The long anticipated
Anambra state gubernatorial election has come and gone at least as far as this
writer is concerned. I refuse to be among those inundated by the “Independent”
National Electoral Commission’s crinkum-crancum as to the elections being
‘inconclusive’ and hence why a “Supplementary Election” must be conducted as
none of the three frontrunners secured the majority vote and spread required by
the Electoral Act to emerge winner on the first ballot.
In their calculation,
even though the APGA candidate Willie Obiano secured the highest number of
votes cast so far of about 174,710 out of the total 425,549 votes, his 79,754
votes more than that of the PDP candidate, Tony Nwoye’s 94,956 votes were less
than the 113,113 that were cancelled by the commission as a result of various peccadilloes
and logistic glitches in different polling units of the state as well as the
92,300 votes notched so-far by the APC candidate, Chris Ngige. In their warped
calculation, it has become incidental in order to determine the ultimate winner
and to do that, 113,113 votes will be on offer during the supplementary
election to be contested among the troika of Obiano, Nwoye and Ngige on a date
to be announced.
However, while many of
us, may be aware of the foregoing, what many are oblivious of, or haven’t
spared the time to think over, is the ‘cul-de-sac’ of the result that stands
now to change after the supplementary, marginal, ‘jara’, ‘kyauta’ call it whatever
you like election, that will be conducted. Reason being that, for any of the
two-runners up, Nwoye and Ngige to overtake Obiano, he must secure at least 90%
of the 113,113 votes expected to be on offer. For Naija? Someone must be
kidding here.
Now, you don’t need to
be a clairvoyant or a telepathic to know that such things only happen in the
sports arena, let’s say in a football match where a team that may have been 2
goals down in the first period, comes back into the game, reply the goals and
even take the day. A particular event that comes to mind here is the recent
world cup qualifier between Portugal and Sweden. While Sweden had gone ahead to
take the lead to peck the results at 2-1, in their favor, many of us were not
surprised when the whole affair ended 3-2 in favor of Portugal. But such things
hardly happen in politics and even if they do happen, not in Nigerian politics,
hence the reason why we have described the election in our Quasi-electoral
commission as a conclusive one, even though INEC says it is ‘inconclusive’. Anyhow, when the waters get calm, and things
get clearer, we shall see who was deceiving who.
As far as we are
concerned, the only inconclusive part of the Anambra guber is the part where
bloggers will be telling us, that some pastor foresaw, foretold, prophesied, or
predicted all what has become of the entire election before now which leaves
you wondering whether they have taken over Paul the Octopus who was renowned to
have predicted the score line of great football events before it died few years
ago. The only difference being that while Paul the Octopus does/did his
predictions before the matches, our local pastors and their followers, prefer
to tell us after the deed has been done how they had earlier on predicted it.
Whether in a bid to court more followers to their churches in order to make up
funds to secure more private Jets to fly to God-knows-where, you won’t be
hearing that from us.
Since we have declared
the Anambra ‘Tokunbo’ elections to be conclusive, we have chosen to bring to readers
of this column, all what we observed from the whole outing. While they should
serve as heads-up to all of us, they also call for our collective efforts in
order to right the wrongs of this particular election and to also clean up the
mess in subsequent ones, especially as Ekiti State indigenes prepare to go to
the polls next year.
…………………..The 8 lessons
we learnt from the Anambra elections goes thus:
1. VOTERS ILLITERACY AND APATHY TO THE
ELECTORAL PROCESS.
A
democratic state with an illiterate voter population will hardly consolidate on
the efforts of any electoral body. It will be like pouring water on a rock and
expecting it to permeate or pouring water to firewood and expecting combustion
to take place. That of course will be ‘impossicant’. With the electorates being
an intrinsic part of the success of any election, we cannot afford to keep
going to the polls with barely literate electorates especially those that
reside in our rural areas as was seen in the recent Anambra election. When you
hear cases of wrong voting, wrong thumb printing and other sundry issues
associated with the cancellation of results due to poor voting, then it becomes
clear that the electorates that took part in the process hardly went through
any voter’s education. This trend has to be changed. The state electoral
commissions should see this as a duty they must live up to by making sure, the
electorates are armed with the requisite knowledge with which they shall tackle
their civic responsibility as citizens who are enfranchised.
