A deliberate decision from the incoming administration to show magnanimity across the political divide along with a rigorous pursuit of people-centred policies will go a long way in kick starting the process of national reconciliation, leading up to nation building. All that Nigerians are asking for is a chance to witnesses a nation that works for them in their lifetime.
Editor’s note: This essay is available in our print issue, A Nation Divided. Buy the issue here.
Nigeria’s 2023 general election was short of perfect. From a wide array of issues such as delays in the arrival of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff and voting materials on election day in some areas; the delays in uploading results through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV); technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS); and in other instances, violence perpetrated by political thugs against voters; the elections were marred by several irregularities. This has since triggered feelings of frustration and dismay among voters across the country some of whom were young Nigerians, keen on participating in the voting process for the first time. The import of this is not lost on the significance of the elections in Africa’s largest economy and democracy, especially at a time where some countries in West Africa such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali have witnessed a resurgence in democratic backsliding, thereby threatening the prospects of political stability in a troubled sub-region. As Nigeria’s 2023 general election caught the attention of the entire world for obvious reasons, the post presidential-inauguration era is poised to attract greater attention and keener observation from the international community...
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