By Frances Eweherido
Today, Nigerians go to the polls to elect a president to run the affairs of this country for another four years, beginning from May 29, 2015. Although a handful of candidates are vying for the top seat, it is a straight contest between the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

I am one of the most relieved people to see today, even though I am still watching with bated breath. So much hate and venom have been spewed in the mass media and social media, especially in the last three months. I witnessed presidential elections campaigns in 1979, 1983, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, none has been as divisive and hate-filled as this year’s.

All over the world, including advanced democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom, mudslinging is part of politics. It is a war for political power—and economic power in some climes, including ours —and all is fare and square. So it is no surprise that the attacks are vicious and unrelenting.

But a few individuals went beyond decent and acceptable limits. Also, in the efforts to undermine one another, real issues that affect the Nigerian people were most times relegated and non-issues given prominence.

Ours is still an evolving society so I will leave sophisticated and advance issues and focus on the basic issues to families: food, shelter and clothing. Then we have security, education, employment, power supply, transportation, management of our commonwealth, social security for the aged and other vulnerable groups, rights of women and other disadvantaged groups, among many others.

These are the basic issues that affect virtually every Nigerian family. You experience them every day, so you do not need any expert advice to make up your mind. Are you satisfied with Jonathan’s performance in the last six years or you believe Buhari will do better? Assessing Jonathan is easy because he has been in the saddle for the last six years. If you like you can stretch it to 16 years to include his time as deputy governor, governor, vice president and acting president. All eligible voters were born before he came to power.

Buhari’s assessment is not as straight forward. He became military governor, petroleum minister and military head of state before the bulk of voters were born. He left his last public office as Petroleum Trust Fund chairman about 17 years ago when the youngest eligible voters were still too young to understand their environment. So beyond what they personally know of Buhari from recent events and utterances, they must rely on third party accounts which mean some interference from their sources. But take a decision all voters must. In doing this voters should also consider the choice of the running mates. Jonathan was vice president when he came to Abuja in 2007. Today he is president. The office of the vice presidential candidate is very important.

Go out there and vote your choice based on who you think can make life more meaningful for you and your family. In doing this, however, ignore unnecessary sentiments. I do not think, for instance, that age is an issue in this year’s presidential elections.

Both candidates are within acceptable age brackets and other presidents of their ages have done remarkably well in other countries. I do not also believe religion is an issue. Religion is a personal matter between you and your creator. In the Nigeria of today, nobody, and I mean no single individual, can forcefully convert all Nigerians to his religion. It is impossible.

Provided both candidates meet the minimum academic qualification as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, I do not also believe academic education is an issue. We are talking of dealing with real life situations, not paper qualifications. Aliko Dangote’s companies sometime ago advertised for drivers where many graduates including doctorate degree holders applied. Dangote has no university degree. Mr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis employs 100s of graduates. He does not even have a school leaving certificate. Finally, do not vote because of religious, regional or ethnic affiliations. Poverty knows no religion or ethnicity. Vote for the man who can get the job done and make life more secure and meaningful, in your judgment.

I thank God for card readers and I am praying earnestly that the hitches will be minimal. Many people do not seem to appreciate the importance of the card readers. Since 1999 elections, our votes have not always counted. That is why our elected officials do what they like; they are not accountable to us because they did not get there with our votes. But the card reader will make our votes count. We will then have the powers to retain incumbents whose performances we are satisfied with and inject new blood where majority of us think necessary.

Thank God also the major parties and INEC said agreed that voters can wait some distance from the polling unit the votes are counted, contrary to the directive of the inspector general of police. In addition, from experience I suggest soldiers should not be too far away to help keep trouble makers and desperate politicians who want to subvert the will of the people at bay. There are too many illegal arms and ammunitions in circulation.

Families performing their civic responsibility should not come to harm; they need some form of protection which the military is better equipped to provide. But they must not be used to subvert the will of the majority.

The Nigerian voter has been short changed for too long. All efforts must be made to make the election peaceful, free and fair. Let the will of the majority, which hopefully will be God’s will, prevail. This will help to reduce tension and mitigate the scale of the election violence many are predicting. God bless Nigeria.