Latter time, america of The usa yet again lived as much as its billing because the bastion of freedom on the earth with the seamless approach its presidential election used to be done. Inside of hours of the crowning glory of in-person balloting within the night of November 5, the winner emerged within the early morning hours of November 6, despite the fact that the entire votes had now not been counted. However the future he tied 270 electoral votes, Donald Trump used to be clear because the winner of the election. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, conceded defeat and congratulated him.
A couple of components had been obvious within the American election. The primary used to be the truth that an intruder defeated an incumbent vp. The opposing birthday celebration additionally defeated the ruling birthday celebration. This has handiest came about as soon as in Nigeria when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan used to be defeated via Main Common Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in 2015. One may see the transparency, honesty and dearth of desperation that Jonathan displayed lengthy sooner than the election. He again and again promised that if he used to be defeated, he would give up. He warned that no person must rig the election on his behalf. He additionally warned in opposition to violence, noting that his ambition used to be now not importance the era of any Nigerian.
Any other issue that manifested within the American election used to be its transparency. The entirety in regards to the election used to be sight to society. TV stations beamed reside balloting, collation of votes and let go of effects. There have been refuse ceremonies. It used to be what the Isolated Nationwide Election Fee (INEC) promised Nigerians sooner than the 2023 election. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and his lieutenants again and again confident Nigerians that with its Bimodal Voter Accreditation Device (BVAS), no person may vote two times. It additionally promised that even supposing there used to be refuse web protection in an department with a polling unit, the election consequence can be uploaded to the end result portal, known as INEC Election Outcome Viewing Portal (IReV). The future the INEC legit moved to an department with web protection, the end result would seem at the portal. Population may practice the election ends up in actual life and spot the advance.
Till nearest, the important thing supply of rigging in Nigerian elections used to be between the length the election consequence used to be introduced at a polling unit and the life the end result used to be taken to the collation centre. The INEC contract satisfied maximum Nigerians that the 2023 election can be clear and sovereign. With that call to decrease off that channel from the election procedure, INEC boosted the believe of Nigerians within the procedure. Many society had been energised to take part within the election on account of their trust that the human component that made it dry for election effects to mirror the desires of the citizens have been got rid of.
However Nigerians had been stunned on Election Date when one thing unattainable came about: the presidential election effects from many portions of the rustic may now not be uploaded to the end result portal. Any other amaze used to be that the result of the nationwide legislative elections (Senate and Area of Representatives) taking park on the similar life because the presidential election might be simply uploaded to the similar portal. It used to be open that anyone had locked the portal from accepting the presidential consequence. INEC known as it “a glitch” however until as of late it has now not allowed an distant investigation to substantiate what came about.
Why Trump shouldn’t have received in NigeriaWith the end result portal locked, mutilated effects had been ultimately uploaded. The effects introduced at polling devices had been other from what were given uploaded to the portal. When society complained, they had been informed to travel to court docket. It used to be very demoralising to peer many society who had by no means voted sooner than 2023 however selected to vote on account of the sturdy contract made via INEC get deflated then the election, with many vowing by no means to vote once more. If Nigeria had been a rustic taken with getting its gadget sturdy and clear, INEC and its management must were arrested and charged with sabotage for losing the sources of the family, elevating the hopes of Nigerians and non-Nigerians and rushing their hopes.
Any other issue that would now not be lost sight of within the contemporary US election used to be the truth that Trump used to be nonetheless allowed to tournament the election despite the fact that he have been convicted via a regulation court docket. That shouldn’t have been conceivable in Nigeria. The general issue has now not been allowed to realize roots in Nigeria. That very same issue which made Barack Obama president of america of The usa in 2008 used to be what made Trump win america presidential election in 2016 and 2024.
That issue is the manage of the American balloting people at the factor of who must top them, it doesn’t matter what the tough curiosity teams and folks need. No person chooses the American citizens who’re best possible for them. No person thinks he is aware of what is going to be higher for the American citizens greater than they do. The American citizens do this themselves. And no person sits ailing someplace to modify the figures or significance the safety businesses to annoy and intimidate warring parties.
Next 4 years, the society can make a decision to kick out the individual they elected 4 years sooner than. The incumbent president can’t flourish the gadget or intimidate his warring parties with arrests and warnings. He can’t even significance the cash of the family for his marketing campaign or settle for donations from situation governors. In shorten, the facility of incumbency confers refuse benefit to him. He should promote his candidacy to the citizens like all alternative candidate. If the citizens prefers him, he’s going to win, but when now not, he joins the listing of former presidents. If he has finished his two phrases, he can’t make a choice who succeeds him. It’s that easy.
Trump’s emergence in 2016 gave the look of a comic story. Many idea he used to be a whole outsider who simply sought after to sign up his presence within the minds of the American electorate. I had preferred his bravado in trade. However I used to be stunned at his phrases all over the campaigns. Paradoxically, the extra he spewed out his phrases, the extra states he received within the Republican Celebration primaries in spite of the prime calibre of contestants some of the Republicans. Ultimately, he received the Republican price ticket. I started to invite: “What if Trump wins?” The reaction I were given from many Nigerians used to be: “It is not possible. American powerbrokers would not allow such an erratic, foul-mouthed man to smell the presidency.”
I noticed the way in which even his govern birthday celebration participants, establishments sympathetic to the Republican Celebration, and previous American presidents all got here out to criticise him and pull out their help for him. A wide variety of allegations of items he stated or did within the life had been unearthed. Nonetheless, his reputation didn’t wane. Even our personal Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, stated he would shred his American Inexperienced Card in protest if Trump received the American election in 2016. Trump ultimately received that election. In 2020, because the incumbent president, Trump used to be defeated via Joe Biden. In spite of being probably the most tough president on the earth, Trump may now not ban Biden from defeating him, despite the fact that he attempted all he may to upturn the end result.
In 2016, Trump’s victory re-enforced the manage of the American citizens. In 2024, the similar issue performed out with america proving that freedom in reality signifies that energy belongs to the society. If Trump had contested in Nigeria, some tough curiosity teams would have finished the entirety to ban him. Despite the fact that he received the election, they might have doctored the end result to safeguard that he didn’t change into president.
However the irony is that despite the fact that america believes it is aware of what’s just right for itself, it does now not consider that some alternative international locations know what’s just right for them. The response of america to the electoral victory in some international locations has been hypocritical and boastful. It’s the similar ego that made international locations like the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Portugal travel round colonising alternative international locations at the pretext that they sought after in order civilisation to barbaric society. The United States additionally helps repressive and despotic regimes in many nations so long as the chief is an best friend of america. Self-interest is just right for international locations, nevertheless it turns into relating to when it’s brazen.
Nigeria must produce up its thoughts whether or not it in reality desires freedom, which empowers the society to make a decision who must top them, or one thing else dressed up as freedom.