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The New Song of The Sun Newspaper on April Elections By Bright Adeola Coker
When the 2007 General Elections were conducted, eminent Nigerians rose to the task of condemning the charade called election. Foreign observers, domestic monitors and civil society groups all spoke with one voice in condemning the election. The print media did not disappoint us either. Several editorials were churned out by this sector of the media and everyone was pleased that the press rose, once again, to the arduous task of defending our young democracy. If I am not mistaken, the only voice that was up for the election was that of Professor Maurice Iwu, INEC and the beneficiaries of the flawed elections. Their position could be understood.
As noted, the press stood up for the truth. The Sun Newspaper was in the forefront of fighting for justice. Editorials, not one, condemning the election were written. If a prize was up for outstanding newspaper at the forefront of defending our democracy, The Sun would certainly have grabbed it. Unfortunately, this dance of steadfastness suddenly changed and this time, it’s skewed in favour of INEC. Just over night, the many wrongs of INEC yesterday became rights today. Some staffers of the Sun, some of who are part of the editorial board that condemned the election are now doing image laundering for Maurice Iwu and INEC. What an irony!
We are all living witnesses to the election that took place in April. We do not need anyone to tell us that the election was the worst in the history of Nigeria. No matter how much effort one expends in cleaning up a charcoal, it will always remain black. The Sun writers are now saying that it was the politicians and not Iwu that was to blame for the flaws in the elections. Just a few questions for your reporters to answer: One, was it the political class that asked Iwu and Ribadu to connive with PDP to disqualify some candidates in order to pave way for the anointed ones? What about the results that were being announced, Abuja interrupted the announcement midway only for the losing candidate to be announced later as winner? Was that the handwork of politicians? Before Iwu answered Atiku’s interrogatories, did he not tell the world that the presidential ballot papers were printed in South Africa?
The spate of nullifications coming from the different election tribunals across the country speaks volumes for itself. No just that, each time an election is nullified, INEC always come under heavy criticism of the tribunal. The Supreme Court has on several occasions rebuked INEC for being partisan and not being an unbiased umpire as required of them. More so, Nigerians do not even have confidence in INEC to conduct future elections. It is as bad as that.
We all know the politicians have their fault. But that fault has not and can not subdue Iwu’s inadequacies. If the politicians were faultless as demanded by writers of the Sun Newspaper, we wouldn’t have needed INEC to conduct elections. The politicians would have simply gathered together in one day and conduct the election all by themselves hassles free. It’s because of the hassles associated with elections that INEC is mandated, as an unbiased umpire, to conduct elections. But Maurice Iwu cum INEC failed the nation. He became so biased that it was difficult see him as an umpire. He made INEC under him to become an appendix of the PDP. In fact, the Supreme Court in giving judgment involving Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo reprimanded INEC in strong terms. INEC and the Police told mind their business instead of meddling in matters that do not concern them.
The Sun newspaper commands a lot of respect among its teeming readers. As a progressive paper, it should not allow some famished writers to destroy the reputations it has built over the years. Reputation is difficult to build, and it is even more difficult to rebuild it once what is already achieved is jettisoned. And it is so easy to jettison your reputation if you don’t guide jealously.
It must be said that your teeming readers are beginning to believe that your staffers are introducing ethnic dimension into the whole matter. Igbo race is known to have produced outstanding journalists like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Onyema Ogochukwu, MCK Ajuluchukwu, Livingus Okoroafor, Ogbuagu Anikwe, Emeke Izeze etc. These outstanding characters did not play ethnic journalism to achieve what they achieved. Having made my point, I would like to advise the likes of Robert Obioha, Amanze Obi, Onuoha Ukeh to emulate these great sons of Igbo extraction if they want to get to the pinnacle of their chosen profession.
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