- Congratulates Mexico’s first female president
It is election season worldwide in 2024, with roughly half of the world’s nations and populations having already voted or expected to vote this year.
Notable elections are taking place in Africa (e.g., South Africa), Asia (including India), the Americas (Mexico has already held its election, and the USA is scheduled for November 2024), and Europe (the United Kingdom will have its election in July 2024).
In this year’s harvest of elections, I am excited about the outcome of the recent election in Mexico, with the election of the first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum. She is a 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City and a climate scientist.
Congratulations to the people of Mexico! We hope she will not be influenced by the outgoing president or anyone else, as the Mexican people have high expectations for her.
When will it be the women’s turn in Nigeria and elsewhere in the West African sub-region? Since Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia, shattered the glass ceiling, women in West Africa have been waiting for their opportunity.
When will it be women’s turn? During the just concluded election in South Africa, the ANC lost its majority in parliament, showcasing democracy in action. The South African electorate reduced support for the ANC from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2%. South African voters showed dissatisfaction with unemployment, inequality, and power outages.
Their votes indicated a rejection of the government and political party (ANC) ‘s indifference to citizens’ needs. I observed as President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the results and commended the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for conducting a free and fair election while calling for unity. I also listened to the impactful speech by the Chairperson of the IEC, which instilled hope about the effectiveness of strong institutions.
Did you notice how the election results were displayed on the electronic board in South Africa? This contrasts to Nigeria, where we tend to announce one local government area result for hours on national television instead of utilizing technology more effectively, especially at the state and national levels collation centres.
There are important lessons for Nigeria’s democracy that must be imbibed. It’s time for Nigerians to embrace democratic values, ensure that our votes are meaningful, and oppose election manipulation, as well as the buying and selling of votes. We also need independent electoral bodies at the federal and state levels. In addition, it’s crucial to focus on inclusion, allowing women, young people, and other marginalized groups to exercise their right to participate in their country’s governance.
