Nigeria: The Elections, Antics, and Hysterics of Nigerian Politics

The cross carpeting between members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition parties confused the electorate as many prominent leaders of the PDP left when the Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was expelled and found worthy allies in Chief Audu Ogbe, Chief Tom Ikimi and others who have lost confidence in President Olusegun Obasanjo and his cabal. Most of them joined the Abubakar's Action Congress (AC) party or retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari's All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

The ruling party was desperate to win the April elections and at all costs. Therefore, the PDP wielded the power of incumbency to disable formidable political opponents and deliberately manipulated and subverted the electoral process to confuse millions of the supporters of the opposition parties.

Strongholds of the opposition parties either did not receive the required supplies of ballot papers or only received inadequate supplies of voting materials. Then, the ruling party employed thugs to bully hundreds of thousands of voters to cast their votes in favour of the party by peace or by force. The PDP also employed thousands of cheats and riggers for the mass thumb printing of ballot papers. Ballot boxes were hijacked and stuffed with already thumb printed ballot papers. And the rigging of the elections were done without fear or respect for the local and international observers.

The opposition parties have sworn to contest the results and have called for mass protests against the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Supporters of the opposition parties took to the streets and even an old woman stripped stark naked to lead a march of half naked women in the oil city of Warri in the Niger Delta region. Other enraged protesters attacked and killed INEC officials and burnt INEC, PDP and government offices and set several of their vehicles ablaze.

Over 200 people have been killed in violent protests in different states, but those who incited them are alive and well today. Because, in most cases, none of the leaders of the opposition parties lost their lives or lost any member of their families in the violence.

Why do the poor and powerless always end up being used as political zombies and scapegoats of the rich and powerful rulers and leaders?

The local and foreign media have amplified the political rhetoric of the opposing camps over the disputed polls and the end of their hysterics is still far away as Nigeria continues to swirl in the vicious circle of political crisis.