Congratulations!
By the time you are reading today’s Weekend Ginger (WG), the first leg of the two-day election is concluded and Nigerians may now safely wait for the results, particularly, that of who emerges as the nation’s arrowhead, for the next four years.

One thing is certain, today’s election, unlike all other ones in the past, has assisted the citizens to finally abrogate the sanctity or inviolability of the incumbent!

The Incumbency factor was so incarcerated and laid low, that President Goodluck Jonathan absolutely abandoned his “comfort zone” and actively embarked on a one-to-one, inter-modal vigorous campaign to sell himself!

Congratulations Nigeria! For whatever may be the final result of the election in due course, the true winners of today’s poll, are the citizens! Not General Muhammadu Buhari. Neither is it Dr. Goodluck Jonathan!

Congratulations! If you are reading this WG, because beyond every imagination, whoever wins this election, by virtue of the process, would never take the electorate for granted again. This is the first election in Nigeria, where the ‘underdog’ appeared to have entered into the proverbial ring, being genuinely confident, that truly, victory may not, automatically, be appropriated by anyone else, but itself.

In other words, this is the first election that may truly set Nigerians free, from those who erroneously thought that elections were political contraptions of a systemic ritual, for elongating the tenure of the guy in power!

Congratulations!
For now those who thought that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would rule for 60 years, uninterrupted, would have realized by now that such tall orders would be a mirage, if those in the party daily sleep-walk, wobble and fumble about, only.

Congratulations!
For we may now inch, towards the point that Ghana reached, several years, the point at which the importance of the citizens were recognised; shortly after which electricity supply and other infrastructural facilities began to work!

It is therefore, for these reasons, that we must overlook whatever shortcomings may have been observed, in the course of this election.

It is for this reason, that we must overlook the observed setback at: Polling station 033 Satellite town Lagos Nigeria, where eager Nigerians waiting to get accredited in order to cast their vote queued endlessly, because  INEC officials were unable to hold up their end of the bargain, even as at 9.20am. 

It is for such reasons that we may understand and appreciate the death, as reported by the AFP, of the two people killed by Boko Haram at two polling units in Birin Bolawa and Birin Fulani in the Nafada district of Gombe state this morning.

It is also, in the light of this Citizens’ victory that we may understand the herculean task the INEC faced, or survived from those who attacked and briefly hacked, Saturday morning, the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

‎“We are aware of the recent hack of our @inecnigeria website, we are currently investigating this incident”, indicated the INEC in a tweet, and to which we should urge them to ignore the hackers and avoid distractions.

It is in the light of such development that we may also appreciate the feeling of the electorates in Anguwan Sani Polling Unit (011), Egwa-Gwada Ward in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State chased INEC officials away from their polling unit, because only 15, out of over 900 qualified voters had Voter card (PVC).

The people claim that of the 963 eligible voters which had their Temporary Voter cards, only  15 got their Permanent Voter Cards. 
If you think the percentage is low, so also would be the percentage of the actual voters, in the long run.

The Electoral Officer in Shiroro LGA, Isah Idakwo, confirmed that the 15 people with PVCs at the unit mattered to the Commission, because a vote can make the difference and as such, according to Idakwo: “We sent our men there but they chased them away and we can’t afford to endanger any of our officials’ lives”.

Idakwo however said it is not a deliberate act, adding: “INEC sent workers there but they were sent back but if they change their minds we will ask our workers to go back there and make sure the 15 people vote

It is in the extension of this victory, that the tension in Gov. Uduaghan’s birthplace, Abigborodo community, soared, when voting materials fail to arrive, on time.

Or, why the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Peter Onwusanya, was angry when the Card Reader rejected 10 persons within 15 minutes in his Ward 4, Unit 8, at Asagba Model Primary School in Oshimili South LGA.
Onwusanya described the machine as “dangerous”.

It is in the light of the Peoples’ victory that the electorates must remain undaunted any time the presently postponed House of Reps Elections in 11 Jigawa Federal Constituencies is meant to be held, and still come out and vote!

And it is in this same light, that President Goodluck Jonathan must bear with us, if indeed, three Voter Card Readers failed to accredit him on Saturday, for the presidential election, resulting in a delay, over how his biometric details could be easily captured.

At this point, we have however compulsorily single out the less than the expected number of people who actually voted in the South-west. Rather than the outlandishly high figure who made empty noise, even when they knew, they would not vote.

A good figure did not register. A good percentage registered, secured temporary voters cards,; but failed to exchange it for any PVC. A reasonable figure of those who collected their PVC in Lagos, and Ibadan, relocated to other towns and States to enable them stay with their families during election…., just in case, there would be crisis!
They too did not vote! 

But, unto all those who dared the hot sun, particularly of those in Enugu, who despite the early morning bomb explosions, still waited, and voted, we sincerely doff our hat!

You are the ones guaranteeing that electricity supply would be stable tomorrow. You are the ones that ensured that more roads would be tarred, next year!

You are the true patriots! You are those, upon whose shoulders the future of our democratic hopes laid. You are the ones, who won us today, the enduring electoral victory. A victory which neither Jonathan nor Buhari can wish away!
Kudos to the unrelenting citizens!
Congratulations to all Nigerian people!