If the purulent utterances by some of the candidates in the November 16
\nAnambra State Governorship election were anything to go by, then there is
\nreally a cause to fear for our democracy.<\/p>\n
The candidates of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), People\u2019s Democratic
\nParty (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) in a joint Press Conference con-demned
\nthe conduct of the election, as well as its outcome, in its entirety. They
\nalleged massive rigging, intimidation by security agents and manipulation
\nby INEC, among other awry allegations. I meticulously listened to the
\nactors and gladiators in the Anambra saga and concluded within myself that
\nsomething ur-gent and drastic should be done to save our democracy from
\nimminent peril. Al-most every speaker expressed outrage at the general
\nconduct of the governorship election.<\/p>\n
Something like a corroboration of the allegations came from the Chairman
\nof In-dependent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega,
\nhimself when he openly acquiesced to the complicity of one of his
\nofficials in the botched election in Idemili Ward, believed to be the
\nstrong-hold of one of the candidates. According to Jega, the corrupt INEC
\nofficial had bee handed over to the police for further inter-rogation. I
\nmust confess that I have been down-cast since the election held last
\nSaturday. Initially, I was very upbeat that the election was not only
\ngoing to be free and fair, but peaceful. In which case, the outcome would
\nbe acceptable to the majority of the competitors. Alas, when the chips
\nwere down all hopes evaporated!<\/p>\n
I was particularly piqued by the allegation of collaboration by security
\nagents. When will the use of security agents to do odd jobs at elections
\nstop? And it seems it has been institutionalized. Lousy and morally
\ndebased politicians think they can use illegitimate means to win election,
\nafter others had genuinely worked to be elected!<\/p>\n
The Anambra election has exposed the structural weaknesses in our
\nelectoral process. I had thought that by now INEC would have got it right
\nin conducting elections after the nerve-wrecking experiences of the past
\nwhen elections were, figuratively speaking, like a war. With the coming of
\nJega also came far-reaching changes in both the mechanisms and personnel
\nfor conducting elections. His appointment was greeted with wide
\nendorsement by both the Nigerian and international communities, because of
\nhis antecedents. And he has not disappointed either, except for the
\nexcesses of some of his staff, which seemingly cast doubt on his
\ncompetence. What happened in Anambra State last Saturday simply told a
\nstory about what is to come in 2015. If conducting one governorship
\nelection could pose such a problem, then what will happen when the whole
\nnation is on parade?<\/p>\n
The governor-ship elections in Edo and Ondo States did not raise as much
\ndust as that of Anambra State. Why? One may ask. The reason is simple:
\nthere was visible desperation on the part of some politicians in Anambra
\nState to win at all costs. I still wonder why that should so after all the
\nassurances and reassurances from the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n
There is a vital point many people seem to gloss over about Anambra State.
\nApart from being a hugely elitist state, it is also the home of eminent
\nNigerians, including Nigeria\u2019s first Governo-General and Presi-dent of the
\nFederal Republic of Nigeria Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe; one-time Secretary-General
\nof Commonwealth Chief Emeka Anyaoku and foremost author Prof. Chinua
\nAchebe. IT czar Philip Emeagwali and budding literary figure Chimamanda
\nAdichie also come from the state. Does such a state not deserve some
\nspecial attention whenever there is a national event?<\/p>\n
I had expected the authorities to have plugged every loophole that was
\nlikely to cause a breach of the peace and bring the image of Nigeria to
\nglobal embarrassment during the election. That is what the present
\nsituation amounts to. I was reading some articles online early this week
\nand was amazed by the attention the elections in Anambra State had
\ngenerated globally. Naturally, it should be so, for the reasons I had
\nearlier adduced and those I could not mention. The truth is that Anambra
\nState has always shown the way in the conduct of elections. In fact, its
\nvoters are among the most enlightened and unpredictable. They demonstrated
\nthis during the 1999 general elections when they voted for All
\nProgressives Grand Alliance (APGA) contrary to the widely-held view that
\nit was going to go PDP.<\/p>\n
They repeated this trend in 2010 when they returned the incumbent Peter
\nObi to Government House Amawbia.
