BALLOT BOX………. Your life

By Joseph Edgar…

I watched with incredulity as our President in an attempt to come out as bold and in control make the statement that has finally removed the cloak of a faux democrat that he has been wearing for sometime now. Now that video which has gone viral stated very clearly and undeniably that anybody who trifled with the ballot boxes would be doing so at the risk to his life- my words. This is not shocking, especially if you take into consideration the pedigree of the speaker.

Well, the issue here is where the rule of law stands in matters like this.

Snatching of the ballot box and indeed any kind of electoral infraction remains a very powerful instrument of the destabilization of democracy. It leads to the desecration of the processes and can assist in muting the true voices of the people. But should this lead to instant death, remains the source of the wahala and where we seem to have found ourselves as a people?

The arbitrariness that this statement seems to connote and supposedly encourages can only lead to a system of anomie, a descent into the break down of law and order and the possible trigger to the enforcement of barbarism especially with those who are constitutionally empowered to monopolize violence. This further pushes the tension within the polity as we head towards this all-important election.

It is very important to state very succinctly that nobody deserves to die arbitrarily no matter the offence. Nobody’s life is expected to be at risk for any offence not even mass murder without going through the laid down procedures of the judicial system and penal code.

This is not in any way in support of electoral malpractices of ballot box snatchers which by experience are prevalent on all sides. But this is a serious kick against the despotic connotation that puts the life of a Nigerian, albeit a thug, at the sole prerogative of weaponized Individual. Giving the powers of life and death to that willy nilly weaponized individual who, as we even see in this country, may be a ‘hired’ gun for one side and will only lead to unwarranted carnage. The rule of law must continually be safe guarded. The constituted and legal process for determining an offence and prescribing apportioned judgements must never be trifled with for there lays the sanity we need to achieve national cohesion.

Read also: Buharism On Trial!

That said, another issue I would like to look at will be the issue of the temperament of the President. That day I saw a different Buhari. A Buhari struggling to contain his emotions, a very angry Buhari. This was a vulnerable Buhari who must have made that statement out of the pressure of the issues that may have led to the postponement and also the seeming reports that may have not been too favorable to his ambitions.

This vulnerability came out with the aggression of that statement. It connotes an aggressive threat and warning to a system that seems to be tired of this lethargic and almost disinterested style of government. The President and his handlers should calm down and approach the elections with panache and state manly strategy aimed at convincing the people of their intent and purposes and not by issuing threats and warnings as if you are talking to a band of unruly kindergartens.

The President still can turn this around if he apologizes to Nigerians and rephrase his statement by saying something like, ‘ we will unleash the full wrath of the law on all offenders as the judiciary has been empowered to enforce the law’ just may be we would forgive him. But as it is like this, all we are seeing is the final unmasking of a masquerade who through the goading of the people could no longer keep the mask on.

For some of us, there is fear because a ballot box can mostly be snatched at a polling booth and if the ‘snatchee’ is to be subjected to instant and arbitrary killings would I want to be found within the vicinity of that kind of act simply because I want to exercise my civic duty? The answer is very true. NO.

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