The Inescapable Dangers of Election Boycott and the Futility of Political Unity

By Eluwa Chidiebere Chinazu | For Biafra Writers

The seriousness of the election boycott announced by the Indigenous People of Biafra is gaining currency than expected. Villages are on fire over the message and the ire of the youths so transparent for all to see. As was noticed last year December, any trace of political campaign posters was pulled down instantly by angry youths and chants of ‘no election’ kept resonating all over the place.

Of course, revolution reshapes the world. The wind of revolution has never finished blowing in the world without leaving a mark to remember. Successful boycotts in history have never failed to bear witness to successful revolutions. This is the situation the Nigerian government is presently facing. But the question in the case of Nigeria is, will the force of political unity in Nigeria permit the consequences of a successful boycott to be sensed?

Political unity is so absolute in Nigeria. The truth must be told, what unites the politicians in Nigeria is corruption. When it comes to corruption, there is no political opposition, all settle at one thing. Then you would see an incumbent ruler quietly stepping down for the opposition party. But as it stands now in Nigeria, there are inescapable dangers that must ensue if there is a successful boycott of the presidential election notwithstanding whoever that steps down for the other.

No reasonable revolutionist engages or campaigns for what he represents anyhow he wants it without organizing series of boycotts to test the resolve of the people he is representing. A successful presidential election boycott will prove to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) once and for all that the people are out to get their freedom through any means possible. And this will spell doom for Nigeria because no force in history has ever suppressed the general will of the people.

The effect of the successful boycott of Anambra gubernatorial election ordered by the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was not all that sensed because of political unity that played out. After the boycotted election, we saw opposition parties walking away leaving the incumbent to continue, because the government foresaw the dangers of that election boycott against them and so they applied political unity to stop the collapse of the British company called Nigeria. But can political unity quell the effects of a successful boycott of the presidential election? No, it can’t. In as much as some countries wants Nigeria to continue existing as one indivisible entity, so also do some other countries who wants her to collapse overnight. In that case, some international media outfits will report the truth no matter how hard Nigeria tries to bribe them. IPOB has grown diplomatically in the world and things are no longer the same.

In Nigeria, it is called selection not election. If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is selected as the winner of the 2019 presidential election, the All Progressive Congress (APC) will challenge the rigidity of the result and so will PDP if APC emerges winner. Reason being that one part of the country boycotted the election. 

The question of who will accept defeat will rock the entire entity called Nigeria.

It is time for people to rise up and do what is expected of them. All over the world, boycotts has been the only instrument the people exercises to register their needs which yields results. It doesn’t matter if you are Oduduwa or Arewa, the people should fuse together to free themselves of this customized bondage. Revolution doesn’t come from politicians because no one sees to the collapse of his own shop or company. Nigeria is the shop of the politicians.

The Biafra Times

Edited By Chukwuemeka Chimerue

Published: Prince Richmond C. Amadi