Political Parties, INEC and Margical 2007

By

Ayara Dennis Omeiza

stden2003@yahoo.com

 

With the recent pronouncement by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that foreign groups will be denied the opportunity of monitoring the 2007 polls.  It is certain that the winner of the election will be known before the commencement of the election rituals as usual.  Thus, the election would be a waste of tax payers’ money.

 

INEC’s national commissioner in charge of political party monitoring, Dr. Ishmael Igbani let the cat out of the bag, he deployed the use of technicalities in driving home his point, reference and distinction were laid between “observer’ and “monitor”.  The official position of INEC has only re-affirmed our belief that the much condemned 419 election in 2003 will be a child’s play when one contemplates the sophisticated rigging that will take place in 2007.  This is even so with the intended introduction of electoral   voting machine; this will give us our own “Florida” experience. The decision to allow election observers and not monitors is a masturbation of electoral fairness and Nigerians are circumspect of this new concept.  Interestingly, the Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar told the nation that electoral frauds are committed before Election Day, by extension, election are won before performing electoral rituals.   This, no doubt is an indictment on all political gladiators who perpetuate this obnoxious and iniquitous rape on democracy.  Nigeria is on the march again, interestingly, political parties is the fulcrum of attaining political power, this should be used for the betterment of the people, acceptable candidates and not mediocre must be sponsored by our political parties because the leaders that will emerge from that election will lead the country to the celebration of her golden jubilee, should we fail in electing a credible candidate in 2007, posterity will certainly judge our misjudgment if mistake is made overtly or covertly 

 

The pertinent question is, will there be a change of government in 2007? Well, If there will be a change of leadership baton in 2007, INEC and political parties must be alive to their responsibilities, INEC under Professor Maurice Iwu must act as the unbiased umpire who must set the rules before the commencement of the game and changing the rule mid-way into the game must be alien to the system because allowing such will only lead to anarchy.

 

The greatest challenge in 2007 is INEC, it is so because the power that appointed it’s chairman is patent and potent and since the President was alleged to have made a statement that “he does not know who will succeed him but that he know those who will never succeed him” that statement if truly said by Mr. President is a pointer that INEC independence is under the close supervision of Mr. President and this undermine the independence of INEC, electorate who are suppose to make the choice will barely exercise their civil responsibility while the ultimate decision resides with the power that be. Steps must be taken to separate INEC from the presidency and this only will usher in a credible election.

 

Nigeria is adrift to one party state, the umbrella that houses those who have being called to come and chop (apologies to Late Chief Sunday Afolabi) has been punctured by those who felt their interest is not protected, the president and his vice have engaged in an open dance of shame which is a prelude to the happening in 2007.  Ironically, the Vice President in our political system is a proverbial vulture waiting to pick the carcass of the dead president but the president seems to be the master of his game, politics of patriotism has brazenly given way to politics patronage and this is the course of the rift between the President and his Vice.

 

The militarization of PDP hierarchy is to help the party leadership in giving a marching order to her followers so as to do the bidding of her pay master, the re-validation of PDP ticket has punctured their umbrella, nominated leaders of the party  are removing elected members, while some are suspended to ensure the unification of ideas, this no doubt will lead to revolt and their defeat will only be a matter of time.  Unity in a party has been mistaken for unification and this will further widen the gulf in the Political Party that pride herself as the biggest in Africa.

 

Nigeria political system is crippled according to Chief Ojukwu by four – fear, fear of change, fear of truth, fear of unity and fear of man.  These fears are the reasons why 2007 will be of interest to our political analyst.

 

The fear of change, one of the above mentioned is a nightmare in the mind of our present political leaders who have spent their constitutionally allowed two terms in 2007.  The fear of been referred to as ex-this and that, is the reason why 2007 will be dicey and since the future is so uncertain to a dictator, they will do everything to ensure that charge is not achievable.

 

The existing political parties have no clear – cut identity, political ideology has being replaced with political mis-marriage, those with capitalist ideas are prominent among the welfarist ideology, the conservatives are in alliance with the progressive.

 

Nigeria leaders must understand that no one is good enough to be another person’s leader without his notice and that no body is repository of knowledge, thus people must be allow to choose their leaders whom they believed in.  Acceptance of people’s will must be a catalyst for successful political transition.

 

Ayara Dennis Omeiza

No. 1 Beirut Road

Kano.

stden2003@yahoo.com