By Okechukwu Nwanguma
My fellow citizens of the Southeast,
As Dr. Sam Amadi has rightly argued, no governor – and no politician in the Southeast, however powerful or influential – is a warrant chief. No individual has the authority to commit the electorate of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu or Imo State to any candidate or political party. That decision belongs to the people.
Our votes express our choices about our lives, our future, and the generations coming after us. We must vote according to our conscience, understanding that the consequences extend beyond election day. No temporary inducement is worth surrendering our freedom of choice or mortgaging our children’s future.
Politicians must moderate their ambitions and respect democratic principles. No individual’s political ambition is worth the life, safety, or dignity of any citizen. The recruitment and arming of young people as political thugs must stop.
To our young people: refuse to become instruments of violence. Do not allow anyone to recruit you to kill, maim or intimidate your neighbours for personal ambition or partisan advantage. Your life has value beyond any politician’s quest for power. Use your energy to organise, participate peacefully and demand accountable leadership.
INEC must demonstrate independence, impartiality and integrity throughout the electoral process. Every eligible voter must have a fair opportunity to participate, and every valid vote must count.
Law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies must remain professional and politically neutral. They must provide equal protection to ruling and opposition parties, candidates, voters, journalists and electoral officials. Public security institutions must never become instruments of partisan repression.
Electoral manipulation begins long before election day. Violence, intimidation, suppression of opposition campaigns and restrictions on lawful political activities can undermine an election before the first ballot is cast. These practices are cowardly, unacceptable and destructive of democracy.
Across the Southeast, the political space must remain open, fair and safe for every party, aspirant, candidate and supporter. Those who commit crimes must be investigated and, where evidence warrants, prosecuted according to law, regardless of their political connections.
Young people, civil society organisations, communities, the media and other stakeholders must organise and mobilise peacefully. We must scrutinise the process before, during and after voting; document abuses; report violations; and hold politicians, INEC and security agencies accountable.
We must defend our votes through peaceful vigilance, lawful observation, accurate reporting and available legal remedies. The lesson we should draw from Osun is the importance of public participation, unity and determination in resisting electoral manipulation. Electoral experiences elsewhere, including the United States, should likewise remind us that citizens can use the ballot to choose their leaders and demand change.
Unity does not require everyone to support the same candidate. It requires us to defend everyone’s right to choose freely and insist that declared results reflect the votes cast. The choices we make today will shape our lives for years. Let us assess candidates by their character, competence, record, and commitment to the public good. Let us choose freely and wisely, without fear, intimidation, or inducement.
The Southeast belongs to its people. Our votes belong to us. Our destiny is in our hands.
- Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC)
