In the very early hours of Monday 16^th April 2007, then President Olusegun Obasanjo flew to Benin.  He had to fly you see because the Shagamu – Ọrẹ – Benin road had become truly knackered.  He arrived in the dead of the night and headed straight for Government House where he woke up the lushiest moustache in the land, Lucky Igbinedion.  With Lucky in tow, he went to the quarters of one Mallam Mohammed Abubakar Ahmadu.  Mallam Ahmadu was the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State.  This poor soul had been prevaricating in announcing Edo State’s gubernatorial election results following the “do-or-die” election.  The Independent Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Chairman, Maurice Iwu had instructed him to stick to the script and announce “the results” but Mallam Ahmadu demurred.  The numbers just weren’t agreeable enough for easy manipulation.  In any event, Obasanjo thoroughly dressed down the Mallam and threw in a couple of threats for emphasis.  He assured Ahmadu and Lucky that if he (OBJ) was not hearing the results over his Akamu and Akara when he is back in Abuja, hell (aka EFCC) will come a-calling for openers.  He left Lucky behind to continue the strong arm tactics.

It was therefore a completely flustered Mallam Ahmadu that gave one of the most inept, disorganised and anguished election result press conferences later that morning at about 10:30.  He announced the winner of the April 14^th contest as Professor Oserheimen Osunbor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 329,740 votes.  The Action Congress (AC) candidate, Adams Oshiomhole was assigned a total of 197,472 votes.  At least, one of the other Parties candidate was not awarded even one single vote.  I have tidied it up nicely here.  Mallam Ahmadu’s presentation was very incoherent and harried.  He stumbled over every figure and sentence.  He adjusted and re-adjusted them on live TV.  In the end, the pressure got to him and he bolted from the scene.

In the course of prosecuting his do-or-die 2007 elections, OBJ was accosted by the Oba of Benin with lamentations about the sorry pass Edo State had come to under the leadership of the vacuous and very clueless Lucky Igbinedion.  Obasanjo gave the monarch his words that he would ensure that the next Governor of that State is a competent person with a working head on his or her shoulders.  Consequently, he forced through the candidacy of Prof Osunbor – indeed a decent and very competent gentleman.  Unfortunately by this time, the damage had been done.  Lucky had thoroughly put nearly every Edo person off the PDP.  If Jesus or even Gen. Samuel Ogbemudia had contested under the umbrella of the PDP, they would have lost.  The Edo people were always going to look elsewhere for their governor.

Now, why was Mallam Ahmadu having a hard time with the election results?  He happened to be a latecomer to the scene and was not yet properly indoctrinated into the politics of Edo State as ably orchestrated by the one and only Chief Tony Anenih.  To put things in proper focus:  The previous Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State was one Mr Martins Okunfolarin.  He arrived Edo State Saturday 31st March 2007.  He checked himself into the comfortable splendour of the Excalibur Hotel, G.R.A. Benin. Twenty four hours later – that is, on Sunday 1st April, 2007, he proceeded to Uromi in the company of another Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Austin Okojie, who hails from Edo but was then serving in Benue State to pay homage and strategise with Chief Tony Anenih on the forthcoming elections.  Anenih promptly handed Mr Okunfolarin a comprehensive list of Ad-hoc Staff for the State INEC.  These people were to be used as Presiding Officers, Polling Clerks, etc in the coming elections.  Curiously these three gentlemen were later joined by a former gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Edo State Mr Odion Ugbesia.  The tête-à-tête continued until about 12:30pm.

As would be expected, the other Political Parties and their various candidates raised strenuous objections at this flagrant abuse and partisanship.  Particularly vehement in his protestations was the AC gubernatorial candidate.   Eventual, Iwu had no choice but to recall Mr Okunfolarin for his glaring indiscretion and replaced him with Mallam Ahmadu. 

The election itself was not trouble free; however all the projections point to a very comfortable victory for the AC candidate, Adams Oshiomhole.  In fact, the results were not even going to be close.  Therein laid the troubles of Mallam Mohammed Ahmadu.  Well, since Mohammed wasn’t going to go to the mountain, OBJ went to Mohammed.  In the end, they all ended up at the Electoral Tribunal. 

Now, unlike some other States (Delta comes to mind), the Electoral Tribunal in Edo seems to going about its business meticulously and fairly; albeit slowly.  Late November last year, the Tribunal ordered a recount of the votes in twelve Local Government Areas.  INEC predictably objected but the Tribunal took no notice of its limp objections.  The results of the recount came-in on the 29^th of the same month.  Predictably, the actual number of votes counted did not tally at all with the final figures announced by the State INEC back in April 2007.  For example, while the recounted ballot papers for Esan Central Local Government totalled 15,378 votes, the figure previously released by INEC was 33,412. Also, while the recounted votes for Uhunwmonde Local Government were 46,069, INEC had it as 35,509.  For Orhionmwon Local Government, the recounted votes were 39,721 while previously announced INEC figure was 58,869.  This pattern of grossly inflated figures was the same for all twelve Local Government Areas.  No prices for correctly guessing the beneficiary of those extra votes. 

Well, two weeks ago in Benin, INEC hastily wound up its case at the Tribunal.  Originally, its counsels had intended to call forty six (46) witnesses to testify for INEC.  The first three witnesses called promptly testified that indeed there were widespread vote manipulations in the April 14^th Election – precisely what INEC’s lawyers didn’t want to hear.  So INEC hurriedly closed its case.  The ball is now literarily in Osunbor’s lawyers’ court.  Clearly it is now an uphill task for the good Professor to hold on to the governorship of that very cultured State.

