Categories: Op-Ed

OBSERVATION: Politicians Threatening Democracy

BY ADEMOLA YAYA

ALTHOUGH there were alleged votes buying especially by the big political parties, the successful use of BVAS in July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun, which was a precursor to 2023 general elections, assured that time had come for peoples’ votes to count which is the very bedrock of democracy. Common sense is not required for one to have thought that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would have reviewed shortcomings in the said election and perfect its act to conducting free, fair and credible elections in the future.

The 21 April, 2007 general elections in Nigeria were fraught with fraud, manipulation and rigging to the extent that the greatest beneficiary of that fraud – President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory – agreed to the fraud and set up Electoral Reform Panel headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais and peopled by credible and highly esteemed personalities to look at the causative problems and recommend how to prevent future reoccurrence.

Use of infinitesimal aspects of that panel’s recommendations has been largely responsible for improved electoral laws and processes today. However, the last weekend, November 11, 2023 Off-Circle governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states were not only a huge disappointment, they have taken us several years back and threatened the fledgling civil rule in Nigeria. The entire exercise in the three states rendered 2007 episode a child’s play.

In Kogi State, there were pre-filled election result sheets flying around before commencement of the voting in at least five local governments –Okene, Adavi, Ogori/Mangongo, Okehi and Ajaokuta. Interestingly, these concocted results were alleged to be the ones collated by INEC. There were incidents of violence especially in Ayingba and Dekina local government areas with security agents who were supposed to secure and ensure the integrity of the poll, allegedly colluding with politicians to compromising elections. There were reports of hoodlums invading NUJ Secretariat in Lokoja, carting away ‘mobilisation fee’ and votes buying everywhere between N3,000 and N5,000.

Situation was not different in Imo State. There were allegations of votes buying. In fact, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) men arrested six vote buyers from seven poling units and recovered N4,101,750 from the suspects. At Amakohia Ikeduru Collation Centre, a policeman was manhandled by some youths, alleging him of involving in ballot snatching. Although, the Police PRO, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, has promised to investigate the matter and get back to the public thereafter, if the allegation is confirmed to be true, it will be a new but dangerous dimension to electoral manipulation and malpractices. There were allegations of electoral materials meant for Okigwe local government area being hijacked by thugs and taken to the local government headquarters; elections materials meant for seven wards in Orlu were hijacked and diverted to the palace of Emmanuel Okeke, Eze Imo, who is also the Traditional Ruler of Amaifeke community.

In Bayelsa State, similar ugly incidences ensued. In Twon-Brass, the headquarters of Brass local government, one George Sibo, an aide to a politician from Brass local government area, was attacked and killed by a mob when results from some wards in the constituency were being submitted. There were many reported cases of gunshots and hoodlums’ invasion and hijack of electoral materials. One Jonah Daumie who claims to be Media Aide to Joshua Maclver, APC Deputy Governorship Candidate, was arrested and physically naked, caught with firearms and confessed to be perpetrating the electoral violence at the instance of His Excellency. The video clip is everywhere on the social media.

These three elections were the first to be conducted after the 2023 general elections. It is disheartening that such substandard elections could beconducted under the watch of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Interestingly, the politicians are not perturbed, especially those whose party declared winner. They are not interested in presenting themselves as choices for the electorates; their goal is to grab the power at all cost, compromising every rule and regulation and ask the loser to go to court. But election and adherence to its rules and regulations are the only way with which citizens choose their leaders; any other form not in compliance with this viz rigging, falsification of results, manipulation, snatching and diversion of electoral materials and other associated means of compromise of election is nothing but hijack of power and a coup against the people.

History and experience have shown that politicians have learnt to learn nothing; they are driven by desperation to grab and hold on to power at all cost, ultimately to steal our collective wealth for their self aggrandisement and impoverish the people via neo-liberal policies that will make life miserable for them via killing cost of living, so as to make them susceptible to continuous manipulations. But no sermon can make these politicians change their retrogressive ways. It is high time the Civil Society Coalition and the central trade unions –Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) –rallied and organised the people to be conscious of their power and the menace the contemporary ruling elite constitute to our collective interest to charting out ways and means to chase them out of power. This is a little sacrifice that must be made to halt the present rot and pave way for desired progress, development and better life for the majority.

The 35th President of United States, John F. Kennedy, has captured it all on 13th March, 1962 when he said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” There can’t be vacuum in life; if democracy is stifled and not allowed to flourish, an alternative will definitely suffice.This is not a threat but reality.