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Nigerian Elections 2015: Five (5) Things that worked well
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 3:00pm / Economy & Politics
As Nigerians took to the polls on March 28, 2015, it was no doubt an eventful day filled with ups and downs, positives and negatives and defining moments that would never be forgotten in the History of Nigeria, Africa and the World.
From this event which we consider a landmark for Nigeria, we bring to you the five (5) things that we believe worked well during for the Independent Electoral Commission on March 28, 2015
1. Security Agencies
As witnessed during the electoral process, security forces inclusive of the Nigerian Police, the Army and other forces were deployed by the government as promised in order to ensure the peace, safety of officials and the electorate during the process. As attested by Election Observers from the African Union and ECOWAS, the security agents should be commended as they conducted themselves well. This we consider a milestone!
2. The Nigerian Youth Service Corp:
The Corp members that worked as INEC Adhoc Staff during the Elections should be considered heroes, as majority of them conducted themselves appropriately, showing enthusiasm as they took up the task placed on them. As engagement on new media showed, we observed that some of these corp members slept in the harsh condition through the night in order to reach their various polling units early the following day to conduct the election. The deployment of corpers has worked for INEC in the past and the service remains commendable for its continuous service to the Nation.
3. The Electorate
It is no doubt that Nigeria’s Election 2015 witnessed a large turnout and active participation from Nigerians as people had High HOPE and EXPECTATIONS for a better tomorrow. Backed by data which showed at least 35% turnout of registered voters when compared with accredited voters shows that majority where determined to be part of this great event. Amongst the feat displayed by the electorate include:
a. Turning up to perform their civic responsibility despite physical challenges, as we saw the sick, aged and physically challenged show up to cast their votes.
b. The patience the people exercise irrespective of the delay and functional difficulties encountered by the officials
c. Support to the Electoral Officials and Catering to their needs when the process took longer than expected
4. The Media
This elections was unarguably the most Televised, monitored and reported election Nigeria has ever experienced. Special mention must be made of the professionalism displayed by certain platforms such as ChannelsTV, The Guardian, TheWill, Economy&Politics to mention a few local platforms just as BBC Africa, Aljazeera, CNBC, amongst other international platforms.
The most impactful however was the social media platforms – most especially via Twitter & Facebook with hashtags such as #Election2015 #ForwardNigeria #NigeriaDecides & #Nigeria2015 which ensured a constant stream of engagements.
5. Political Leaders
Despite the heat and tension in the public space ahead of the elections, including the anticipations around and leading up to the necessary 6-week postponement, most of the Political Leaders/actors conducted themselves reasonably well with uncommon maturity, composure and calmness (with a few exceptions), as they sued for peace in engagements with their followers.
As Nigerians took to the polls on March 28, 2015, it was no doubt an eventful day filled with ups and downs, positives and negatives and defining moments that would never be forgotten in the History of Nigeria, Africa and the World.
From this event which we consider a landmark for Nigeria, we bring to you the five (5) things that we believe worked well during for the Independent Electoral Commission on March 28, 2015
1. Security Agencies
As witnessed during the electoral process, security forces inclusive of the Nigerian Police, the Army and other forces were deployed by the government as promised in order to ensure the peace, safety of officials and the electorate during the process. As attested by Election Observers from the African Union and ECOWAS, the security agents should be commended as they conducted themselves well. This we consider a milestone!
2. The Nigerian Youth Service Corp:
The Corp members that worked as INEC Adhoc Staff during the Elections should be considered heroes, as majority of them conducted themselves appropriately, showing enthusiasm as they took up the task placed on them. As engagement on new media showed, we observed that some of these corp members slept in the harsh condition through the night in order to reach their various polling units early the following day to conduct the election. The deployment of corpers has worked for INEC in the past and the service remains commendable for its continuous service to the Nation.
3. The Electorate
It is no doubt that Nigeria’s Election 2015 witnessed a large turnout and active participation from Nigerians as people had High HOPE and EXPECTATIONS for a better tomorrow. Backed by data which showed at least 35% turnout of registered voters when compared with accredited voters shows that majority where determined to be part of this great event. Amongst the feat displayed by the electorate include:
a. Turning up to perform their civic responsibility despite physical challenges, as we saw the sick, aged and physically challenged show up to cast their votes.
b. The patience the people exercise irrespective of the delay and functional difficulties encountered by the officials
c. Support to the Electoral Officials and Catering to their needs when the process took longer than expected
4. The Media
This elections was unarguably the most Televised, monitored and reported election Nigeria has ever experienced. Special mention must be made of the professionalism displayed by certain platforms such as ChannelsTV, The Guardian, TheWill, Economy&Politics to mention a few local platforms just as BBC Africa, Aljazeera, CNBC, amongst other international platforms.
The most impactful however was the social media platforms – most especially via Twitter & Facebook with hashtags such as #Election2015 #ForwardNigeria #NigeriaDecides & #Nigeria2015 which ensured a constant stream of engagements.
5. Political Leaders
Despite the heat and tension in the public space ahead of the elections, including the anticipations around and leading up to the necessary 6-week postponement, most of the Political Leaders/actors conducted themselves reasonably well with uncommon maturity, composure and calmness (with a few exceptions), as they sued for peace in engagements with their followers.
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