According to the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria, “pele, ni ako, oni
\nabo”, literally meaning that to say sorry or apologetic, has the genuine
\nand mischief intent and this much was also emphasized in a song by a
\npopular juju musician who sang that, “Ore tani ko feni loju, ata ni yen fi
\nsenu” meaning that “With a certain category of friends, one doesn’t need
\nan enemy”.<\/p>\n
Thus, one has observed amusingly how some people and groups continue to
\ndelude themselves in mouthing and propagating the democratic credentials
\nof ex president Goodluck Jonathan as though he ruled on another planet or
\nthat we don’t have memory just because it is said that, man’s memory is
\nshort, which is a metaphorical way of emphasizing that the greatest
\ntragedy that has befallen man, is his failure to learn from history, which
\nallows history to always repeat itself.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, since his electoral victory at the just concluded 2016
\nBayelsa state gubernatorial polls, one is amused by incumbent governor
\nSeriake Dickson lamentations that President Buhari is not following in the
\ntradition of ex president Jonathan, by sending him a congratulatory
\nmessage on his recent victory. But you may want to ask, what does it
\nmatter?<\/p>\n
In case, Mr. Dickson does not know or pretends not to know, the office of
\nthe Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is too busy and serious
\nan office, charged with ameliorating the economic, political and social
\ncondition of the Nigerian people, than to be saddled with such things as
\nsending congratulatory messages to winners in an election.<\/p>\n
Also, one can help educate Mr. Dickson, that President Muhammadu Buhari as
\na man of discipline and character, but not a messiah or saint, is serious,
\nfocused and committed to the larger Nigerian project and the Herculean
\ntask of recovering our land from years of pillaging and plundering and
\nthus will not be moved to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps of playing
\nto the gallery and trying to cover up on unsuccessful plots to undermine
\ndemocracy through a congratulatory message which adds no value to the
\ndemocratic tenets in dire need of strengthening by allowing the
\ninstitutions to function unhindered and independently.<\/p>\n
Looking back in history, we recollect how Governor Adams Oshiomhole won
\nthe Edo state governorship election for a second term in 2012 by shining
\nhis eyes and raising alarm very early on election day, about how the
\nelection seemed programmed to produce a winner not based on the people’s
\nvote, though the Comrade Governor won the election due to the people’s
\nvigilance, but we all know better the roles played by the institutions.<\/p>\n
We also remember how ex President Goodluck Jonathan congratulated ex
\nGovernor Peter Obi of then APGA in Anambra state and incumbent Governor
\nOlusegun Mimiko of then Labour party in Ondo state on their victories at
\nthe states gubernatorial elections in 2013.\u00a0 Nonetheless, it is very
\nimportant for us not to overlook ex President Jonathan’s democratic
\ncredentials in view of ex President Olusegun Obasanjo’s open letter to him
\nin December 2013 which highlighted the indiscipline and anti party
\nactivities of the former President of mortgaging his party fortunes at the
\npolls for personal reasons.<\/p>\n
We recollect also, how\u00a0 Ekiti and Osun states, two states under the
\npolitical control of the then opposition party, the APC were virtually
\nplaced under siege by the federal government during the 2014 gubernatorial
\nelections through the deployment of an armada of forces of violence both
\nuniformed and unidentified as well as in hoods with the sole agenda of
\nundermining the democratic wishes of the people as expressed at the polls.<\/p>\n
The Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections was more of a war like
\nsituation because the federal government acted out the script of the
\nstatements expressed by then ex Vice President Nnamdi Sambo at a PDP
\ncampaign rally in Ekiti state, where he stated that his party was going to
\nwar in the elections and truly, it played out as the then opposition party
\nofficials and members were barred from entering the state, arrested,
\nbrutalized and detained before and during the elections by security goons
\nin utter desperation to subvert the democratic wishes of the people.
\nEven, journalists were not spared of the intimidations and harassments.<\/p>\n
While the plot was successfully executed in Ekiti state and produced Mr.
\nAyodele Fayose of the PDP as the winner, it failed miserably in Osun state
\ndue to the vigilance and resilience of the people which manifested in the
\nre-election victory of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the APC.<\/p>\n
Though, ex President Goodluck Jonathan in his usual style of covering up
\nhis anti democratic tracks congratulated the winners of both elections,
\nbut the result of the successful coup against democracy, was exposed
\npublicly via the confessions of an army captain in what is today
\nderisively known as Ekitigate.<\/p>\n
With the electoral loss of ex President Goodluck Jonathan at the 2015
\ngeneral\u00a0 elections, the Nigerian army was forced to eat the humble pie in
\norder to save our democracy, national integrity and restore the battered
\nimage of the military as a result of its compromised, indisciplined and
\nbrigandage conduct in the discharge of its primary responsibility at
\nelections by the previous government, when it constituted an investigative
\npanel to examine the misconduct of its personnel at previous elections
\nincluding that of Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial polls and the
\noutcome of that panel is out today in the public domain.<\/p>\n
So far, despite the challenges associated with the two gubernatorial
\nelections conducted under his watch in Kogi and Bayelsa states, Nigerians
\nare living witness to the absence of the anti democratic actions of the
\nimmediate past of arrest, brutalizations and detention of political
\nopponents before and during the elections as well as the non interference
\nof the Buhari Presidency in the elections which has produced victors from
\nthe camps of both the APC and PDP.\u00a0 For us, this is a welcome development
\nwhich is appreciated and should be built upon, rather than subverting
\ndemocracy and using congratulatory messages as a smokescreen.<\/p>\n
As Governor Seriake Dickson continues to lament the absence of a
\ncongratulatory message from President Muhammadu Buhari of which even the
\nPresident’s party member who won in Kogi state didn’t benefit from and is
\nnot complaining, may we admonish Governor Dickson to rather focus and
\nre-dedicate himself to governance for the benefit of the average Bayelsan,
\nbecause we are unsure if such a message will ever come from this federal
\ngovernment which is focused and too busy to be bothered with such.<\/p>\n
Thanks.<\/p>\n
Nelson Ekujumi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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