The 2023 General Election -By Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen

It has been the custom of Nigerians to vote for a candidate into political office based on the person’s personality, achievement and fame. But the 2023 presidential election is one that has taken another dimension in the system.

On Saturday, 25th February 2023, Nigerians flung out massively and voted for their respective presidential candidates, they voted for these people without recourse to the popularity of a political party or influence of the candidates involved. Though all these _party’s popularity and influence of a candidate_also played a good role in determining the winner, the election happened to be the most interesting one that stings a greatest upset at the polls , perhaps because of the third force, Labour Party.

It was the first time in the history of the Nigerian general election where a third force would be causing a great upset at the polls. In fact, it was an election where the tenants overpowered their landlord in his own land. Bola Ahmed Tinubu (the president – elect), the presidential candidate of All progressive congress (APC) lost in his hometown, Lagos state, to Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labor party (LP) where everyone thinks that he will get a massive vote from. The immense turn out by Nigerian to vote their candidate is different from previous elections, even people still canvassing some people to vote their candidate on the polling unit.

I watched a video on Twitter where the Labor party (LP) and other political party members waited for the election results to be announced. Even some count the votes together with INEC officers. The movement Nigerians made in order to see their candidate win the election was unquantifiable.

At last, Some feel disappointed because their vote didn’t count and the candidate whom they put their thumb on didn’t win the race, many protests and demonstrations were held all in the efforts that their conscience was not achieved.

In some parts of Nigeria, some women flung out and cried out that their candidate must receive the mandate or else that they are going to protest nakedly. On Saturday, 28th February,2023 the number of women that stormed in Abuja was approximately 200 and threatened to go naked if the proper results of the election were not announced.

Another interesting episode of the general election is the case of Jennifer Seifegha, a supporter of labor party (LP) who suffered an attack by thugs at the Nuru/Oniwo Ward, Polling Unit 065, in Surulere while she was waiting to vote on Saturday. Despite the injury she sustained, she still came back to exercise her democratic right, with a pool of blood running on her face.

Also, according to the SAHARA reporter, serving a corp member,locked himself in a classroom at a polling unit located at LEA primary school, Lugbe, Airport Road, Abuja where he used his thumbprint on many ballot papers to vote for the APC. Meanwhile, angry voters on Saturday beat a corps member to death in Abuja for voting multiple times using his thumbprint on many ballot papers