Politicians in Nigeria rig the elections because they believe the people will make the wrong choice. For them, rigging is an instrument for correcting the people’s bias towards making wrong choices. Politicians believe Nigerians are not capable of electing the right politician into office; by the right politician, they mean a candidate that will balance their interest with that of a section of the people. Rigging requires less resources to execute than due electoral process, and its result is clinical somewhat resembling a significant representation of the wishes of the people. In Nigeria, why is rigging so efficient (again)?
Here are some reasons why politicians are right about people’s bias;
1. You don’t know your rights as a citizen; as a result, you don’t know your place in the polity. In fact, you treat politics like a game with only 2 possible outcomes; winner and losers. You are a proponent of “winner takes all”. You don’t even realize the consequence of this type of thinking, yet you somehow find a way to justify it.
2. You don’t know what qualities to look for in a good politician. You’ll most likely vote along ethnic or religion lines, or how a person looks. You may be educated but you don’t consider education a top criteria for choosing who should represent your political interest. This fundamental flaw is symbolic of a flawed societal value system.
3. You’re more likely to be influenced by vices (like money, fear, intimidation, “packaging”) than by virtues (wealth, love, good morals, content). The perpetrators of vices are your brothers, sisters and neighbours; they are people who make careless statements in publc places and your ignore them because you assume it’s “none of your business”. A tree without deep roots is easily washed away from its position.
I hate
to break it to you, but the political system is perpetually hijacked and
your vote will NOT COUNT unless you (everyone one of you “wailers”)
make it count. Nigeria’s original value system is rooted in the fabric
of the family. As an institution, the family has failed irredeemably;
thanks to religion, fake news and alternative fact. Did I tell you that
your wailing is also a tool in the hands of politicians.
That’s not even the saddest part. Up till now, you still have not got the message I’m passing along 🤦
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