Opinion: It’s such a pity Jega has failed this test

by Chioma Gabriel

JegaJust before the election,  allegations  of INEC ‘s  high level of  incompetence in registering voters, compiling, maintaining, revising and updating voters register on continuous basis which would  disenfranchise many from voting were rife.

It was the picture of Tony Nwoye, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Anambra gubernatorial election on the front page of Sunday Vanguard of November 17, 2013 that touched me the most. The candidate looked beaten and frustrated, sweating profusely after he could not  find  his name in INEC voters register.

Simply put, if he were to be the one to vote for himself alone, he clearly missed  that opportunity to exercise his franchise. That apart, what about the several others whose names were not found in INEC voters register? That is besides election officials not being deployed in sufficient numbers to some polling units on the election day, making it difficult for those officials posted to the units to effectively carry out their duties and some voters like Tony Nwoye not finding their names in the voters  register in many polling units.

It’s calming for INEC to have resolved to conduct fresh elections in some areas that had logistic problems during the election but what could be done about those whose names were not found in INEC register? Will such people have an opportunity this time to exercise their franchise?

Anambra is just one state out of 36 states of the federation and INEC couldn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt that it could be trusted in one state let alone across the federation in 2015.

Just before the election,  allegations  of INEC ‘s  high level of  incompetence in registering voters, compiling, maintaining, revising and updating voters register on continuous basis which would  disenfranchise many from voting were rife.

Nothing was obviously done about it and so, it came to pass. All these reports about police using tear-gas to disperse protesting women who were disenfranchised could have been avoided if Jega and his crew did their home work very well before the D-day.

The initial reaction when the allegation was made about two weeks ago that some voters didn’t know when, how, and where INEC conducted its continuous voters registration and revalidation exercise as ordered by Section 9(1) and 10(1) of the Nigeria’s Electoral act of 2010 was that Jega’s enemies were  at work. But it didn’t appear so anymore.

The number of polling centers and registered voters which were given as 1,711,061 and 4, 608, were not verified. About 300,685 names were altered from  the list of voters while the 93,000 double registrants in the state’s voters’ register could not be ascertained.

INEC itself  announced  missing 53 polling centres in the voters register which included 34 in Awka South LGA,one in Ayamelum LGA,  two in Anambra East LGA, two in Ihiala LGA, one in Idemmili  North LGA, four in Nnewi South LGA and five in Nnewi North LGA.

Why was the  electoral body not  able to secure its data before the D-day?

INEC could have avoided the  embarrassment it is suffering today if it had been a little bit more careful.

But there are people who are satisfied with the conduct of the  gubernatorial election and the result released by the same Independent National Electoral Commission and understandably, these are people favourable to Chief Willie Obiano of APGA as the next governor of AnambraState and who are satisfied with Peter Obi’s achievements as governor of the state.

These people are not worried about hitch-free election as a test run of INEC’s competence to conduct the 2015 presidential poll or about the sabotage by desperate politicians which led to the cancellation of election in some polling centres. With the results announced so far, APGA is leading with 174, 710 votes against PDP 94,956, APC 92,300 and Labour Party 34,444. Many are confidentthat with these figures, INEC should declare APGA winner of the election. But the controversies that characterised the election are too many to wish away.

Agreed, Anambra state is an APGA stronghold and   could still have won without any flaws but these obvious flaws are a reflection of INEC’s dismal performance as an umpire.

For that, the Anambra 16 November, 2013 governorship election will remain a fluke in the perception of many others. INEC does not need any soothsayer to reveal that it  goofed! How would Jega and his INEC expect Nigerians to trust them for free and fair 2015 elections?

The Anambra situation has revealed that INEC is still unable to deal with the consistent challenge of late distribution of election materials and commencement of accreditation and voting. There was also reported mix-up of the election materials for certain areas and that is a clear reflection that  INEC failed to respond to challenges in a timely and effective way.

INEC officials were accused of exercising impunity, recklessness and dictatorial tendencies. INEC did not deliver to the people as it promised. It did not bequeath to Anambra people  the sound  election they were clamouring for. It created room for suspicion.  INEC in that litmus test failed to prove to the public its commitment to uphold integrity, fairness and impartiality as an umpire of the electoral process. Some of it’s officials sold out!

This time, INEC should eat the humble pie and look inwards to determine what the  real issues are.

But the one truth the other 22 candidates should know  is that calling for cancellation of the entire result is not acceptable. APGA is the party on ground in Anambra state and it is almost near impossible to defeat a party which has the power of incumbency.

I make bold to say that despite the hitches in many places which led to the cancellation of the poll in those places, the November 16 poll was substantially credible. There was no recorded violence. Some mischievous journalists had even before the election cast headlines like ‘violence mars Anambra election’ in anticipation of outbreak of violence.

