DEMOCRACY MUST NOT PERCH WHERE IT CAN BE STOLEN
Eneke the Bird and the Politics of Survival
The phrase ‘Eneke nti oba’ is an Igbo proverb. In literature by Chinua Achebe, Eneke the bird (swift or swallow like bird) is famous for its wisdom. When asked why it was always flying, it replied ‘men have learnt how to shoot. I have learnt how to fly without sitting on a twig’.
This can be applied to Nigeria’s current political situation. In a system where citizens are constantly subjected to vote rigging, vote buying, threats and violence, citizens must know how to protect their democratic rights.
However, how can they go about changing a system that is constantly threatening their right to vote freely?
Our elections in Nigeria are most commonly not about the people’s choice, but how well you can rig.
We have commonly had elections where people try to rig, vote buy and use political influence to sway the people. This leads to threats, violence and sometimes maiming/killing.
This leads to a lack of trust in our electoral system. People will feel that nothing is off limits to gain political power. Democracy shouldn’t be run on cynicism, vote buying, threats and manipulation. If people can’t vote freely then our elections won’t have an impact.
Polling Units to Collation Centre Movement (PUTCCM) is a citizen led movement wanting to protect the integrity of our elections in 2027.
Key goals of the movement are:
Educating citizens on how to protect their votes from being rigged, not to vote buy, challenge threats and stealing of ballot boxes and know that their votes have power. Citizens will follow INEC guidelines and report any electoral violations in a peaceful and legal manner.
Ensuring votes are recorded correctly in polling units.
This helps solve one of the main issues with democracy in Nigeria. The voting process from polling units to collation centres is a key part of the elections. If votes are being manipulated, not counted or falsified after being legally voted for then the process is undermined. We need to ensure people’s voices aren’t lost.
Nigerian youths have every right to demand a free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful election in 2027. They have a constitutional right to the future of our country and therefore cannot give up their democratic rights to politicians who view elections as a do or die situation. They must not only campaign but also engage on social media educating others on voting, peacefully engaging with others, legally observing elections and commit to protecting the integrity of votes.
Whilst this can help protect our elections, I feel the PUTCCM must be careful not to fall into the same trap many civic movements in Nigeria do.
They must remain impartial to any political party, presidential candidate or political interest. Remain loyal to the voters, their votes and democracy. The credibility of the movement will come down to whether they are fair to all parties and candidates regardless of political party, ethnicity, religious beliefs and popularity.
If they are claiming to protect people’s votes then they cannot turn a blind eye to any electoral malpractice because they are in a party they like. If they are condemning manipulations by the ruling party but not the opposition or vice versa then they will lose credibility.
There should be no bias surrounding elections. Just because it benefits someone they like doesn’t mean it’s okay for them to do wrong.
The PUTCCM should have clear policies, be transparent with leadership and finances and have clear procedures in place to record and report any electoral violations.
Members should know the difference between legally observing elections with illegally interfering with election materials and officials. Any allegations of malpractice should be backed up with evidence and reported using proper legal channels. They shouldn’t cause any violence.
They should protect their members from political manipulation. Politicians may try to exploit the passion and commitment of youths to use them for their political gain. If a civic movement relies on political support or is supporting individuals then it can easily lose sight of its original goal.
I would advise the leaders of the PUTCCM to have strict policies in place to stay impartial. They should be known for protecting Nigerian voters rather than politicians. They should be strong due to public support rather than political support. They should remain committed to having credible elections regardless of the outcome not being in their personal favour.
They should be transparent. Have clear leadership, finances, activities and reporting. They should not use any political biased language, cause any violence and check that allegations are true. They won’t gain credibility by being the loudest but by being fair, consistent and accountable.
They shouldn’t be a last minute movement. Constant civic education is needed in Nigeria before elections, responsible observation during elections and constant scrutiny during the collation process. We need to be prepared, disciplined and vigilant to protect our democracy.
Eneke the bird knew that sitting on a twig would put it in danger. However we as Nigerians need to work together to legally change the system so we don’t constantly have to fly to avoid manipulation. We should aim to create a democracy where it would be harder to manipulate votes no matter what.
We have another chance to improve our democratic institutions with the general elections in 2027. Whether this increases people’s trust in our democracy depends on how political parties act, how our electoral institutions act and how committed citizens and civic movements are to protecting our elections.
Whilst the PUTCCM can be a useful way to get citizens involved, they must remain impartial, credible and brave when there are conflicting political interests.
We don’t need another organisation to change who benefits from manipulation. We need ground based civic movements to help prevent manipulation.
Eneke flew because it knew it would be in danger if it sat on a twig. We as Nigerians need to be vigilant as our democracy is always in danger if we give our votes to money, fear or manipulation. However we need to take action and do this in a legal, evidenced based and committed way to the public.
Only if the PUTCCM are peaceful, transparent, independent and accountable to the people will they help protect our democracy.
DEMOCRACY MUST NOT PERCH WHERE IT CAN BE STOLEN
Their vote belongs to them and they must protect it.
@Okiwelu Azed P.
