Don't Vote Wisely

“The thought of Tinubu winning this election gives me mini-panic attacks.”

I posted that on my status a couple days back. Except I lied. The panic attacks are not mini. They are full blown most of the time. And I have this thought every single day. Scrolling through my phone, trying to push myself to the end of Crime and Punishment or watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – when the thought pops up in my head and I would feel my chest start to tighten, my breath coming in short, raspy forms. My mind racing a million miles and the only thing I could bring myself to do was hitting my chest continuously and try to remember how to breathe.

The last election in Nigeria was in 2019. I was relatively young then. It doesn’t matter to me who ends up winning, I was still a child, albeit one with big dreams. This changed for me in October 20, 2020. The infamous Lekki massacre. The Nigerian Army opened fire on innocent civilians who were protesting the serious pandemic of police brutality. Not the extortion, no. But the killing of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent Nigerian youths by trigger happy police officers. Rather than listen to the complaints of its citizens like as democratically elected government, the Nigerian government decided to send a message in blood: “We are in control, and your demands for safe and better living conditions is a disturbance to us.” In fact, during the whole debacle (imagine this, me calling the senseless killing of people a debacle as if it is a minor inconvenience, but that’s how desensitized we are to violence in this shithole), the man who would turn out to be the 2023 Presidential candidate for the All Progressive Congress (He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named) was quoted saying: “What were they all doing there?”

The man who millions of you are vying for to become president did not condemn or even disagree with the killing of innocent civilians. His only question was what they were doing there. Like they were chickens who crossed the road when a car was coming at high speed. The man whose only retort for any question regarding his capability for the position is: “Emi Lokan (It’s my turn)”. As if the presidency is a gift for a job well done. Even if he were to be pure as the garment of Jesus Christ, he belongs to the same party as the current president and was in fact a big part him getting elected twice, and not once did he condemn any of his policies. Not when ASUU went of an 8-month strike. Not when Christians were massacred in their church during service and nothing was done. Not when dollar became 750 to1 naira. Not when innocent civilians were killed by those meant to protect them. Not when people were under constant attack from the so called “bandits”, even though we know they are terrorists.  Not when the government banned Twitter for nearly a year. Not even when the goblin politicians hoarded palliatives that were meant for citizens in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not once did he speak out against him, until recently into his campaign.

This wasn’t meant to be me pointing out the faults in each candidate, making a case for why I support and why I don’t. This is about the helplessness I feel about the next four years of my life. The helplessness millions of others feel even if they are not aware. The next four years will be pivotal for me. Do I complete my degree or do I join the army? Do I get to move around freely or do I ask my family to keep a little change on the side for ransom anytime I travel? Do I have access to opportunities that will make me achieve my dreams or will I be stuck at the same place because the government banned social media? Do I get to see my friends and family anytime I want or do I have to say goodbye every six months and the only time we see each other is in video calls? Do I still get to have hope and dreams or do I spend every second of my life trying to survive till the next day?

This is more than an election to me, to millions. To those who cannot afford to leave the country no matter how much they scrimp and save. Those who cannot even think of tomorrow without questioning if they can still live till then. Those who don’t have a home because their life has been uprooted by terrorist attacks. Those who don’t get the opportunity to own a smartphone and post on their social media: “We just have to pray to God for this election” – because they prayed to God. Countless of time. And God failed them. This is more than an election; this is a fight for our lives.

So, this isn’t me asking you to vote wisely because considering you people voted Buhari in twice and spend every 3 market days debating the tired “who should pay on the first date question.” This is me asking you to vote for Peter Obi. Because you all know, deep down, no matter how impossible it seem for him to win, he is our only chance, the only hope for a new dawn in Nigeria.

Don’t vote for the man who doesn’t care if innocent civilians are killed by the armed forces. Or the one who doesn’t think Christian lives matter. Vote for the one who makes you see light in the future of Nigeria, no matter how little it is. VOTE FOR PETER OBI.

And if you like, don’t vote for him. We will all suffer under the tyrant you elected and he will be either in his mansion or abroad enjoying his life. While you spend every minute calculating if your 10,000 salaries will last you for a week or if you won’t get kidnapped on your way to that wedding that is 5 hours away from you.