by Pst. Favour Adéwoyin
https://www.digital.zenithbank.com/ZEQ/ZEQ-jan-2026/index.html#p=1I would like to start this piece by describing my personal opinion about politics. Each time I hear the metaphor that expresses a value judgment or opinionated speech like “politics is dirty game” because it is not a statement of fact that has been logically proven or established, I always remember my personal experience growing up as a youth in Òkehò, Ọ̀yọ́ State.
I have severally narrated the experience that nearly claimed my life during the NPN/UPN era in the Second Republic when Olunloyo emerged as the executive Governor of Ọ̀yọ́ State and I don’t want to go into it again.
But what happened made me develop a strong personal hatred for politics. Honestly speaking, even though the statement “politics is a dirty game” is opinionated and expresses value judgement, for a very long time, no one was able to convince me otherwise.
As a result of that nasty experience, I practically turned a 360 degree away from politics to face my life. What distanced me more from politics was my encounter with God in a very dramatic way; but, this is a story for another time.
When I met God and He converted me, I thought I had escaped from politics forever until I began to study the word of God with understanding to know that it is not politics that is dirty, but the players or practitioners of politics. I have heard someone told me about some unspeakable things that can be traced to some politicians, especially those who are engaged in the power play of seeking for position at all costs.
If one hears what some politicians do to get power, if one hears about politics and politicians, one should go into hiding. Killing, maiming, and all manner of wickedness should be considered as childplay when describing what some politicians can do and, if politics is truly a game, what type of game is it? The only description for the kind of game politics is what the Yoruba people always called “eré e géle”, which interpretes to mean “dangerous play”.
No wonder Charles de Gaulle, a French General and Statesman, said: “politics is too serious to be left in the hands of politicians”? The reason why politics should not be solely left in the hands of politicians has to do with the statement that was attributed to James Madison, an American statesman and founding father, who said “politicians are concerned with the next election, but statemen are concerned with the next generation”.
So, even when God Himself was able to convince me by asking me about the common profession of David, Shedrack, Mesach, Abednego, Nehemiah, Ezra, Modecai, Esther, etc and I was not smart enough to answer God that they were politicians, I still had my reservations for politics because of my agelong negative belief about politics and politicians.
Truly speaking, politicians don’t joke with elections because they know the power of the ballot and they can do anything to win any elections, which is why we keep hearing election irregularities like vote buying, ballot-box snatching, money politics, vote suppression, electoral fraud, bribery, intimidation and violence, misinformation and propaganda, nepotism and favouritism, misuse of public resources, blackmail and scandal-mongering, identity theft and impersonation, Gerrymandering, etc.
Most often than not, election in Nigeria has become a “do-or or die” affair. It was just only the June 12 election that was credited to be free, fair and credible.
Now, if the political class knows the significance of the ballot and they can do anything to win election because they know what power can do, the electorates who have been suffering as a result of the misuse of power by the politicians don’t take the ballot serious, which is why we will not stop to preach against voter apathy, which means lack of interest or motivation among citizens to participate in elections.
As I’m writing this piece, I’m aware of many adults who don’t have voters’ cards. Those who have voter’s cards don’t see the need to go out to vote. Many young people who are just clocking eighteen years which supposed to be the election year don’t have enough education about the power of the ballot. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) whose responsibility is to educate people on their civic responsibilities which exercising one’s voting right has gone into comatose.
The lackaidaisical and aphathetic attitude of the electorates towards the ballot is a thing of delight to many politicians. If only three people vote during an election, politicians will count the ballot papers and declare winners with a simple majority. Wherever politicians don’t have their ways, the electoral body can declare such election as “inconclusive”. If the freest, fairest and most credible election can be “annuled” in this country, which election is so sacred that it camnot be rendered useless?
But, that we do as we like with our own politics and elections does not demean the imporance of election and the ballot.
Many people who, at one time or another, had something to do with election made some powerful statements about ballot, votes and elections. The following are some of the statements they made:
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln.
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves — and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” – Susan B. Anthony.
“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. It all matters.” – Barack Obama.
“The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.” – Lyndon B. Johnson.
“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Thomas Jefferson.
“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”
(This one is a bit more ironic but often quoted in discussions about the importance of wise voting.) – Winston Churchill.
“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” – John Lewis.
With all these confirmations from great men and women about the ballot, I have nothing else to say again other than to advice all of us to wake up from our deep slumber and go with our voter’s cards to vote on the day of election. If we don’t vote, you have no right to complain that some people are marginalising us. We don’t have a voice against unfairness, injustice, inequity, inequality of men/women and man’s inhumanity to man.
Again, our vote is not only our voice, it is our power. Let us use it.
Pst. Favour Adéwoyin is the General Secretary, Ẹgbẹ́ Àjọṣepọ̀ Fún Ìtẹsiwájú Gbogbo Wa (Advocacy Group demanding for power rotation.
