Nigerians are a particularly churlish lot in all matters relating to debate on national politics. The stock in trade is either argument of convenience, ethnic jingoism or short memory or combination of both. Meanwhile, as the opportunity arises, they jump on the bandwagon. The latest is the re-election of Adams Oshiomhole for a second term as governor of Edo State.
Reactions so far create the rather wrong impression that conduct of the election was in the normal scheme of things or that Independent National Electoral Commission under Atahiru Jega performed a yeoman’s job. Was it that simple or easily conceded? Even Adams Oshiomhole, while reveling in victory, seemed to be unaware of the secret political nuclear threat which scared the bandits from robbing him of his well-merited victory, the basis of transparent elections.
We must therefore remind ourselves of controversial events, spear-headed by General Muhammadu Buhari, who could not even have thought that so soon, he would be vindicated in Edo State. Not long ago, General Buhari warned that IF the 2012 elections were rigged as in the past, monkeys and baboons might be soaked in blood. If only because of his part of the country, as soon as Buhari spoke, he was darted by not only potential victims of his warning but even those who could not know that the man was speaking on their behalf.
To be fair to Adams Oshiomhole, it is not easy to recall that he ever joined in condemning General Buhari. To be fairer to opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) the party even came out strongly in defence of General Buhari, specifically that only those hell-bent of rigging the 2015 elections could be scared by the warning on the elections. Edo gubernatorial election was therefore a test case. Adams Oshiomhole, armed with his performance card in the first term duly campaigned among the Edo electorate. Down the line, he discovered signs that he was to be rigged out of office. When voters card were being mobbed up with money inducements, Independent National Electoral Commission belittled the complaint by re-assuring that each documents were not of much importance. Voters registers were also not displayed despite all requests.
With such ominous signs, it was not out of place to suspect rigging plans. A warning, very stern one, had to be issued not by General Muhammadu Buhari but by Governor Adams Oshiomhole. When General Buhari spoke last time, he was more philosophical. In Oshiomhole’s case, he was very direct in his language, very suitable for criminal bandits in our society. Oshiomhole spoke to Nigerians through a comprehensive media interview. According to him, if the riggers carried out their threat, they (the election riggers) would be rigged out of life.
Any difference in potential deterrence between General Buhari’s warning and Governor Oshiomhole’s warning? Even then, the election riggers went ahead with their plans. On election day, the same INEC, which previously dismissed the value of registration cards, turned round to insist that without registration card, nobody would be eligible to vote. In addition, voting materials arrived extremely late to voting centres.
Where voters registers were available, pictures of the voters already captured during voters registration, were missing. Affected voters all over Edo State openly protested against being disenfranchised. Experiences in the past were that in such situations, fake results were recorded for the areas affected to have voted. Such votes accounted for scores and hundreds of thousands votes to put unelected persons in public offices.
And when, in challenge of such results, petitioners demanded the database from INEC, the electoral body refused even in defiance of the ruling of the election tribunal. And to forestall INEC being cited for contempt as well as the purported election being nullified, the sitting election tribunal was dissolved and replaced with a new one which reversed the ruling requiring INEC to produce the database. The ground of the new ruling was that it would threaten national security.
Governor Oshiomhole would not wait for such electoral/judicial fraud. While Oshiomhole publicly expressed displeasure at the rigging prospects, the opposition PDP countered that conduct of the election was perfect. It was then a case of survival of the fittest as Governor Oshiomhole took a clear stand that if the elections were rigged as being planned, both INEC and its leadership would have declared themselves as public enemy number one and would be duly treated. When asked what was his next line of action, Oshiomhole disclosed that he was leaving his constituency immediately for Benin city, the state to mobilize the cheated voters.
It was clear that unless the rigging plans were abandoned, the monkey and baboon would be soaked in blood. But again, it must be stressed that the man in action against the planned rigging of the Edo gubernatorial election was Governor Adams Oshiomhole and not General Buhari.
