INEC And The Politics Of E-Rigging: the Burden Of A Credible Election By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
I have
it on good source that the uprising in Maiduguri was based on orders
from above; the Governor was in instructed to co-ordinate the chaos.
Strong allegations, but one that has sufficient proof. All I have
received is strong condemnation that the President could not have done
that, come off it, he is better than that. If only we knew what level
some of our leaders are willing to go… ‘Abeg’ leave matter, like the
kidnappers told one of the kidnapped. Well I do not want to be drawn
into a needless controversy, the essence of this information, is tied to
the ongoing possibility that even if we do not see the twisting of the
constitution to favour the third term apostles. There is a grand ploy to
make the country ungovernable to a point where elections cannot hold.
Even the opposition is falling prey by its own comments and action which
may fill into the Governments’ planned script.
However, there is also the other side of the coin. We are all wrong,
elections will hold, a year or so from now, Obasanjo would shame us all,
then what are the matters arising and are there any other bu siness.
Right from his reign the helmsman of the INEC has been at the center of
one controversial statement or the other, if he is not confusing
electoral monitors from observers. He is raking that we have no choice
we must use ‘te ki no lo gi’…Fela’s version of technology…meaning ‘press
it let the light come on’, press the light let the rigging get
electronically compliant. Despite the best of efforts the electoral body
has not proved that it is not an appendix of the Presidency.
The
electoral body right from inception has always had disdain f or due
process; first it said it would keep electronic voters’ register
irrespective of what anyone thinks. Now it will go ahead with this e-
voting thing whether we like it or not. The calculation being that if it
takes thirty able bodied touts to rig an election manually by carrying
the big ballot box it will take fewer intelligent Power Drunk Persons
(PDP) smarts to tamper with Oyinbo man toy.
Matters
arising, ordinarily why should we not be happy that our country is
growing especially technologically? The e-voting method has a lot of
merits, but the truth has always been a pill too bitter to swallow by
our politic ians especially when their selfish end will be serviced.
Before the electronic voting suggestion, we all, are witnesses to what
we have been able to do with elections manually from direct rigging to
indirect rigging, rigging by proxy, ballot rigging (when boxes
disappears) or figure rigging as was the case in Brass, Bayelsa where
Obj scored 72,000 out of 72,000 votes. Our manual systems of voting have
helped us witness slides of enormous proportion in victories.
Like
Professor Mobolaji Aluko’s termed Mr. President ‘Father Confessor’, we
have seen the confessions received in private by the Sarkin of electoral
misdeed s, Igwe of landslides and the only Oba of the more you see
figures the less it makes sense…go ask Borishade, the Minister for Death
in the air. The President himself has accepted the confessions and acted
both as reverend father and forgiver; we have seen these perpetuators of
electoral fraud punished with …what has become in Nigerian term ‘juicy
appointments’.
Now we
want to step up the gear. What happens when the computer crashes with
the names of voters, do not mind my ignorance. Who benefits from the 33
billion Naira that would be used in procuring their toys for the 120,00
polling booths? I think that the money we are making like during Gowon’s
era is actually confusing or making our leaders foolish so once more we
do not know how to spend it.
We want
to use machines made in India, but the Indians have refused to use the
same machines they have recommended. If these machines have all the
fantastic qualities, does not it appear funny that the so called
electoral body and our executive have remained the silent and are
working laboriously on passing the bill on electronic voting system even
after the Senate has overwhelming got this one right by saying capital
NO to the idea.
.
Any
other business, the drama on the Plateau has laid bare the deceit that
INEC is. when it was time to recall the Speaker of the State House of
Assembly INEC disobeyed every court order, h owever, it was favourably
disposed to obeying a Friday evening court order on Mantu’s behalf, so
sharp – sharp the recall was called off. Even if it held it was strange
the exercise was going to be conducted from Nasarawa State. This Obj
government is one made up of different sizes and classes of clowns. INEC
suspended the exercise in obedience to the interim injunction granted
Mantu by a Federal High Court sitting at Jos, but lets not be deceived
this same Mantu told us in our interview that his popularity is
infectious…Nigeria a nd her leaders.
Can
INEC conduct a free and fair election, is one question most of us cannot
answer in the affirmative, its complexity in prolonged election where in
most cases it contradicts itself. As I was concluding this essay the
third term baby had found its way into the committee report with a voice
vote and they say it is the people’s wish. The PDP led arrangement is a
failure and anyone that has any integrity left to protect is leaving,
and we wonder whether the PDP paid and led INEC can be trusted to
supervise an election in which the opposition naturally would win. Allah
Help Us.
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