By YAYA ADEMOLA
IN a democracy, people have the rights to choose whosoever they want as public office holders through general elections. In the same vein, political party members have the rights to select through consensus or election who they want as their candidates to be presented for general elections. This is the whole essence of internal party democracy. A political party cannot claim to be democratic and progressive unless it is inclusive and representative. This has been a major challenge, especially in the two dominant parties in Nigeria – APC and PDP – as imposition of candidates by the party leadership through manipulations and other fraudulent means is the order of the day.
Osun APC just concluded charade tagged APC Primary election of 19, February, 2022, was a clear demonstration of nothing but a shambolic exercise. How do I mean? There are two factions in the party – Oyetola/Famodun and Aregbesola/Salinsile led excos.
The two factions were fielding aspirants to elect the party candidate for 16 July, 2022 gubernatorial elections in the state. Oyetola/Famodun was fielding Governor Gboyega Oyetola while Aregbesola/Salinsile was presenting Moshood Adeoti and Lasun Yusuf was standing independently. Since the last registration and revalidation exercise of APC membership in 2021, the party membership register has been domiciled with the Oyetola/Famodun led exco. Up till the eve of the 19th February primaries, the Oyetola/Famodun led exco refused to avail both Aregbesola/Salinsile exco and Lasun Yusuf the membership register on which election will be based.
Moreover, the membership register was not pasted for display and verification for all APC members in all the 332 Ward Collation Centres before the primary. It is instructive to note that Governor Oyetola who was one of the aspirants contesting in the primaries is a member of Governor Mai Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), which was organising the said primaries. If Governor Gboyega Oyetola knew that he wanted to contest in an election that will be conducted by that CECPC in which he is a member, he supposed to have resigned from the Mala Buni led APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) four weeks earlier. APC constitution is very clear on this when it states in Article 31 (iii) of its constitution, “Any Party office holder interested in contesting for an elective office (whether party office or office in a general election) shall resign and leave office 30 days prior to the date of nomination or party primary for the Office he or she is seeking to contest.” You cannot be an examiner and student writing examination at the same time. This is contrary to law of natural justice and principle of fair play as you cannot be a judge in your own case.
The aforesaid reasons alone were enough for Aregbesola/Salinsile led faction to walkout of the pre-rigged primaries and head to court of law as there are rules guiding the primaries which everybody must obey. Clearly, there was no level play ground ab initio. It could, however, be said, “You cannot institute litigation in an election you did not partake.” Perhaps, the reason Aregbesola/Salinsile faction partook so as to have locus standi.
In that charade, serving Chairmen and Councillors of Local Government Caretaker Committee appointed by Governor Oyetola and beholden to him, and whose very existence is an offense to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were the presiding officials used for the conduct of the primaries in all the 332 Wards in the state rather than traditional election Adhoc staff like Youth Corps members and school teachers. The fact that nobody has yet challenged unconstitutionality of the concocted farce called Local Government Caretaker Committee does not validate it. The Supreme Court had pronounced caretaker arrangement unconstitutional, null and void, with finality. It is a testimony to our collective docility and the utter disregards for rule of law by the Oyetola government that they still exist in Osun.
Again, there were no proper accreditation and result sheets on ground throughout the entire 332 wards, as pictures of the other two candidates (behinds which their supporters ought to queue) were largely absent. The pattern all over was to ask people to line up for counting without eventually announcing number of people accredited; and entering number of votes on a notebook to be later filled in favour of Governor Gboyega Oyetola. Where questions were asked on proper accreditation, threat of violence and real violence were deployed to silence and disperse them. People were systematically and forcefully disenfranchised by removing their names from a bogus party register while the Party Membership slips they were holding was rejected as against clearly stated guidelines for the election. Figures were eventually manufactured and allocated indiscriminately by these government appointed officers. The announced results in all the 332 ward collation centres were not the true reflection of the wishes of the mass of party members.
Genuine APC members should not be dismayed or disillusioned. There are still rooms to address the injustice. In the first instance, the court has not pronounced that there is no case to answer on the Aregbesola/Salinsile led exco litigation on legality of its conducted ward congress and the illegality of the Oyetola/Famodun Party Exco. It has only said the case could not be heard by it as it lacks jurisdiction; suggesting that there are still in-house room for reconciliation. There is room for appeal up to the Supreme Court. Party Excos that emerged upon crooked congresses are retrogressive, undemocratic exercises in self deceit, ultimately doomed for defeat at the court of justice, along with every act and product of such excos.
Similar situation had occurred in Zamfara state in 2019 when APC outgoing Governor, Abdullaziz Yaru, did not conduct valid primaries in the build up to 2019 general elections where APC candidate, Mukhtar Idris, was declared winner having polled 534,541 votes. Eventually, the Supreme Court declared the APC primary illegal with N10million fine against it and declared PDP candidate from a distance second the winner. In February 2019 again, Supreme Court banned APC from participating in Rivers state election because of lopsided primaries in the state. Similar situation occurred in Bauchi, Rivers and Imo states. Osun is, therefore, only acting to replicate the same familiar script that cannot stand the test of time.
Some people are of the opinion that Governor Aregbesola did same thing in 2018 in favour of Oyetola. Yes, in a democracy where there is a majority going the same direction, it could overrun the minority; unfairly so but the majority can get away with it, most times. The case of 2018 is an exact opposite of what is happening now as minority – supported by aliens, brute force and incumbency – is trying to overrun the majority. Such movement will naturally crash. It is only a matter of time. Only the unpopular and undemocratic shy away from and are terrified by people simply lining up behind a poster of their preferred candidates to be counted; and would then resort to force and demagoguery to obtain tainted result.
If two people are engaged in conversation, if the one being lied to is oblivious of it, the one lying knows it for sure: eniyan meji ki padanu iro! One thing is crystal clear -at the end of the day, the wishes of the people will prevail because the voice of the people is the voice of God.
