I have been in Lagos for the last 13 years. I have voted before the 2023 election. The first time was during Obasanjo and it was okay and calm. Everyone voted and went back to their house.
Before the election, I had been harassed because of my tribe. But the 2023 election was horrible.
The presidential election was okay and calm. People voted freely. But the governorship was the opposite. You see people being flogged. I have not seen such in my life before. I have never experienced such in previous elections. When it was time to vote, they looked at their faces; if their name was not Yoruba, they said, “Move away.” A boy on the street began harassing people and shouting, “Stop stop stop voting”. Everybody halted.
I felt bad. People I was taking care of started abusing me to go back to my state. I took everyone as brothers and sisters because we were together.
There are still signs of trouble, to the best of my knowledge. We need security. In fact, we need soldiers to chase away those people in the next elections. Security presence should not only be there in numbers, but they should also act immediately whenever there are threats or intimidation around polling units.
There were statements made that affected me. Some of the things people said were painful.
Some words were uttered, I can still remember: “Who are those? Go to Anambra. Which one is rubbish?”, shouting and slamming the table. Those statements are still in my memory because they made people feel unwanted and afraid.
There were more than three police officers. Yet, they did nothing while these thugs were shouting. People expected intervention, but nothing happened at that moment.
As we move towards another election, the change I want to see is simple: I do not want such things to happen again. People should not be treated that way. Let people live normal lives – all Nigerians.
I look forward to a better Nigeria where free and fair elections will be held. I want security in 2027. People should not be afraid. They should come out and vote. This is my country; I will fight for it. I will be voting in 2027 regardless of what happened in 2023. If everybody should be scared, who will vote? Nobody will cast a vote.
Nigeria means a lot to me. I want to be a good Nigerian. I want to contribute positively and live peacefully, but sometimes the experiences people go through make it difficult. Despite everything that happened, I still believe things can improve if the right measures are put in place.
I do not want such things to happen again and I hope things change in the future.
As for what I would say to Nigerians and the government, honestly, they should come out and vote and adequate security should be put in place. The government should ensure that every citizen, regardless of tribe or background, feels safe and protected during elections.
As narrated by: Ifeoma Joseph (Lagos, Nigeria).
This snippet is published as part of the series, Not Your Lagos.
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