MONDAY DISCOURSE BY DR. ALIYU U. TILDE
Discourse 301
New INEC and the
Little Signal from Bauchi
aliyutilde@yahoo.com
Space scientists who discover planets and extraterrestrial bodies capable
of destroying the earth do not wait until they see them very close on
their large telescopes before they take them seriously. By the time they
see the giant bodies close to the earth it will be too late for the life
planet. Rather, they look for signals out there, even if it is a little
sound, small motion or a tiny speck of light, indicating something which
they will subject to a detailed examination. That is their job. If they do
not see anything that catch their attention, we are safe. If they do, they
would know no sleep until they handle it. Professor Jega and his new INEC
must take the same approach towards future elections.
However, Jega, unlike NASA, does not have radars and telescopes to capture
such signals that would determine the success and failure of his task. He
only has ears and eyes, laws, INEC staff, security and law enforcement
agents – the last two being only a probability but most likely part of his
problem. We Nigerians should be his radars and our eyes should be his
telescopes. We are everywhere, equally worried, ready and vigilant. We
must be ready to report to INEC headquarters any signal that our radars
are able to pick up in the dusty political space that would endanger
future elections. The old guards are still there, we must not forget. They
are ready to win the game by using partial referees and foul play. Now
that we have an INEC leadership with many credible members on its team,
our vigilance would be the most invaluable assistance we can render to
ensure their success.
This piece is an alert on one of such signals that my radar was able to
pick up in our political space here in Bauchi. Some things are happening
that are making me uncomfortable. The Bauchi by-elections will be the
guinea pigs for Jega and his team. I will narrate the story as it is,
allowing the reader to make up his mind on the issue.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Around 8.00pm (!) INEC Bauchi office invited all political parties to come
and receive invitation letter to a meeting on Monday 2 August 2010 and a
notification letter that will enable them receive nomination forms for
their candidates the same Monday. The Secretary of the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC) was among those who collected the two letters
that night. Everyone left for the weekend waiting for Monday, 2 July 2010.
Sunday, 1 July 2010
Alas. Nomination forms were distributed on Sunday without any notice.
Specifically, the nomination forms of CPC for senatorial by-election was
collected by one Musa Garba Dass from the local INEC legal officer without
showing any INEC notification letter for the collection of the forms as
stipulated by INEC a day before.
The news that INEC has issued nomination forms to Musa Garba Dass in
recognition of Barau’s faction of CPC quickly spread in Bauchi. The State
CPC executives that were in far away Daura paying a courtesy call on
Buhari who lost his sister two days earlier also heard the news. They
smelt a rat. One of their sympathizers who happened to know some federal
INEC commissioners contacted one of them and complained. The commissioner
linked him up with the Federal Commissioner supervising Bauchi, Brig.
Hamanga (Rtd) and the Bauchi REC was promptly contacted. He said he gave
the directive for issuance of the forms over the weekend. Hamanga got back
to the sympathizer and promised that things will be sorted out.
Monday, 2 July 2010
The new Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Bauchi, Mr. Ilya Yakubu,
paid a courtesy call on His Excellency, Governor Isa Yuguda on Monday 2
July 2010 at the chamber below the Governor’s office. He reported to the
Monday meeting with political parties an hour late.
Representatives of political parties convened at INEC office in Bauchi.
The Chairman of CPC presented his invitation letter and demanded for the
nomination form of his party.
It was also announced at the meeting that CPC would not be allowed to
participate in the Gamawa House of Assmbly by-election because it was not
registered when the by-election was cancelled last year and this one is
just a continuation of the former.
When CPC chairman protested, the REC said he could go to court and seek an
interpretation! However, it is allowed to participate in the Bauchi South
Senatorial by-election that is coming up on the 20 August 2010, in less
than three weeks from the time.
He was told that it was issued to one Musa Garba Dass. The leader of the
illegal faction, Shehu Barau, was also there. He claimed that he is the
approved leader of the party and prevented the meeting from moving
forward. The REC broke the meeting and invited both Barau and the CPC
chairman, Mal. Ibrahim Karamba, to his office. There, Barau continued with
his ranting. The REC then demanded that a letter signed by the national
chairman of CPC be produced recognizing any of them. The CPC State
chairman said there is already such a letter in INEC file which was
delivered to INEC over two months ago. It was sent by the party
headquarters recognizing him as the State Chairman of the party alongside
other thirty-one other exco members. Yet, the REC insisted that Karamba
must produce a fresh letter addressed to him (the REC) and signed only by
the National Chairman of the Party. Only then would he retrieve the form
issued to Dass and issue him a new one.
It was already Monday afternoon. The parties were only then formally
informed that next Saturday 7 August has been fixed for the State Assembly
by-election at Gamawa and that they should fill the forms and return them
to INEC, Bauchi latest 4.00 pm on Wednesday, 3 July 2010, that is within
48 hours.
