Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The much awaited day came and then passed. Scouring the net that day one could see how vehement people were becoming in defense of their respective candidates. Then came INEC’s two days of heart-rending suspense before the winner of the presidential elections was announced. The elections were adjudged free and fair by local and international observers not because it was devoid of malpractice but because the malpractices were drastically reduced compared to the previous and past elections. Results filtered in online as most of the voters stayed behind after voting to see the outcome in their various units.
The reactions of the people after the results were announced showed their joy or anger at the final results while fireworks were displayed in some parts of Lagos, Bayelsa declared the next day work-free while places like Kaduna, Abuja, Kano and others in the north witnessed some varying degrees of violence.
The other major contender, General Buhari had alleged that the elections were rigged in all the other states that CPC had lost. He cited the fact that his supporters were intimidated against voting for the CPC. Earlier, before the results were announced all the contenders had agreed to accept the results and even Buhari said he wouldn’t go to court but couldn’t stop his party from doing so if they wanted to. Also, the chairman of the CPC at the INEC Institute, where the results were announced had said that the CPC was going to contest the result and when asked the reason when his party officials had appended their signatures at the various polling units thereby accepting the outcome, he had replied with a teaser that those party officials couldn’t have been from CPC and therefore the signatures were forgeries.
My question is this: INEC had before the elections displayed numbers to call or text if one noticed irregularities in the elections. These party agents that were said not to be present at the polling unit should have raised an alarm Why didn’t they? Where were they when the elections were conducted? If Buhari thinks that all the states especially those in the SS and SE were rigged, I would ask him to go to court and to appeal to his supporters that to govern the country is not a do or die affair. No one is an enemy and those in other political parties shouldn’t be seen as one. An international observer even cited the code of conduct that was signed by all political parties as having a clause that stated that a party would not resort to violence if the elections run awry of his expectations.
Many have cited the failed alliance between the ACN and CPC as a factor but I would beg to differ because voters in this presidential election voted for personalities and not ideologies; that is why Buhari had an impressive showing in important parts of the North and Jonathan in the SS, SE and SW. Of course, sentiments were evident in the votes.
I never stood for Buhari’s candidacy in the first place (yes! Castigate me if you want) because although I wasn’t born at his time, I was always afraid that if he succeeded other past leaders would want to try to govern us again. People cited his steadfastness and integrity as an example and how he took us to great heights, and I shook my head because I was imagining Obasanjo coming back in 8 years from now and wanting to rule again citing the fact that he brought telecommunications into the country or that he said the famous ‘No victor, no vanquished’ phrase after Biafra capitulated or that he handed over to a civilian when he was a military ruler; that is what I was afraid of happening.
Ribadu, the ACN candidate was a no-no. Someone that fought corruption and named his present godfather corrupt started romancing with the same godfather. Shekaru was not known and the north failed to present one candidate instead of the three that came out and caused a split in the vote.
Jonathan was not the most perfect candidate but was just seen by Nigerians to be the better evil and so I would advise that instead of wasting months waiting for his opponents to rally round for a better Nigeria, he better roll up his sleeves and start work now, not tomorrow now! Yar’adua tried it and wasted months because he wanted to form a government of unity. While Jonathan should extend the olive branch, he shouldn’t use it to hold Nigeria to ransom. Let him begin considering those who would be his ministers and we do not want all the old faces, we want more new ones. We do not want people that would choose their words carefully because they are lying to us we want the ones that are passionate about Nigeria. Let anyone who feels that he is bigger than Nigeria leave. No one should cause people to shed blood for him.
The presidential contenders had a strong showing but as the Premier League and UEFA and other good leagues, there is only a first, there are no runners up. Let’s see if these current legislators in the house of assembly would agree to cut their Jumbo pay. Let’s drop aside sentiments and hold the leaders we have elected accountable, so that they would work for us knowing that in the end our votes could push them out.
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3 comments:
Nice article, and welcome to blogger. I look forward to more.
@Myne: thanks a lot hope to churn out more
Well, it has started and I hope GEJ is not disappointing you seeing as people voted for GEJ and not PDP (by the way, I think that is an infantile statement). What with the billions of Naira already spent on the inauguration and shady cabinet members waiting for their appointment letters. I don't expect anything from GEJ so, thankfully, I won't feel any disappointment.
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