\nI am very emotional about Anambra State. Probably, it was the same
\nemotional liking that attracted me to take a wife from the state. In
\naddition, I have lots of quality friends from the state, which makes it
\nalmost too difficult to severe my relationship with them. So, one can
\nimagine the emotional trauma I and other concerned citizens had gone
\nthrough since the sordid incident of last Saturday.<\/p>\n
My major worry is that un-less the situation is quickly addressed it has
\nthe capacity to dent the image of Nigeria globally and call to question
\nany further effort to organize free and fair elections in Nigeria. Those
\nwho perpetrated confusion in last Saturday\u2019s election should be made to
\nface the full weight of the law, irrespective of their stature or
\nposition.<\/p>\n
Time has come when we should be seen to be doing what is right to secure
\nour national pride and move our nation forward. We cannot continue to
\npander to the egoistic whims of a few individuals who masquerade as
\ndemocrats when in essence they are demons looking for whom to devour. I
\nhave written severally in this column about the need to strengthen our
\nelectoral process and shield it from wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing. There is
\nno longer doubt about the fact that there are some persons who have vowed
\nto destroy our democracy. They are ready to do anything to bring shame
\nupon this country, its government and people. Should we allow them to
\nsucceed?These mischievous elements capitalize on every chance they get to
\nperpetrate trouble and dislocate the peace of the nation. I suspect that
\nAnambra State has been infiltrated by these destructive forces which is
\nwhy there has been much outcry since the election was held. What was the
\nmotive of the INEC official who deliberately sabotaged the process by
\nensuring that materials for the election did not get to the voting centres
\non time, particularly in Idemili, comprising a total of 65 wards? Who can
\nconfidently tell me that this ma is not an agent of the same people
\nworking against the establishment? Why has he not been paraded since his
\narrest, at least to serve as a deterrent to his co-conspirators? Who is
\nshielding this man from the cameras? These are questions we need to
\naddress urgently.<\/p>\n
This brings us to preparations for the election. Were they thoroughly
\narticulated and tested and found to be foul-proof? Who was behind the
\nunleashing of security agents on innocent voters, if it is eventually
\nestablished there was collaboration by security agents? One name has kept
\nreverberating in every nook and cranny of the state since the aftermath of
\nNovember 16. Who is this man? Who is he working for? These questions also
\nbeg for answers, if we are to unravel the puzzle behind the Anambra
\nimbroglio. I am not amused at all by the flagrant show of power by some
\npoliticians in the Anambra saga. From my own investigation, it seemed
\nevery politician in the state has his own style of providing security for
\nhimself, beyond the conventional arrangements. I learnt that many of them
\ndefied the no-movement order to foment trouble. Why were they not called
\nto order? This is why I think our police system should be overhauled to
\nattract the police more prestige.<\/p>\n
There is nothing wrong with attaching security details to VIPs, but
\neverything is wrong when they are not treated humanely. Nobody, no matter
\nhow highly placed, has the power to abuse security details assigned to
\nhim. These men and women are officer of the law who should be treated with
\nsome dignity and consideration. I also heard that too much money exchanged
\nhands, and that a particular political party offered huge money to woo
\nvoters at some polling stations. If this allegation is eventually proved
\nto be true, then 2015 is in jeopardy. From where did these people get the
\nbillions they spent on bribery, if not from corruption? Who will save this
\ncountry from the evils of money politics? The time has come for the
\ngovernment to deal with this problem squarely if the sanctity of our
\nelectoral process can still be guaranteed. I am deeply worried about 2015.
