Tag Archives: free & fair elections

 

 

Even though this cartoon is a mockery of the gubernatorial election in Èkìtì State, it casts a broader light on the reality of democracy and electoral processes in Nigeria.

Here, we see a 6-sided coffin (probably representing the 6 geopolitical zones in the country) with the inscription “free and fair election” ready to be lowered into the ground by politicians, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

A gubernatorial election was held in Èkìtì State on July 14, 2018. The election was marred with irregularities. For one, members of the two most viable political parties in the state – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – were captured in a BBC report giving money to voters for votes.

Another thing that is quite symbolic in this cartoon is how there is a skeletal hand protruding from the coffin ready to be buried. This implies that stakeholders in Nigerian democracy are hellbent on burring whatever is left of democracy in the country after years of fraudulent democratic processes.

This cartoon, therefore, is a commentary on how politicians, INEC, and voters are all partners in ‘killing’ and burying free and fair election in Nigeria.