Voters, not courts, must decide elections
The warning from the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) in Enugu is timely. Under the theme “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive” and a sub-theme on detecting and debunking AI disinformation, the conference examined forces shaping Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections. Significantly, the Independent National Electoral […]
Change Nigerians Want
IF Nigeria is ours, we should protect it; we should place the interests of Nigeria above personal ambitions. We want to see such thinking in action during the elections. Change in our attitude is more important than who wins and loses the elections. The most important attributes of the elections should be the equanimity, grace, humility with which contestants accept the results. It is the responsibility of contestants to lead their supporters to change that would ensure there is no violence during and after the elections. It is an important change that would secure the lives of Nigerians quicker than the long speeches we hear.
John Kerry’s Insult, Joke
THE United States of America is never short of arrogance in its relations with Nigeria. The threat of its Secretary of State, John Kerry that sponsors of election-related violence would be denied American visa, was not a joke, but some in the audience applauded. It is either the United States has elevated the importance of its visa to such heights that mention of its denial amounts to a death sentence, or it was another opportunity to declare its unwillingness to help Nigeria fight the violence that has been ravaging the country, especially the North East.
We The People…
STUDENTS of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, FUPRE, Effurun in Delta State, laid siege to the East-West Road this afternoon disrupting traffic for some hours over the increase of their school fees by the authorities.
Rigging – PVC, Card Reader To Rescue?
THERE are no easy answers to how the coming elections would be free and fair. The experiments the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been conducting since the 2011 elections are continuing. Issues are assuming complications that should not be round major elections within weeks of their conduct.
PVC – Like Sultan, Like 30m Nigerians
THE coming elections hold vast handles for assessing fairness and readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The most important issue appears to be the permanent voter’s card, PVC, which INEC has not delivered to prospective voters. More than 30m – almost 50 per cent of the registered voters – have not collected the cards.
