It’s a season of elections in Nigeria and we are finally face-to-face with declared election results and yet more choices to make. Opinions are divided as to the integrity or otherwise of the already concluded polls. Passions are stirred and emotions are high. However, this moment calls for reason and sound judgment.

 

Congratulations to those whose preferences and choices have been elected. Victory is sweet and you deserve to savour it. Comfort and encouragement to those who feel highly disillusioned by the outcomes. The outcomes might have been fair or unfair. The beauty of democracy lies in the availability of a system of redress where there has been injustice. This is the reason why when Peter Obi was robbed of his Anambra state gubernatorial electoral victory, the decision of INEC(Independent Electoral Commission) to declare Dr Chris Ngige the victory was overturned and Peter Obi ended up as governor. When subsequently he was wrongfully impeached on trumped-up charges, it was to the same courts he returned and was reinstated as governor. Without the shedding of a single drop of blood, the will of the majority prevailed. The same courts remain in our country and with the introduction of vital technology to improve the electoral process, their jobs have been made easier for them. If he has been shortchanged again or anyone else is shortchanged, there is no need for violence, nor need for despair. The courts should simply be allowed to do their jobs.

 

I might sound a little philosophical or even religious, but we must face the fact that we remain limited in knowledge. 8 years ago, we could not claim to have been shortchanged in the electoral process as majority of Nigerians embraced the call to vote for ‘change’. With high expectations of transformational leadership from the APC, we headed to the polls as a people and elected Muhammadu Buhari to be our president. We trusted his anti-corruption and disciplined pedigree. His antecedents as military ruler in the 80s gave us the confidence that he was the one that will lead us to the promised land. How wrong we were!! For now, we know in part and we prophesy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). We are limited in knowledge and therefore cannot claim to be certain we have made the right or wrong choice. This is more reason why we should give the choice of others a chance after exhausting the judicial process. Who knows if they were right after all?

 

To those who have prayed, sought the Lord, and fasted, congratulations. God works all things together for our common good (Romans 8:28). We must trust that the God of heavens listens and answers us. We must face the future with faith and hope. We must positively face our challenges as a nation with trust that God is working with us to surmount them even if through a different person and approach. The choice of peace and Justice is far better than that of violence. The choice of faith and hope in God is better than unbelief and desperation.