CPC’s fate was left hanging until it produces the letter.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
CPC was able to tender the fresh letter duly signed by its chairman around
12.00pm on Tuesday. It was taken to the REC. The executives who
accompanied the letter were kept waiting uninformed of anything for four
hours. The REC did not attend to them. As they waited, they again
contacted INEC national headquarters to complain of the delay. Finally, at
after 4.00pm, they were asked to receive their nomination form at the INEC
Legal Officer’s office. They met Shehu Barau on the way to the legal
officer, ostensibly after concluding that the forms will be given to the
State Chairman. They collected the forms and started the battle for
primaries which much be concluded within 24 hours.
Wednesday 4, August 2010
No party apart from the ANPP was able to meet the 4.00pm deadline. CPC
concluded its adhoc primaries ala PDP around 9.30pm and started the
process of meeting the requirements of INEC especially getting 10 nominees
each from 2/3 of the local government areas in the senatorial zone that
spanned over 200kms. At about the same time that night, INEC started
issuing warnings on radio to all parties that any party that has not
returned its nomination form by that midnight stands disqualified. CPC
submitted its form before noon the following morning under the
understanding that it was issued the form only late Tuesday.
Thursday 5, August 2010
I visited the INEC office to hear from its officials about what transpired
between them and the CPC and check on the antecedent of the REC. He told
me that he delayed the issuance of the form two days ago to CPC even after
the letter has arrived in order to get a verbal confirmation from the
National Chairman of the party that he indeed signed the letter. So he
spoke to National Headquarters of INEC, which contacted the National
Chairman of CPC who then gave the confirmation.
I asked him if all parties have met his deadline. He said yes. “Aah?
Including PDP?” I asked, knowing fully well that it is yet to complete its
primaries even as at when I was speaking to him after 4.00pm that
Thursday. He answered, “Yes, including PDP.”
I also confirmed from him that he was appointed an INEC Resident
Commissioner by Obasanjo and he has served at that capacity in three
states – Plateau, Benue and Nassarawa – before coming to Bauchi recently.
He was Sardauna’s press secretary in early 1960s; then he became the first
editor of the Nigerian Standard in Jos under JD Gomwalk; then the first
Chief Information Officer of defunct Gongola State; then a senator for
four and half years during Shagari regime. He is well over 70 years. He
has seen a lot, achieved a lot and, apparently, learnt a lot during the
past 50 years.
At around midnight PDP concluded its adhoc primaries with Adamu Gumba, a
former Customs boss, clinching the ticket, over 24 hours after the INEC
deadline and over 8 hours after the REC told me that it has also submitted
its forms!
Baba Ilya, the ex-senator and now REC in Bauchi, was reported in the
dailies last Wednesday saying that his INEC is committed to free and fair
election In Bauchi. I believe him. But going from what I have seen so far,
I am bound to ask: Free and fair to whom? To PDP or to all parties? The
election in Gamawa will be a walkover for the PDP since the rival ANPP is
comatose without Buhari and the new active CPC has been technically
blocked from participation on a flimsy reason.
But why did not the CPC go to court? That is a story for the public
another day. But now, it is in the urgent interest of Buhari to know.
Friday 6, August 2010
As I concluded this piece this Friday noon, I was unable to confirm
whether PDP has yet senatorial submitted its nomination form or not. Will
it be accepted by INEC when it finally does?
I rest my case, my dear reader. May God save Jega’s project from rigging
by intrigues. From this little story, there is a speck of light in distant
space for the new INEC radar to detect. God bless Nigeria.
ENDNOTES
-
CPC is the party of
Muhammadu Buhari, widely believed to give the PDP in Bauchi a good run
for its money in future elections.
-
Musa G. Dass has been a
PDP member until his recent recruitment by an illegal faction of the CPC
led by Shehu Barau Ningi.
-
To know what happens
when a REC visits a governor, please read the expose of former Governor
Donald Duke!
-
The by-election was
cancelled at the instance of the PDP state government which sensed
defeat and rushed to court just before the election to secure a court
order restraining INEC from conducting the election.
-
All parties, except the
PDP, joined the CPC in its protest.
-
I really wonder why
parties will be notified of an election in just less than a week to when
it will take place.
-
When pressed on the
legitimacy of the cancellation, the local INEC administrative secretary
who throughout the Monday meeting made most of the talking on behalf of
the REC withdrew from the position that it was INEC’s position to saying
it was his own interpretation of the rules. There were difference in
opinion at INEC national headquarters over this. A senior management
staff, an assistant director in political parties affairs department or
so, told the national secretary of the CPC that the party could
participate. When that was relayed to the administrative secretary he
contacted another director at INEC headquarters who, he claimed, upheld
his position that prevents CPC from participating in the election.
Nigeria! A personal opinion of an administrative secretary is enough to
determine the fate of a party in an election. Old INEC in new INEC!
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