“WHY VOTE WHEN THE ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED?”

The question above is a recurring statement by some Nigerians who have dismissed any form of electoral integrity in voting into power the right candidate to lead this country, lead your state or serve in the National and State House of Assembly.

Ever had a conversation with somebody who was dismissive?

This post strongly advocates an acceptable voter turnout. You cannot be in your home with your legs crossed and expect Nigeria to move forward by just “speaking positively” in your comfort zone. As citizens we have a role to play in the days to come and that is integrating Action with Faith. Neither of the two can stand-alone. Fact is, the more the turn out, the harder for the results to be rigged.

Every INEC official must begin with the end in mind and that is being responsible and committed to kick against any acts of indiscipline and dishonest gains. A large percentage of our 2015 elections depend on the work ethic, credibility and integrity of these officials, because strong values and a positive attitude to work can make the difference. There’s no greater joy than knowing you contributed to the success of something as important as the 2015 elections.

According to an Op-ed article by Md. Abdul Alim, the conduct of free and fair elections is at the heart of the democratic process.  But when an election is conducted in a non-inclusive way, it leads to the loss of confidence with the results and ultimately creates violence. Here are some characteristics of a credible election:

• The first and foremost feature of a credible election is that it must have the reflection of the will of the people: Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage.

• The second important criterion of a credible election is that it must be participated by all qualified political parties: The UN in its principles declared “political contestants (parties, candidates and supporters of positions on referenda) have vested interests in the electoral process through their rights to be elected and to participate directly in government.”

• The third fundamental ingredient of a credible election is that the electoral process must be trusted by the citizens: “Building the public’s trust in the election process is of the utmost importance to election management bodies around the world”. The credibility of an election largely depends on the actual and perceived integrity of the electoral process. More specifically, if citizens believe the electoral process is defective, dishonest, or less than free and fair, they may not accept the outcome.

An often heard expression has it that people get the kind of government they deserve. This implies that an active participation by the electorate on voting day is the best guarantee of electing a government truly representative of the governed. So plan towards us. Get kitted. Play your role. Be committed to it.

Visit this link for more artricles on politics http://bd.thedailystar.net/op-ed