The much anticipated general elections have come and gone with the winners and losers being announced in almost all the elections. JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH writes
After months of campaigning and politicking, the general elections took place on March 28 to determine who leads the country in the next four years and also those who will be at the National Assembly. Also on April 11, the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections held in some states across the nation. Let’s preview some of the winners and losers in both elections.
Winners
General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) Having contested the presidential elections four times, the president-elect is definitely a winner. He finally achieved his dream this year with a resounding victory over President Goodluck Jonathan, becoming the first person to unseat an incumbent president in the history of Nigeria. The president -elect is already being likened to former American President Abraham Lincoln who several times contested for the American presidency before finally achieving his dream. The expectations are high for Buhari to deliver and lead the country to the Promised Land as corruption and insecurity have been the bane of this present administration.
Bola Tinubu
Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the fact that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a master tactician and strategist. Much of the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South West can be attributed to him. It will be recalled that in the 2011 elections, Buhari lost in the South West but with the merger and the influence of Tinubu he was able to win the zone which was a major decider in these elections. He consolidated his status as the Godfather of South West politics in these polls.
Peace Accord Committee
The peace accord committee led by former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar worked round the clock to ensure peace reigns after the elections. Both presidential candidates were made to sign a peace accord which stipulates that the loser of the elections would congratulate the winner. The work of the committee was not in vain as Jonathan called and congratulated Buhari even before the final results were announced by the INEC. Most political analysts said that singular act by Jonathan saved the nation from possible catastrophe and chaos.
The populace
It is safe to say that the 2015 elections were to an extent free, fair and credible. The votes in many of the states reflected the wishes of the people. Nigerians now have the confidence that they can chose who they want to govern them. After 16 years of uninterrupted rule by the PDP, most Nigerians felt they needed a change and voted overwhelmingly for the APC; the wish of the people was respected. The voters are definitely the winners in these elections.
INEC
Even though the 2015 general elections experienced some hitches in some states, it can be said that these have been the best elections conducted in the country in recent times. It was a remarkable improvement from the 2011 elections. The success of the elections can be attributed to the use of card readers which to a large extent minimized rigging in some areas. Past elections were marred by cases of irregularities, rigging and ballot box snatching. However, the use of card readers reduced these incidences to the barest minimum.
Commendation must go to the INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega who insisted on the use of card readers and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) for the elections as there were pressures from some political parties for the commission to ditch the use of card readers and PVC for the elections.
Losers: PDP
Having held sway as the ruling party for 16 years, the PDP fell like a pack of cards at the elections as not only did it lose the presidential election, it also lost its majority status in the National Assembly and also in the Gubernatorial elections. For the first time in 16 years, the party found itself in the opposition. Many have predicted that this may be the end of the party as before the 2019 elections, many politicians would have defected to the APC or form another party.
Rotimi Amaechi
Although his party won the presidential elections, it can be said that Rivers State governor is a loser in the governorship election held in his home state, Rivers. As the Director General of the Buhari campaign organization, it is expected he would deliver his state to the APC or at least put up some fight. However, the APC lost woefully in both the Presidential and Gubernatorial elections in the state.
Doomsday Prophets
Before the elections, there were various predictions by prophets that here would be massive bloodshed in the country and that the country may break up. Even the US had earlier predicted that the country may break up in 2015. Apart from some pockets of violence recorded in some states, the elections were largely peaceful.
Senate President David Mark took a swipe at doomsday prophets recently in his welcome address to senators after their elections and Easter break. He said contrary to predictions the outcome of the general elections has greatly disappointed doomsday prophets who predicted disaster and even possible breakup of the country adding that he is happy that Nigerians hearkened to the persistent appeals for a peaceful and violence free elections.
Governors Babangida Aliyu, Saidu Dakingari and Gabriel Suswan
Governors of Niger State Babangida Aliyu, Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi state and Gabriel Suswan of Benue states are the biggest casualties in the general elections. The trio contested for the senate in their senatorial zones and lost woefully in what could be defined as protest votes in their zones and at the same time, their candidates for governors lost out in the gubernatorial elections. The trio are facing a political wilderness both at the national and state levels.
Governor Ramalan Yero
Governor Ramalan Yero of Kaduna state lost woefully in his bid to return as governor of Kaduna state and for an incumbent governor the margin of defeat was too high and so far he’s the only incumbent governor who failed in his return bid.
Written by Jonathan Nda-Isaiah
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