THE hopes of Nigerians and all lovers of democracy around the world for credible, hitch-free elections in Nigeria were dashed on Saturday when the odious fractures that have persistently marred voting in the country resurfaced. Logistics glitches, violence, intimidation of voters, corruption and incompetence, ballot box-snatching, and impunity conflated with security failures to prevent a smooth exercise nationwide. Despite some improvements over previous elections, Saturday’s polling proved that despite 24 years of trying, officials still cannot organise seamless national elections devoid of hitches and violence. INEC, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the Nigeria Police, the military and other security and paramilitary forces deployed in the field, despite marked improvement on past performance, disappointed in several areas. Many find this more painful because the elections come at a time of deep economic and social adversity, and a general resolve by the 82.7
