Debunking the lie ‘our votes don’t count’

By Prisca Chinwe Eboh
One of the greatest deceptions ever sold to Nigerians is that votes do not count during elections. If votes truly do not count, why do corrupt politicians spend billions of Naira buying votes, distributing rice and other gifts, and manipulating the electoral process? They do these things because they know that the power of the people remains a threat to their continued hold on power.
Yes, election rigging exists and there are imperfections in the electoral system, but history has repeatedly shown that when voter turnout is overwhelming, it becomes much harder to suppress the will of the people.
An engaged and determined electorate can overwhelm even the most sophisticated rigging machinery.
The answer is not to give up, it is not to stay at home on election day; the answer is for more Nigerians to vote and encourage others to do the same.
Every vote may seem small on its own, but millions of votes cast by citizens who refuse to surrender their future can change the direction of a nation.
Nigeria belongs to all of us, not to a handful of political elites. We must not abandon our fundamental civic responsibility because of disappointment or frustration. Real change has never come from apathy, it comes from citizens who remain engaged and continue to fight for change.
So, let us vote and protect our votes. Together, we can build the Nigeria we all deserve.

Eboh writes from Queensland, Australia