By Tahir Ibrahim Achida
The propensity of Nigerians to condemn opinions without rational discussion of their merits amazes me. And this attitude is not good for sensible discussion of an issue of public importance such as permanent votes’ cards.
What crime has the National Security Adviser committed by asking a simple question about the wisdom of conducting election when millions of eligible voters are yet to collect their PVCs, thanks to no faults of their own? Should eligible voters be disenfranchised or punished on account of INEC’s poor preparation? Didn’t INEC once told us that it was ready for election, and then botched event on the day it took off the ground?
Many it be a bad idea if INEC honestly tells Nigerians that it could not efficiently and speedily deliverthe permanent voters’ cards on time? Why should the fear of hostile public reaction make INEC pretend about a problem that exists?
Which is worse between honest admission of a problem and disenfranchising millions of eligible voters? Should INEC seek to please the public with false hopes when there are problems? Is pretence when there are problems not more dangerous than Dasuki’s innocuous observations in London? In fact, is there a justification for even disenfranchising one million eligible voters on account of INEC’s administrative, bureaucratic and technical inefficiency? Can we solve a problem by pretending that it doesn’t exist?
To my mind, a delay is preferable to a delay or disaster. But some Nigerians would rather mobilize public sentiments to block the path of reason than accept reality. An error does not become right because the majority supports it. Again, an opinion does not become invalid because the majority wants to irrationally shoot it down. Instead of calling the National Security Adviser names and attributing motives to his observation, we should see his opinion as a food for thought. Unfortunately, some Nigerians don’t want to evaluate issues in a coolheaded and rational fashion.
It is always dangerous to follow the crowd for the sake of it at the expense of reason.
We must think outside the box instead of allowing ourselves intimidated into supporting something irrational. Is it normal that a month to election, about 20-25 million Nigerians are struggling to collect their PVC’s? Should these Nigerians be punished or disenfranchised on account of INEC’s sluggish preparations? Should we avoid to discuss this problem honestly, or we should pretend and say “let us move on, there will always be disenfranchised voters?”
Attacking the person of the National Security Adviser is an unnecessary diversion. Let us honestly focus on the issue: are there valid excuses any INEC should still fail to deliver these PVCs to eligible voters? Is there something INEC is hiding from Nigerians, and pretending to please us with vain hopes?
With the billions invested in INEC, why are there hiccups whenever it is involved in election preparations, from voter registration to PVCs delivery? There should be no excuse why anybody should be disenfranchised. It is sheer blackmail to deny Nigerians the right to rationally debate the recurring problems of INEC. We have had assurance in the past, but at the end of the day, INEC still disappointed us. Since then, I have leant not be bamboozled by INEC’s stories or excuses.
Colonel Dasuki (retired) should not be the whipping boy of Nigerians for the problems of INEC.
Whether the figure is 20 million or 25 million, there should be no excuses to disenfranchise anybody by INEC. Over 551 million Indians went to the polls successfully last year, and the country’s Election Commission had never complained about large population, lack of personnel or equipment.
Nigeria is a country of 160 to 170 million people, but that should not be an excuse for any electoral body to tell us stories which time it is confronted by national challenges. The problems of INEC predate Colonel Dasuki’s appointment, and therefore, our focus should be on the right of Nigerians to have access to their PVCs without excuses.
Achida wrote from No.168, Sir Mabolaji Bank-Anthony Road, Surulere, Lagos.