In the face of imminent public revolt, (ala monkey and baboon getting soaked in blood) common sense prevailed as the true voting intentions of the electorate were, more in a panic, upheld. What is more, as General Buhari advised last time and Governor Adams Oshiomhole also admonished throughout his campaigns, voters stayed put to protect their votes at polling booths, collation/counting centres until the result was announced. The determined voters eventually made it unnecessary for Governor Oshiomhole to mobilise them against the aborted rigging.
Till now, none of those who critised General Buhari on his warning against rigging in 2015 elections has been bold enough to acknowledge that his (Buhari’s) theory of blood over monkey and baboon worked for Governor Oshiomhole against the political bandits in Edo.
However, here is an implied acknowledgment from Governor Oshiomhole. Confronted on his threat of strong protest if rigged out of the re-election race, Oshiomhole said “Now, should we keep quiet until when things like this are happening? Until after death when a professor of anatomy will come and establish a possible cause of death? If you have been a victim of election rigging, you will know that it does make absolutely no sense to see people rigging you out and you keep quiet because you do not want to raise alarm.
In every battle, you take pre-emptive steps because it can make all the difference. Medicine after death doesn’t make any sense except to foolish people. And I am not a foolish man.” If General Buhari had uttered those words, those keeping quiet now or even congratulating Governor Oshiomhole would have descended on him. (Buhari).
President Goodluck Jonathan by the way, should learn a lesson from the Edo election. Jonathan should not allow himself to be drawn to petty election issue. Yes, Jonathan is the leader of PDP, which somehow declared a desperate attempted rigging war on Governor Oshiomhole who then dubbed his aggressors as public enemy number one. And the crowd roared, in agreement, with the election verdict.
Where does that leave Goodluck Jonathan? Completely humbled, seeking recovery with a face-saving congratulatory message describing the governor’s victory as evidence of his (Oshiomhole’s) excellent performance to the people of Edo State. Jonathan should have been aware of that before allowing himself to be dragged into the attempted rigging stoutly resisted by Governor Oshiomhole and the Edo electorate.
There are two implications, indeed sour taste for Jonathan in Governor Oshiomhole’s victory. The first is that Oshiomhole truly achieved the support of the electorate in the 2007 elections and the election appeal tribunal was correct in law to have restored the mandate to Oshiomhole. The second disastrous implication is that Governor Oshiomhole’s re-election on a landslide scale reflects public assessment of Jonathan’s acceptance by voters in rejecting his campaign for the PDP candidate. America’s President Obama does not get himself involved in local politics of a governor’s. mid-term re-election bid.
As Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole adopted General Buhari’s tough stance against prospects of being rigged out of election victory, so did the newly elected Egyptian President Muhammed Morsi. The first round of Egypts presidential election about three months ago was inconclusive. With days to the decisive second round between only the first two leading candidates from the first round, Mr. Muhammed Morsi, the Muslim religious party candidate had to warn the ruling military authorities against any planned rigging against him.
Mr. Morsi’s language was clear. If the decisive second round elections were rigged against him, there would be what he called a fresh bloody revolution. With ex-President Hosin Mubarak, about that time, standing trial for crimes against humanity for which he was removed from office by the people’s bloody revolt eighteen months ago, the Egyptian outgoing military rulers faced the reality of President Morsi’s strong warning.
Rather than blackmailing or defying Muhammed Morsi, the Egyptian military rulers vacillated for at least six days before releasing the result which installed the Egyptian president in office. For that period in which the entire world was kept waiting for the result, Egyptians already gathered at the scene of revolution, Tahir Square in Cairo, where the fate of Hosin Mubarak had earlier been determined.
The message was clear. Rig the elections and face people’s revolt. General Buhari did not incite the Egyptians or Edo electorate but election verdicts in both places vindicated him. Election riggers hardly give up and must therefore be confronted all the way, everywhere with legitimate means.
Edo electorate have shown Nigerians that elections to reflect people’s correct voting intentions are possible in Nigeria. Both General Buhari and ex-Lagos governor Bola Tinubu have shown Nigerians the essential weapon. Protect your votes at the polling booth, collating and counting centres.
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