Coincidentally, right about the same time INEC’s witnesses were signing from a different hymn book in Benin, I had a good laugh when I saw Umaru Yar’Adua on television herding into Aso Rock some Governors and other “stakeholders” (opposition political Parties largely and sensibly stayed away) purportedly to discuss the violence-laced and well rigged junior do-or-die Local Government elections that took place late last year.  It was reported that he told those summoned that he was unhappy about the conduct and malpractices of those elections.  He upbraided them for not ensuring that there was free and fair elections in their various domains.  Can you beat that?!  Here’s a man who himself is the ultimate beneficiary of a gruesomely rigged election lecturing others that have diligently copied his template!  As some reports had it, Yar’Adua told his audience that the “rule of law” meant election rigging is not allowed!  How he managed to muster enough chutzpah to say this with a straight face to a recently graduated class of the school of do-or-die elections is a very nice trick indeed and quite mind boggling.   Unbelievably, there were no reports of uncontrollable guffaws around the room.  As the boxing promoter Don King would have put it: “Only in Nigeria!”

Robot  Villager

# 1 In the very early hours of Monday 16th April 2007, then President Olusegun Obasanjo fl...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 23.01.2008 11:21

salstep  Villager

# 2 Coincidentally, right about the same time INEC’s witnesses were signing from a different hymn book in Benin, I had a good laugh when I saw Umaru Yar’Adua on television herding into Aso Rock some Governors and other “stakeholders” (opposition political Parties largely and sensibly stayed away) purportedly to discuss the violence-laced and well rigged junior do-or-die Local Government elections that took place late last year. It was reported that he told those summoned that he was unhappy about the conduct and malpractices of those elections. He upbraided them for not ensuring that there was free and fair elections in their various domains. Can you beat that?! Here’s a man who himself is the ultimate beneficiary of a gruesomely rigged election lecturing others that have diligently copied his template! As some reports had it, Yar’Adua told his audience that the “rule of law” meant election rigging is not allowed! How he managed to muster enough chutzpah to say this with a straight face to a recently graduated class of the school of do-or-die elections is a very nice trick indeed and quite mind boggling. Unbelievably, there were no reports of uncontrollable guffaws around the room. As the boxing promoter Don King would have put it: “Only in Nigeria!” Good article, but you ruined it with the last paragraph. Completely irrelevant in my eyes. Should UYA have encourage them to rig more elections? Posted by salstep| 23.01.2008 15:58

Gladiator  Villager

# 3 The usurpers and impostors who schemed and oversaw the ruthless pogrom of the democratic yearnings of the people last April to ensure that the continued hijack of government is not interrupted remain unabashed by the shameful revelations that have been trickling out from the various Tribunals and EFCC trials up and down the country. What continues to strike me as unsustainable is the Orwellian mindset of these creatures in that they really do think that their words are believed or trusted. It as if they are living in cloud cuckoo land. Yar'adua persuades absolutely no one (least of all his co-usurpers) that the same infrastructure and personnel that are beneficiaries of the April 2007 heist can do anything but repeat the same for local elections that are under their direct control. As for Delta State, the Tribunal members have taken up permanent residence at plush five star hotels that is surreptitiously funded by the Ibori/Uduaghan hegemony. The Tribunal under the chairmanship of Justice Ayobode Lokulo-Sodipe, previously illegally ruled that Okocha, who was unlawfully excluded from the April poll, lacked the locus standi to institute the action! The Court of Appeal over-ruled that decision and returned the case to the Tribunal for trial. Since then it has been long adjournment after long adjournment whilst the Tribunal members continue to enjoy the no-expense spared hospitality of the Ibori clan. The issue in Delta State is exactly the same as in the Kogi State Election Petitions Tribunal that nullified the election of Governor, Ibrahim Idris of the PDP, on the ground of unlawful exclusion of the ANPP candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, by INEC. Which itself is based on the clear precedent set by the Supreme Court in the Atiku Vs INEC case. Thus there is no room for them to manouvre other than to follow suit. But, it is not beyond the imagination that they will come up with some innovation once they run out of adjournment time. At the last hearing on the 10th of January the Tribunal adjourned the hearing of a preliminary objection to 28th of February 2008! This is especially telling against the backdrop of the Court of Appeal directive last year that all Tribunals should endeavour to dispose of all their cases before mid-February 2008! What's going on? Judge for yourself! Posted by Gladiator| 23.01.2008 16:25

IgoTalk  Villager

# 4 Beautifully written article...! I only hope no abracadabra happens to thwart the work of the panel. Edo state has suffered waaaay too much in the hands of Lucky and his political 'off-spring'! And please....someone should 'capture' Lucky wherever he is hiding!! Posted by IgoTalk| 23.01.2008 17:42

Lagos Boy  Villager

# 5 Its a shame that those who benefited the most from the nation building efforts of Nigeria's founding fathers (People like Pa Enahoro and Chief Awo), are the very ones who have worked relentlessly to tear down their legacy. Speaking of our electoral practice has anyone wondered why someone like Humphrey Nwosu was not consulted either for the last election, sorry selection process? or even for the electoral reform process supposedly being carried out? I insist that the PDP considers itself greater than the Nigerian nation and that is responsible for the "do or die" approach to its militant brand of politics. I also conclude that OBJ must be senile or mad or both and the seeds he planted will grow in his family for many generations Posted by Lagos Boy| 24.01.2008 03:25