They were disappointed. And so, I wouldn’t support anybody calling for cancellation of results. Dr Chris Ngige knows this truth. And so also do Tony Nwoye and Ifeanyi Uba.  Nwoye couldn’t have expected to win an election  where he was cleared to contest only ten days to the election. The controversial issues in his own party were also against him. But when INEC failed to capture his name in the voters register, it gave him reasons to complain loudly.

Whether we like it or not, APGA  in the results so far released met the constitutional requirement of winning 25% in 18 Local Government Areas which none of the 22 other political parties that participated in the election can obtain in the re-scheduled election. So, even if Obiano doesn’t win in some of the places for re-run and supplementary election, he still remains the winner of the election except if the courts have cause to say otherwise. The people’s mandate is supreme for now and so INEC should comply by declaring the winner.

nPDP : The confusion rages 

The opposition members of PDP    that recently defected to APC took many by surprise. That is considering many circumstances. But what is really more baffling is that the former National Secretary of the party, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola whose photo was shown on TV embracing one of the top notchers of APC came out again to deny  defecting  to APC. How come? He was more militant in his  approach to the  crisis than the rest of the opposition members. In fact, there  is  always  this feeling that  Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was consistently poking his fingers in the eyes  of  PDP  leadership has  strong sponsors in the opposition  party.  And how does he expect to be fully reconciled to PDP with his  consistent stance of fighting the party?

From the time the court first relieved  him of his position as National Secretary of the party; to the period of PDP mini convention and to the formation of nPDP with Baraje and G7 governors, he did not act as someone who had the interest of the survival of PDP at heart. His disposition seemed confrontational. He was always eager to  spill everything on the pages of newspapers instead of showing passion for wanting to remain in PDP. If he didn’t join other opposition members  to defect to APC, how come he was at the meeting where the decision to defect was finalised? How come he didn’t submit himself to the disciplinary committee of PDP and how come  he was always  too loud. Many are beginning to feel he wants to be a mole for the APC inside PDP. Right or wrong? He alone knows.

Indeed, publicity, especially when one is attacking the powers that be is sweet but with the way things are going, a time will come when the remaining aggrieved  members would either reconcile with the ruling party or join forces with APC leaving Oyinlola out in the cold! Let him take a closer look at things. What does he want in PDP now? An opportunity has come for him to defect to where he rightly belongs but he is blinking in the dark.

Or is he still expecting to be fully reconciled to a party he has been spitting on its face  and still maintain his capacity as  the custodian of the seal of the party? Does he even have access to the seal of the party, let alone be it’s custodian?

If  he  truly loves PDP, shouldn’t he be committed to every attempt to broker peace amongst aggrieved members and become part of the peace process? He claimed he has  not relinguished his mandate as the National Secretary of the party and yet he was attending meetings with opposition APC. That was speaking from the two sides of the mouth!

If Oyinlola is truly committed to the survival of PDP, he should prove that beyond reasonable doubt by  talking less on the pages of newspapers. It is not possible to serve two masters at the  same time and that appears to be what he is doing! While snubbing the disciplinary committee constituted by the leadership of PDP ,  Oyinlola in his ‘wisdom’ alleged that the committee was not validly created and that Umaru Dikko, the Chairman of the committee is the National Chairman of another political party and not a member of PDP! He should know that opposition is waiting for a man like him but if they  succeed in using him as a willing tool to undo his party, the same opposition will equally sweep him out eventually because what goes around, comes around.

As for the defector Governors, Nigerians are waiting to see how they would control APC structures in the states where they are governors because before this time, those structures were already under the control of some politicians. Will these simply jettison the APC structures  in their states for their new  members? Just like that? Is somebody beginning to see some of the hurdles facing the defector governors?

There’s still wisdom on the part of Lamido  of Jigawa and Aliyu Babangida of Niger to weigh their options very well. It’s only fools  that rush  in where angels fear to  tread. While I am not joining forces  with those who are  predicting that  the  marriage  would not last but as   noted    in  this  column sometime, APC will  implode and the recent defection is a testament to that because  in  states like Kano, and Sokoto, things may snap sooner than expected.

For another thing, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may have started dusting the files of some of the defector governors with the aim of digging up some dirts  in  their history. And will these governors  really play prominent roles in determining who emerges as the APC presidential candidate for the next elections and be actively involved in the APC convention? Of course, Aminu Tambuwal is the new bride of APC who’s likely to be nominated for 2015 presidency. But  will  founding members of the party  allow him?

Sokoto and Kano where the governors and their predecessors are at loggerheads will likely experience  mayhem. But then some of these defector governors are serving their last term in office and have nothing to lose!

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Read this article in the Vanguard Newspapers
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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