Beyond
that, the issue of voters’ apathy was also a clog in the wheel of the Anambra
elections. On the election-day proper, several youth refused to partake in the
voting process. Either because they were reluctant to register or because
ab-initio, they had no interest or confidence in the whole process. Many people
were of the opinion that, whoever becomes the governor, it barely affects their
lives positively as they will still have to hustle before they could put food
on their table, get water to run in their homes, power their generators etc. on
the other horn, are those who have no confidence in the electoral process as in
their estimation, the result of the election will still go the way of the
candidate favored by the electoral body as has been the case in previous
elections.
These
are all serious posers which the electoral body must look into and devise the
means to tackle headlong. Democracy is about the confidence of the electorates
in the system, and once that confidence suffers a set-back, democracy suffers.
2. MONEY/LARGESE BASED CAMPAIGNS.
For public office
seekers, money-based campaign is given more attention than a clear and well
patterned manifesto-based campaign. Political office seekers have chosen to
exploit the poverty of the electorates in order to win their votes. Many of
those that habit the rural areas hardly care about the program of the
government that needs their vote but rather what he has brought with him to get
their votes. Hence, we saw bags of rice being shared by one candidate to the
other. Wads of wrapper, free petroleum products, bags of salt, cash donations
etc. we noticed that the electorates were more willing to vote for the
candidate who was more benevolent with the largesse as against the program
which the candidate hopes to deliver. Who cares about? What does it even
matter? It will definitely take care of itself when the time comes. Sadly, this
has been a recurrent trend in the politics of most developing countries and
Nigeria likes to be I the vanguard of that. Strategic measures must be put in
place by the electoral body to discontinue this practice. If possible, any
candidate found wonting for alleged distribution of giveaways should be
disqualified from the process since the electorates vulnerable and hungry as
they are, cannot resist the temptation of collecting money from public office
seekers. Not with empty stomachs and a pile of family problem begging for
attention. It doesn’t bode way for our electoral process/ democracy.
3. RELIGION AND POLITICS
Once again, the Anambra
election has shown that South East politics is at the mercy of the Church- the
Catholic Church to be precise. You can rob sand on the face of any political,
traditional or socio-cultural group and get away with it but not the Church.
Memories of the cold war between Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Holy Ghost adoration
ministry and his common enemy the then governor Chimaroke Nnamani and how the
latter’s feud with the clergy man has made him lost political relevance in the
state are still fresh here. We have not forgotten what led to the failure of
the former governor of Imo state, Ikedi Ohakim in the buildup to the 2011
gubernatorial election. His alleged fisticuff with a certain priest cost him
his re-election to the government house Owerri. It was also the same thing in
the just concluded Anambra election. At a certain point it was rumored that the
APC candidate Chris Ngige had a brawl with a certain priest. If not for the
quick debunking of such claims by the leadership and supporters of the party,
Ngige’s chances at the polls would have long been forgone. The ugly incident
that took place at the St. Dominic Catholic Church, Uke that became branded as the “Uke Stampede” and a whole lot of
other factors have proven that the South East has dragged religion into their
politics with the Catholic Church being in the fore front of it all.
I was told by a friend
that on the day of the election, some group of men and perceived political
agents of APGA dressed in the garb of catholic priests, went to certain polling
units and told the barely informed electorates that Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah of the
Labor Party (LP) has withdrawn from the polls and has just directed that his
supporters should turn-in their votes for the APGA candidate. Another called to
tell me how their parish priest told the congregations times without number at
the close of his Sunday sermons to vote for continuity by casting their votes
for the APGA candidate and so on and so forth.
While we cannot place name and figures behind
some of these posers, their authenticity and the individuals indicted, we
should not gloss over them. The INEC in subsequent elections in the state and
South East generally, should place a mandate on the Church not to partake in
the campaign process or allow their body- movement to speak louder than their
voice of the candidate or political party they endorse. Since they are
role-models in the society, they should not in any way take part in the
political gerrymandering since politics, we have been told severally is a
‘dirty game’ and hence must not be encroached upon by people whom society
perceive as God’s representative on earth.
