With less than two weeks to the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly polls, there should be no going back on the conduct of the much-anticipated 2023 General Election in Nigeria. The governorship and state assembly elections are expected to follow on March 11 as scheduled.
The die is cast and the stage is set for this all-important event that is expected to determine or shape, to a large extent, the future of this country.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for the umpteeeth time, has assured the nation that the commission is ready and prepared to conduct the polls, even as he has listed some anticipated challenges that might affect the exercise.
Last week, INEC started putting its logistics in place. It conducted a mock accreditation exercise nationwide to test the efficacy of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for February 25. The BVAS machines used for the mock exercise on February 4, according to the INEC chairman, will be reconfigured in preparation for the main elections.
Last Wednesday, Yakubu also reassured President Muhammadu Buhari, who appears ready to hand over the baton of power to whoever wins the presidential election, of the readiness of the Commission to go all out for the elections.
Perhaps to show that he is determined to hand over the instruments of power to a deserving successor, President Buhari has constituted a Presidential Transition Council headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, to facilitate and manage the 2023 transition programme. Members of the transition council, which is expected to be inaugurated by the SGF on Tuesday, February 14, include the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice.
Also included in the Committee are Permanent Secretaries from the following ministries and offices: Defence, Interior, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Cabinet Affairs Office, General Services Office, and Economic and Political Affairs Office, and State House.
The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Director General, State Security Services, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and two representatives to be nominated by the president-elect are also members of the Committee.
To give legal backing to the Committee, the President also signed the Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 on the Facilitation and Management of the Presidential Transitions. These are all in a bid to assure Nigerians of his willingness and readiness to institute a seamless transition of power from one presidential administration to another, as part of the legacy he would be leaving to Nigerians.
With all these preparations and assurances, Nigerians could see the sincerity of the Buhari Administration in going ahead with the elections despite the fears and anxiety being raised in some quarters. The Federal Government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC) has also directed all universities in the country to shut down operations for three weeks to allow both the staff and students to participate in the elections, as well as to ensure the safety of lives and property on the campuses .
We commend INEC for the preparations and assurances, even in the face of obvious challenges as witnessed in the continuous attacks on its facilities in different parts of the country. We also salute the Federal Government for the support given to the electoral commission so far in its preparation towards the elections.
However, we implore Nigerians to see the forthcoming elections as a great opportunity to effect the much-desired change they have been clamouring for through the ballot. There should be no room for apathy as that will not bring the desired change.
Nigerians must ensure that the elections are held as scheduled under a peaceful atmosphere by refusing to be used by political shenanigans for violence before, during and after the elections.
We also charge the various political parties and their leaders not to see the elections as a do-or-die affair. They should always remind their teeming supporters that there is life after the elections as we condemn any form of political violence that is likely to mar the success of the elections.
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