, things have taken a turn for the worse – making voters look for change as he fails to hold his election promises and deteriorates an already crumbling system. The most evident example of this is the crisis of Nigeria’s currency. In October, the government made the move to demonetize the 200, 500 and 1000 Naira banknotes. It shouldn’t have been a problem, as other countries have successfully and smoothly made this transition. However, it didn’t go this way for Nigeria. The replacement banknotes were rare, in low supply and not easily accessible, leaving citizens’ pockets empty as they ran out of viable cash to use. It is especially detrimental to an economy such as Nigeria’s, as most of their exchange happens in cash and markets. Obviously, this has a horrible effect on the public, who now face serious issues such as starvation without access to their funds. 

Not only is this election being watched closely by the people of Nigeria, it is also being observed by most of the world. Nigeria holds Africa’s largest economy, which is largely due to its huge oil industry, making up about 80% of its national revenue. It also holds a substantial amount of population. The U.N. predicts Nigeria to be the world’s third most populated country, alongside the U.S.A, by 2050. Whoever controls the government will no doubt have the power and assets to influence the course of universal processes through the significance and potential Nigeria’s position holds. 

However, it was a difficult process to even collect necessary votes to choose a president in the first place, as there were many roadblocks and cases of voter suppression. Voting stations were chaotic, with long lines, failing machines and unorganized officials, leaving the stations unstaffed while people waited for 7 hours or more. In one case, masked gunmen arrived at the scene and opened fire on voters, stealing a ballot box. Even before voting began, there were violent outbursts, such as the death of a senate candidate by shooting. Following his passing and a string of protests, the operation of around 200 polling stations were canceled. Police also found over 6000 false voter cards belonging to illegal migrants. 

So who won anyway? Well, there seem to be 3 main candidates to watch in this election. The first is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, coming from the same party as the preceding president, Muhammadu Buhari. He was a governor of Lagos and businessman, and appears to be leading the election right now. The second candidate is Atiku Abubakar from the opposition, who was a former vice president of the country. This will be his sixth time running for president. The third candidate is the youngest, upcoming Peter Obi, who appeals to younger generations in Nigeria. He is the only Christian, and most of his support and followers come from social media. In the end though, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress party did win the election.

I think all in all, Nigeria’s election brought to light more than just a new leader for the country. It was an excellent showcase of the persistence Nigeria’s citizens demonstrated in their determination to put forward their vote and opinions into their own country. In fact, 93 million people registered to vote, making this election “Africa’s largest democratic exercise” according to CNN. The amount of resilience and courage it took to continue in their quest even through threats of violence and a chaotic, long process, is truly admirable. Hopefully, these dedicated acts will inspire other countries and people to exercise their pivotal right to vote. 

By : Arielle Chung

Categories: Editorials