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On the eve of every
general election, a nation stands at the crossroads. In more advanced
democracies, as in Europe and the United States, the exercise means no
more than a ritual change of guard, replacing leaders from one
political party with those from another, or retaining the old brigade.

It may sometimes
mean a sharp break from the past as it is happening in Germany where
the Green Party seems to be gaining ascendancy over the Christian
Democratic Union, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel which had ruled
most of Germany for 58 years; or the unusual marriage in England
between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. It may even be a
historical moment, like the election that made Barack Obama the first
black President in US history.

In Africa,
however, an election is more than a moment of import, more than a
chance for changing leaders; it is a fight for survival. Often, it is
closer to a referendum than an election; the event often decides
whether the country will remain together or fall apart. Some of the
worst crises in the continent have been preceded by elections whose
results became contentious; in Nigeria, Liberia, DR Congo, Uganda,
Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, etc. That is why the international community uses
every election in Africa to X-ray not just the country going to the
polls, but the entire region; rehashing its basket of troubles, its
wanton failure, its almost ethereal ability to ruin its best chances.

As Nigeria
prepares to go to the polls this weekend, pundits are relishing the job
of analysing, judging, and condemning our democratic ethos. But we can
choose not to provide them the requisite arsenal. We can choose to
shame every armchair critic whose lazy projection ends with the usual
conclusion; that the election will be marred by violence, that it will
be rigged, that it will be a sham.

Already, there are
signs that this election has a better chance of success than most. The
National Assembly, the Presidency and the political parties bent over
backwards to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission
got everything it needed to conduct credible elections. The chairman,
Attahiru Jega, himself seems like a man who cares more for his
credibility than for any personal aggrandisement. The relative success
of the voter registration exercise, in which some 73 million Nigerians
were registered, shows a high degree of interest in the elections, and
though there have been pockets of violence in a few states it has not
engendered the kind of fear that normally precedes national elections
in this country.

Mercifully too,
Goodluck Jonathan has, at least in public, not shown those tendencies
that make elections seem like a do or die affair. These are things we
can build on to advance our democracy.

The leader of the
16-member Commonwealth Observer Group for Nigeria’s 2011 elections,
former Botswana President, Festus Mogae, said recently that, “In the
wake of the flawed 2007 elections, it is vital that Nigeria writes a
new electoral chapter, restoring public confidence in the country’s
democratic institutions and processes.”

In order to write
that critical chapter, Nigerians must go to the polls on Saturday and
every election day, rather than stay home and mope about the
imperfections. Democracy does not run itself and the first sign of
trouble is voter apathy. Mr. Jega has advised that voters stay after
casting their votes to witness the counting, so as to minimise the
chances of fraud. It is a tedious imposition, but a necessary one, and
we saw how that kind of persistence worked miracles in Kano and Bauchi
where a ruling party was routed.

We also hope that
everyone will abide by the rules, and politicians will learn that it is
not worth it to cause the death of the same people you claim to want to
serve. The rules are plain and adequate, and the election process is
simple enough for those who genuinely crave a democratic culture.
Nigeria has lagged behind in many development parameters for too long,
and this election is a time to get back some respect, to lead Africa
towards a better democratic culture.

As we write this,
tens of thousands of refugees from Tunisia, Libya and Cote d’Ivoire,
fleeing violent regimes in their countries, have overwhelmed the
population of the Italian Island of Lampedusa. Let us show the world
that Africa is more than one story.