4. APGA/APC AND THE THING WITH ETHNIC/REGIONAL POLITICS
The Anambra election
has once again shown that, regional/ethnic politics still has a lot to do with
us and however we claim that we have moved beyond that, the thing still speaks
for itself at any given opportunity. How? Good question but we shall show how.
While this writer
cannot make a case as to the credibility of the Anambra polls, if the result we
have seen so far is anything to go by, then one is left wondering why willie
Obiano of APGA and a clear neophyte with no track record in politics could pull
the amount of votes we have been told by INEC that he has pulled so far? Isn’t
politics all about one’s popularity among the masses? How is it then that Chris
Ngige with the result we have seen thus far, is left sprawling behind Tony
Nwoye and Obiano who do not match by any margin his popularity? If you are
confounded by this absurdity, I am not. The reason is not farfetched:
Ethnic/regional politics still got a lot to do with us. I have heard political
analysts argue times without number that if Chris Ngige were contesting under a
different political party, and not what has been branded a Yoruba party-APC,
the result of the election will no doubt go his way in a fair ballot system. Alas, he has been christened by the media
with the painful but soothing phrase, “A good Man in a wrong Party” and on
which we formed the kernel of our article on this column titled: “Chris Ngige;
A good man in a ‘wrong’ party” few days before the election proper. In a
nutshell, it becomes so clear that Nigerians still practice ethnic or regional
politics which was institutionalized by the first and second generation of
Nigerian leaders and unfortunately, a practice which will still live with us
for a very long time from what we have seen at the Anambra election. And
believe me, I wish it were not so.
5. LESSON FOR THE ALL PROGRESSIVE
CONGRESS (APC)
The newly formed APC
whose arrowheads have been junketing from one part of the country to another to
woo political stalwarts into their camp but relegating the masses whose votes
they will soon come after, has got so much to learn from the election if anything
is to go by the results INEC has issued so far.
While they reserve the
right to allege massive rigging against them, they should take time out to
ponder over how they intend to win over these masses in subsequent elections
instead of fraternizing with political figures whose past records, continue to
hunt Nigerians even to this day. Does not the recent election show that APC
still has so much work begging for their attention? Prima facie, the result of this election
speaks volume of how the masses are yet to be told how the much touted
transformation the APC never stops to make hoopla about can be achieved.
Lai Mohammed, who
continues to bark like a dog on the pages of national dailies should learn to
change his modus operandi and lay more emphasis on how to convince the masses
that the APC has got a unique formula for the transformation of this comatose
divide and not wasting energy in condemning and re-condemning every act of the
present government at the Centre as opposition politicking, demands a lot more
than that.
Beyond that, well
informed Nigerians are already tired by such cheap political comments just to
emphasize relevance and are beginning not to take them serious. They should go
back to work and come up with a non-quixotic framework on how to better the lot
of Nigerians if voted into power and how they hope to achieve same if voted in,
and desist from the wanton bedlam and rabble-rousing that is almost becoming
synonymous with them.
While they may have
taken over the media (Social Media particularly), what we have seen at Anambra
so far, is another testimony that elections are not won on social media as a
great percentage of Nigerian voters are barely available on that space.
Finally, Anambra election, controversial as it may be, should send a warning to
them of which they must learn from, to put their house in order as they prepare
for Ekiti Decides,few months from now
and the bigger task-2015 general elections.
6. INEC’S QUESTIONABLE COMPETENCY
The charade in the name
of gubernatorial election under the watch of Jega and his INEC that took place
last weekend in Anambra state, has brought again to the fore and raised the
issue of INEC’s competency to midwife an election that would be devoid of
widespread irregularities and logistic quagmire or higgi-haggi. Many Nigerians, with this recent shabby
performance are already calling Jega’s head and this is understandable. The
continuous under-performance by INEC leaves one with no other option but to ask
how this body can fare or guarantee Nigerians of their capability despite the
resources at its disposal.
