Peaceful Nigerian Elections were Almost Hijacked
The recent election in Nigeria that resulted in a peaceful transfer of power was almost hijacked by supporters of the last president.
Reuters reports that supporters of Goodluck Jonathan, the incumbent during the most recent election, had plans to kidnap election commissioner Attahiru Jega. The plot seems to have been an outgrowth from the realization among Jonathan's supporters that he would lose the election.
Jonathan's supporters began to try and falsify ballots to increase Jonathan's share of the vote. International observers took notice of this and governments around the world urged both sides in the election to respect the process.
New technology also made it more difficult to manipulate balloting. This is because voters were given cards that had their photographs and were linked to their fingerprints.
As it became more and more apparent that Jonathan would lose to Muhammadu Buhari, a group of ardent supporters led by Godsay Orubebe plotted to abduct Jega to prevent the election results from being finalized and announced.
When it came time for Jega to announce the results on live TV, Orubebe jumped on the microphone and began a vitriolic tirade against Jega that lasted for more than ten minutes. As Orubebe spoke, a group of armed men affiliated with him approached Jega and his bodyguards, saying they were Jega's new security detail.
The armed men demanded Jega's bodyguards hand him over to them, but the bodyguards refused to do so without first receiving written orders. Had the bodyguards not stood their ground, it is most likely that Nigeria would be engulfed in civil chaos.
