By Shehu Mustapha Chaji
Many Nigerians are used to complaining about bad leadership, corruption, nepotism, inflation, subsidy, and lack of infrastructure since the days of the First Republic up to the present.
But how can they get the government they really want through the democratic system? They get the government they want by voting for their best candidates.
The problem with Nigerians is that the majority does not vote, even though they own PVCs.
Most Nigerians are good at criticising any government in power. This has even led many to become pessimistic about their country and its leaders.
But will Nigerians come out to vote in the coming 2027 elections?
During the 2023 election, there were about 94 million registered voters. Out of this number, only 24,025,940 voted for a presidential candidate of their choice.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, just announced that Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa with 103 million registered voters.
But the question to ask is: will Nigerians come out massively to vote for presidential and other candidates of their choice in the 2027 elections, or will they sit at home and continue to blame leaders for not doing what they are supposed to do to better their lives?
As things stand presently, only President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his APC are doing all they can to mobilise people to come out and vote.
We saw this during the APC’s presidential primary election where millions came out throughout the country to vote for President Tinubu as the APC’s presidential candidate.
And the APC is able to organise rallies, marches, and gatherings to garner more support for President Tinubu and the APC.
Other parties should do their work by mobilising those who will come out and vote for them.
All those complaining about bad leadership and governance should move beyond criticism and come out to vote for candidates of their choice in the 2027 elections.
Nigerians should come out and vote massively rather than sitting at home, and then after results are announced, rushing to social media to complain about rigging, vote-buying, etc.
The destiny of Nigerians is in their own hands to vote for leaders of their choice, as voter apathy will still produce leaders even if the majority refuse to come out and vote.
Shehu Mustapha Chaji
wrote from Kano.