Nigerian General Election, 2023: There will be no shortage of drama.

We are a rizla paper away from the d-day for Nigeria's Presidential election. To be more specific, we have just 5 weeks before we get to see this possible trajectory-changing Nationwide event. I'm filled with a surge of anticipation to see what this Presidential election will give birth to and it's fairly inspiring to know that I'm not alone in this.

I was in a seminar last weekend which was organized for Youths in Ibadan, Nigeria, as an enlightenment seminar to remind everyone of the importance of actively participating in the forthcoming election. I don't know if this is an issue with Nigeria being a developing Country, but what I noticed from that seminar is that a good percentage of the Youths are still not interested in being part of a free and fair election. They just don't see the possibility of such taking place in a country like Nigeria.

That's appalling, isn't it?

Well, you know there is no smoke without fire.

I won't mislead anyone regarding this by telling them that we are going to have a free and fair election. That's a line that can't be used to describe a Nigerian election of such magnitude and I know there are sufficient historical record of shady electoral practices in Nigeria to prove this.

Thuggery, corruption, vote buying/selling, stealing of ballot box and other distasteful practices are usually the trend during our elections. It's no bloody wonder people no longer see their vote as a vote that counts.

A great number of people turn up to pooling units with the perception that whatever they do won't affect the outcome of the election. This is why they turn up with their PVC (Personal Voters Card) to vote for any Political party that offers more money in exchange for their support.

Do you know what's weird about this?

It's not something new. I know about these corrupt electoral practices, as much as every other Nigerian out there. Nonetheless, I want to believe some folks want to see things change for good. Who knows? Things may take a different turn this time around.

The next dilemma is the issue of picking the right candidate for the job. Even if you want to cast your vote wisely without cowering to any monetary enticement, you will still be faced with the issue of choosing the right candidate. Sadly, it's really hard to pick a saint out of all the candidates.

As the campaign is getting heated up, it's not uncommon to see so many of the aspirants coming up with fancy promises about their intention to improve the system and change our society when they become Presidents. These promises always sound good on paper, but we can't be sure of what will happen afterwards.

You see, there is no assurance anywhere. It's just a matter of going for the lesser evil. What we know for sure is that there will be no shortage of drama in this forthcoming election.

Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop Or Comma
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