2015 Has Finally Kicked Off, But I am Not Excited...

By George Onmonya Daniel

The ruling Party

With the registration of the All Progressive Congress today, the battle for 2015 has already kicked off. The People's Democratic Party has already congratulated the APC. Now it is going to be the PDP versus APC. However, I am not in anyway excited. Nigeria's election are not like what we watch on CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera about the United States and other countries. Elections in Nigeria are very primitive. Olusegun Obasanjo best described it as 'Do or Die Affair.'

The newly registered party

The 'Do or Die Affairs' phenomenon has already become an accepted norm. Politicians now will start buying arms and ammunition to battle each other. Everybody will start planning and scheming to rig the other out, money for money, thug for thug, and incitement of the public by using whatever means, be it tribalism, religion, regionalism and ethnicism. Nigeria has always been divided along religious line with Christians having made up their minds to vote for a Christian candidate and Muslims for a Muslim candidate. 

If the APC is wise it should present a credible Christian candidate to tackle Goodluck Jonathan who obviously is coming out to contest in 2015, but the APC wouldn't feature a Christian president. Even within the party that matters. In the end we will end up with useless incompetent men from both sides and we are left with no choice than to choose the best incompetent leader.

What is worrisome is that many jobless youths would be lured into joining the gangs of party supporters and killing of each other. It has become part and parcel of our culture. Why is the Senate and House of Representative in Abuja not making strict laws to deal with trouble makers during elections. Look at the 2011 election where rampaging youths all over Northern Nigeria were incited to kill, burn and destroy. How many people went to prison for that? Have the people affected been compensated as they should? Politicians just don't care. In a 'Do or Die Affairs' country, anything goes.

Gen. Lawrence Onoja was almost assassinated during election in Benue. Benue State is one of the most volatile States during elections with assassins prowling everywhere and cult gangs being used to unleash mayhem, but Benue is child's play compare to Kano, Bauchi, Maiduguri, Yobe and Kaduna States. We saw all the people that died because of Jos-North election in Plateau State that snowballed into Hausa/Fulani and Berom war mixed with religious crisis.  Boko Haram bombing Jos in solidarity with their Muslim brothers and sisters of Jos, at least that was what they claimed.

The APC has the same desperados as the PDP. I will warn Nigerians living in these violent-proned areas that by 2015 they should fine safe places for their families and loved ones because their safety cannot be guaranteed by their government, because the government is the problem. May God show us 2015, but I am not excited about it!

  Why I am not excited about 2015 is that the Nigerian people aren't ready for change yet. Those who hate the PDP now hate it because a Christian is the President or because they felt cheated out of the zoning arrangement or they are not benefiting from the government. Those who hate the APC hate the party because Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is in the party or because they hate Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu or they assume it is a party of Muslims. Nigerians are not ready for change yet. They just scream about change. 

But we on the social media can do something about change if we can come together. Look at what we did with the under 13 marriage debate. At least politicians know we are here and we can influence a lot of people. 

I really think we can do something and the time is now!

(As edited by Sunday Itodo)