Attahiru Jega’s appearance
on National TV to tell Nigerians why things didn’t go out as planned is an indirect
indication that he has not got what it takes to conduct an election that will
be near general acceptability. Hear him, “We made all the preparations and
decentralized the process of distribution of materials in order to ensure that
they get to the polling units on time for the commencement of election before
election day. Unfortunately and regrettably-we are humans. We can do all the
preparations but if people are determined to subvert the process, one way or
another, they will subvert it”. What an excuse! How low and lame! In civilized
climes, Jega would have been forced to resign since he has clearly spoken
though quite equivocally, that he lacks the nous, the onions and the charisma
to discipline his staff and count on their delivery. Or what else is leadership
about? I will not be surprised if Jega shocks us even more by alluding the
electoral malady to an “Act of God”. Playing the religious card is one sure way
to exonerate oneself from any liability even when it is clear they have goofed.
All said and done,
Jega’s interjection has casted even more blanket of doubt as to his capability
and competency to deliver in subsequent polls at least to quite a commendable
standard.
7. ANY HOPE FOR 2015?
In less than 24
calendar months, the 2015 general elections will be ‘born’. But even before
then, Ekiti state indigenes will be going to the polls. Question then is: what
is the hope for 2015? As one analyst succinctly put it… “Upholding the result
of the Anambra election will be equivalent to pulling off electoral fraud in
full view of the people. Anyone who endorses the result of that blemished
election would have given INEC a blank script on which to write the name of its
preferred governorship candidate” I concur. Inferentially, if this ‘incompetent’ JEGA-aic INEC cannot conduct an
election of just one state, how then can one beat his chest or wager a stake to
the effect that 2015 will be a different story? That no doubt is the one
billion naira question. Well, if you can, I personally would not, because I was
not taught to put my money where there are no assurances from past antecedents
that it will bring me returns. If accepting the result of this blemished
election in the words of one political analyst amounts to giving INEC a blank
script to write its preferred candidate, would the same feat not be repeated
come 2015?
The Good Book says, “If
men have chosen to use the green wood like this; what will happen when it is
dry?” put into our own discourse, we
ask: If INEC is left drooling over the election of one state, what will
happen when the entire nation go out to the polls come 2015? Food for thought I
suppose, but one which we must all mind how we chew.
8. ROLE OF ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNALS
IN ELECTIONS
Another lesson to be
gleaned from last weekend’s outing at Anambra is that Election Petition
Tribunals due to INEC’s insensitivity (apologies to ASUU) have become another
arm of our electoral body-INEC. While the role of any judiciary is adjudication
and/or judicial determinism, there must be something radically wrong with that
electoral system or process whose results are always a cause of a marathon of
suits before the courts. It is either because the system is one that hardly
performs its functions in the way they ought to have or it is nothing.
As it stands, it is
only the courts that could clean up the mess which INEC has let out into the
political atmosphere little wonder INEC is already making a case that it is
only the courts that could declare the entire election as a jamboree,
ultra-vires and ‘nudum-pactum’.
While we can only wait for the determination
of the courts to that effect the moment the tribunals begin to seat, we should
be reminded that it doesn’t augur well for this democracy of ours we like to
describe as a ‘NASCENT’ one even when it is clear that it has evolved.
LAST LINE
Altogether, it is sad
that Anambra election which was touted to be a litmus test for future elections
and indeed a foretaste for 2015 general elections has turned out a huge
controversy that may not be resolved regardless of what INEC has called
“supplementary elections” and no matter who becomes the governor-elect.
It is so, because the
conduct of a free, fair and credible election is first and foremost a
leadership operation that runs with uncommon discipline and harmony that must
be manned from top to bottom by people who are trustworthy and well furnished
with what is required of them.
The following
lessons/observations are one which stare us in the face and which are barely
new to us. To curb some of them, JEGA and his team has much to mull over, so
much to learn from the deadlocked Anambra governorship poll. While I don’t
think they have got the luxury of time to do that, we can only hope that they
are able to make amends in subsequent elections. God bless Nigeria.
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@RayNkah