\nThe whole world is watching. What is being done by the relevant
\nstakeholders to ensure that the wicked predictions about this country did
\nnot come to pass? It seems every-body is comfortable with the way things
\nare going, but I am not. I cannot forget in a hurry the bitter experience
\nI went through in the hands of security forces when I vied for Senate in
\n2011. My community was at siege for almost three months.<\/p>\n
In fact, the entire community was flooded wit security personnel before,
\nduring and after the election, even to the point of blocking the gate to
\nmy house with an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). It was that bad. It took
\na serious representation before I was allowed to go and cast my vote. I do
\nnot pray that such a thing should happen to any Nigerian vying for an
\nelective office. So, I clearly understood what the candidates were saying
\nwhen they claimed that voters were intimidated. It could have happened,
\nbecause our politicians have the capacity to do callous and nasty things
\nto win election.<\/p>\n
There is no way we can attain global prominence without ensuring that our
\nnation\u2019s image is protected at home. And one of the ways of achieving this
\nis by securing our electoral system from hawkish politicians and
\nfurthering the cause of democracy. Democratization is a global phenomenon
\nand one of the parameters for measuring the success of a modern,
\negalitarian nation. A nation that cannot conduct free and fair elections
\nis like a man who cannot run his home efficiently. Curiously, Nigeria is
\nworking very assiduously to assume the leadership of Africa
\ninternationally. Indeed it has already won a seat in the United Nations
\nSecurity Council. Can it go beyond this level if it cannot boast of sound
\neconomy, functional electoral system, corruption-free social
\nenvironment,eradication of extreme poverty, religious harmony, internal
\nsecurity, harmony among its peoples, etc?<\/p>\n
These are the major drivers of development. Despite all the criticisms of
\nINEC about its role in the governorship election in Anambra State, I still
\nbelieve Jega can get it right if he put his house in order. I am glad that
\nall the critics that spoke on the election agreed that Jega, as a person,
\nis a good man. Calling for his resignation is not necessary. Jega can only
\nperform if we collectively work for the success of our electoral system.
\nJega does not operate in isolation of the environmental factors that
\ninfluence the way things are done i our country. Jega is not the corrupt
\nand mindless politicians who give bribe to turn things upside down for
\ntheir own self-aggrandizement. Is Jega security agents who allowed
\nthemselves to be negatively influenced to do what was not proper, even
\nagainst their conscience and the ethics of their profession? Let us face
\nthe fact: it is we Nigerians that make life difficult fo ourselves. If we
\nwant free and fair elections, then we must begin now to imbibe a new
\nattitude and dispose ourselves to change. We must do away with those
\nnegative tendencies that obstruct our vision and obsess our subconscious
\nminds, causing us to behave abnormally. There is also an urgent need to
\nempower our youth to save them from the wicked grips of politicians who
\nuse them as thugs to cause mayhem at elections.<\/p>\n
The truth is that an average Nigerian politician is too self-centred to
\nthink about others. Probably, this is why they pay for others to do dirty
\njobs for them, while ensconced in their settees, sipping coffee and choice
\nwines. Change will come the day our youth refuse to do the devilish
\nbid-dings of politicians and face their studies. It is the height of
\nSatanism for any politician to expose other people\u2019s children to danger,
\nwhile his own children are safely studying abroad or at home playing
\ngames. Can\u2019t our youth wear their thinking caps and do that which is right
\nand proper for the furtherance of our democracy.<\/p>\n
I believe government owes all of us a duty to promote free and fair
\nelections at all times. We cannot continue to live the way we do at the
\nmoment and accept every situation as normal. It is high time we spoke up
\nindividually and collectively against the injustices in our land and the
\nplots of the wicked to bring our nation to danger.<\/p>\n
We have a date with destiny, and a duty, in 2015 to prove the whole world
\nwrong by shunning violence, manipulation, brigand-age, and other acts
\ncapable of tarnishing the image of our nation. This call to duty is for
\nall of us \u2013 politicians, voters and security agents. Let us work for the
\ngood of our country and for generations yet unborn, so that posterity may
\njudge us right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If the purulent utterances by some of the candidates in the November 16 Anambra State Governorship election were anything to go by, then there is really a cause to fear…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n