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Professor Iwu, Election Is Not Chemistry: INEC, Goofing Towards 2007 Elections By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
Let me start by saying that I hope this piece would make for any rational thought given what I call the gossip of Obj’s sit tight dream. All the same let it be on record that we all did not sit down and watch like Zombies.
The Independent Electoral Commission has since 1998 courted controversy one after the other. Not that one expects otherwise from the days of FEDECO to NEC and today INEC, it has all been about nomenclatures and nothing else. Elections in this our Nigeria can be traced to 1921 via the Clifford arrangement. Since then getting it right has been a task in futility. For the NEC of the IBB era, it would have been the best and most successful, its helmsman Professor Humphrey Nwosu would have been a great patriot with his name written in the nations marble but he could not stand and be counted.
The electoral body in Nigeria was and has never been so bastardized than the period of Abel Gboubadia. The old man was just placed there, to be there, he carried the electoral body as an addendum of the ruling party PDP. Dancing like zombie moving at the pace and drumbeat of Almighty Baba Sege with assistance from now persecuted Tafa Balogun.
The other day at a session for stakeholders of the electoral process in Abuja, the Professor of Chemistry who is in charge of INEC said irrespective of what the law said, they would keep an electronic register, infact that they already have one, and the issue at hand was that of updating it. I do not have anything against electronic voters register, however I am more concerned that INEC is bold enough to say irrespective of the law, no matter what the National Assembly felt. They were unperturbed. What a careless society we have. I hope some one brings to the notice of the man the fact that election is not a chemistry concoction that cannot be altered because some crazy theorist said so.
The year 2007 is just around the corner, but it is no longer news that there is no voters register or any calendar for Nigerians to follow. The Professor at the helm has only been more concerned with publicity, “People must know me” stunts. Giving me the impression that 2007 would not be any different from the 1999 and 2003 general elections which was simply a (s)election exercise.
Before I could even mouth my disgust at the recent goof of the chemistry Professor who is seriously trying to convince us that anything good could come out of the Nigeria electoral system, another Professor in no other than, Wole Soyinka told the chemistry don that he needed to have his dictionary with him. At the same session. The Prof. claimed “Nigeria does not require any monitor, nobody is going monitor our election. We are an independent sovereign nation.”
What more could be falsehood, if this is not, despite close monitoring of past elections in Nigeria excepting the June 12 elections, all other ones have been wrought with irregularities, fraud and all manner of rigging. To imagine an election without electoral monitors no mater the worth would be sheer madness. We all are witnesses to the land and moon slides of the most fraudulent gathering of men, PDP. The statement by the Professor of Chemistry in INEC is very faulty and gross display of illiteracy regarding the electoral system as it ought to be. To continue, rather than immediately correct himself the professing don of chemistry said because Nigeria is an Independent Sovereign nation. Does this man watch television, or he was picked from one university staff quarters with no practical knowledge of the obtainable.
It beats my imagination to be told that the man was federal INEC commissioner and his displaying such… If France, the UK, U.S.A and others have their elections monitored, how much more us. Besides what has election monitoring get to do with being a sovereign nation.
One had reason to think that the man would shut up, but which side? He continued that people can come and observe, funny, but they cannot monitor and that guidelines for observation would be issued. Like the Nobel winning Prof enlightened him, I wont take the matter further. I only but ask can Nigeria just get it right for once. I had reason to share in General Buhari’s grief and agony after he was rigged, much as I do not subscribe to our military gentlemen masquerading as democrats. Obasanjo has shown that they cannot be. The son of a tiger is a tiger it may take long for the spots to come on but it sure would come when the becoming becomes unbecoming. But the way the General was scientifically robbed by a fellow General in some States would just be Childs play without monitors or with tele-guided observation which is what the new INEC Professor is advocating. I do not know who is suddenly afraid of elections being monitored, when indeed it is a thing of great pride for nation’s election to be monitored, observed and at such declared free and fair.
It gives one the goose that there is a sinister motive, maybe rather that an election we are gravitating towards a referendum: Should Obasanjo stay after 2007 and then the result of the referendum without monitors monitoring and observation by observers, would be an overwhelming continue Baba, Nigerians need you to take them to the promised land (more rather the promised doom).
For some of us that have seen the copy of the draft electoral bill 2004, it is a beehive of questionable and very impracticable suggestions and for the Professor to keep emphasizing that nothing can be done without the passage of the bill, yet confusingly state that irrespective of what the National Assembly does to tinker the bill they care less, shows us the kind of people running our system if at all we have a system or a people at that.
The man said he would not allow international monitors, Nigerian leaders talk like babies. Yet our Census Commission would collect European Union money to conduct population census that would go a long way to determine legible voters via age and other demographic factors. Water no get enemy, monitors, observers no get enemy whether you rig or you don't rig elections the damage is not far fetched on the electorate.
The Electoral Commission’s successes in Anambra, Plateau, Ogun, Gombe and others have been seen. The most pathetic being Anambra where even the President shamelessly declared he was party to it being rigged under the premise of “honour among robbers” between Chris and Chris, Medical Doctor and Illiterate money bag. During the letter war between Andu Ogbeh and Obj, the INEC bush men did not believe that elections were rigged in Anambra, now they have turned 360o degrees and are calling for fresh elections, our leaders must be indeed crazy. We are only treading the path to anarchy at this rate. Not with the money and thuggery expected to be deployed come 2007.
We do not need a man who cannot or does not know what and how to conduct an election. Because with the recent comments of the INEC helmsman, it is safe to say that he is only effort at the job might not exceed the success of an Eskimo town union executive elections.
He said that credibility of an election is different from how successful an election is…meaning that the elections may be credible but not successful. I accept that notion but I strongly and many people with me disagree that a failed election can be credible. How are we going to judge the credibility or otherwise without monitors and observers.
In an interview with Newswatch on July 27, 2005 in response to one of the question regarding basic guiding principles he expected to use in his roadmap for a successful 2007 elections, the don who likened the commission to an organic material which he would treat as a biologist used the “I” word twenty-two times…I will, I wanted, I am, I wasn’t, I can’t, I did, I do, at some point myself I got tired. The “I” man in his sweeping change said the first thing he did was to create the Executive office of the chairman to make sure his vision and imprint is on everything they do. I laughed!
Somebody should tell this man that electoral monitoring bodies and observers are an integral part of successful elections, that it also does matter what the law says. INEC is not above the law even if they are above the National Assembly because they supervised the rigging of some members to power gives them no right to negate the law. That he should be talking of INEC's autonomy and monitoring of party fraud be it PDP,DPP or any P for that matter.
All our leaders goof. The headmaster Obasanjo goofs, the V.P does too (and much as I have my sympathy, he is still goofing due to his excessive ambition) because he should have quit since to battle the Aso Rock lords by leading a strong opposition, but he cannot. The board of teachers (Ministers) are all in this goofing game, lying and deceiving Nigeria and Nigerians. Like I have not necessarily lost all hope, I have thrust my hope in the fact only God will help us, that is if He is not tired of us. |