on 23^rd February 2019, Nigerians trooped out in large numbers to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choices to fill the position of the executive President of Nigeria and members of the National Assembly which tenure will be for another four years i.e. between 29^th May 2019 and 29^th May 2023.

 The election earlier fixed for 16^th February 2019 was shifted to 23^rd February, 2019 due to an excuse of logistics problems by the Independent National Electoral Commission. Notwithstanding, the election was held and the results were announced on Wednesday, 27^th February, 2019.

As a process, the election was started with a long period of preparation by INEC. It was propped up with interesting campaigns by the political parties and culminated in the casting of ballots by the electorates and the declaration of results of the election on Wednesday 27^th February, 2019. The last has however not been heard about the election as one of the Presidential candidates who lost the election has challenged the result of the election at the election Tribunal.

 It suffices to have a perspective on the whole exercise for a post mortem analysis as follows:

CAMPAIGNS:

The pre-election campaigns were full of fun and furry. There were a lot of social media clips, beautiful rhetorical speech makings, impressive jingles on electronic media, festive rallies, processions and public gatherings and a lot of many other side attractions. Promises of a better life were made to the electorates. However, some campaign contents lacked value, were not issue based and were made up of insult and degradation of personality, contempt, intimidation and threat of violence which tend to instill fears in the electorates. Of grave concern was politics of envy which dominated the campaigns in the last election. The politics of envy as explained by David Hundeyin is the assertion that life is terrible because of the existence of another group of people who are either of a different social class, ethnic, religious, political group. The evil of that element of campaign is that it has engendered more bitterness and divisions among Nigeria. Campaigns for the last (23rd February, 2019) Presidential and NASS election in Nigeria was quite intensive and it could be said that the electorates were not taken for granted in term of necessary mobilization.

23RD FEBRUARY 2019 PRESIDENTIAL AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION:

There was a massive turn out of electorates who wanted to exercise their franchise o the day of the election. Accreditation of voters for the election and the actual casting of ballots took place simultaneously and the exercise commenced in many polling stations across the country as early 8.00a.m. Late commencement of voting and failure Card readers in some voting centers was however reported by the Media. Violence also marred election in some areas and there was media report of killings and ballot box snatching in some election areas. In Oriade Local Government of Osun State, INEC materials were burnt by hoodlums and bullet marks on the wall of the INEC office were showed on the Radio and Television on the day of election. The Inspector General of Police, while giving his report after the election, confirmed the loss of two policemen and the maiming of many people during the election. He also confirmed the arrest of 323 people for different electoral offences.

The Card readers wonderfully worked well to put the electorates within reasonable control. Voting by proxy was vividly put to check. Election results were validated by the number of accredited voters electronically recorded by the card readers. The card readers, to a very large extent, provided a brick wall against election fraud in the last Presidential / NASS election in Nigeria.

Voters’ apathy was not well pronounced in the last Presidential/NASS election in Nigeria. Forty Five percent voters’ turn out recorded in the election is impressive but there were allegations of voters’ disenfranchise in some voting areas such as Lagos and some other places in the Northern and eastern parts of Nigeria by some desperate politicians in the display of their do or die misdemeanor.

The ballot papers designed for the election was too long and too unweeding. A total of seventy five political parties were printed on a ballot paper used for the last Presidential NASS election in Nigeria. This caused confusion for some electorates while trying to locate the logo of their preferred candidates. This also caused a very large number of void votes. Out of 28,614,190 votes cast in the last Presidential election, a total of 1,289,607 votes were void votes arising from voters’ mistakes. A very long time was taken to read through all the parties ‘scores when the results of the election were being announced whereas only two or three parties had the overwhelming results. Tongues have therefore continued to wag on the need to control the number of political parties that would appear on the ballot papers in future.

President Muhammad Buhari, the incumbent President and the candidate of the Action Peoples’ Congress Party was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the election with a total of 15,191,847 to defeat his arch rival in the election, Alhaji Atikku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, who polled 11,262,978 votes. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP has filed a case at the Election Tribunal to challenge the result of the election.  Of the 109 seats contested for at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the results so far released as at 27^th February, 2019 showed that the APC won 64 seats, PDP won 40 seats while the Youth Progressive party (PYP) won only I seat. The results of the remaining 4seats were still being expected from INEC.

SECURITY:

Security was maximally provided but it did not translate to maximum peace on the Election Day. The general peaceful atmosphere which pervaded election area in the mourning later turned to violent and dreadful atmosphere later in the day around the collation centers in some places across the country. The participation of the Military personnel in security duties on that day became a saving grace for the overall security of lives and election materials. The security situation in some areas on the Election Day therefore lent Credence to deployment of military personnel for internal security on the days of elections in Nigeria. Higher level of political maturity among Nigerian political class is necessary to make deployment of soldiers for election related security duties totally unnecessary in future.

ELECTION TRIBUNAL:

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar expressed his dissatisfaction about the result declared by INEC for the Presidential election arguing that the result did not reflect the the votes cast by the electorates. He has therefore filed a case at the election Tribunal where the case would be adjudicated and a verdict will be issued on the matter by the court.

This is also an aspect of electoral process as stipulated by the electoral law of the country. The case may step up to the appeal and the supreme court before a final verdict is established.

Election petition to the tribunal is a way of reposing confidence in the Judiciary as a reliable and dependable arbiter in such political disagreement. The petitioner however needs to present enough credible evidence to prove his case and as an effect; to reclaim his hitherto deprived mandate. Election petition also has an advantage of:

1. Exposing any hidden discrepancies in the course of the election if there is any.
2. Enriching further the country jurisprudence.
3. And making the victory of the winner more legitimate if the petitioner is unable to prove his case.

CONCLUSION:

The general election of 23^rd February, 2019 could be adjudged to be better than what Nigeria used to have in the past. However, the palpable fear and some cases of violence that accompanied the election eroded a very high rating that would have been earned from the exercise. The final credulity of the election is being awaited from the election Tribunal. The process of a very near perfect election in Nigeria remains a dream yet to come true. The journey continues. Hopefully Nigeria will get there one day not too far.

Wishing all Nigerians the best under the new dispensation. Long live Nigeria.