Let Us Have Fresh Elections In 2009

Predictably, the Nigerian Government has rejected the 2007 Human Rights Watch which severely criticized political practice in the country.  The government said the report made “unfair submissions about Nigeria on issues of violence, human rights abuse and corruption.”

It is important to clarify that the government’s knee-jerk reaction is its own.  As a Nigerian, I know that the majority of my compatriots agree with the conclusions of the report. 

To begin with, I do not believe that the government spokesman had even read the report, because it is far more brutal than the rebuttal seemed to recognize.  I will offer a very brief summary.

This report stops half an inch short of calling our government officials criminals.  This is the heart of its theory of Nigeria being “mired in a crisis of governance” since 1999.  From a human rights perspective, it describes the violence, manipulation and corruption through which our governments emerge, and how that affects the practice of governance once those “elected” officials get into office. 

What part of this is false or “unfair”?

There is no Nigerian adult that does not know of the institutionalized farce that we call elections.  We know how candidates and parties use money and thugs to make sure they ‘win.’  In 1999, 2003 and the 2004 local government elections, this was a practice we demonstrated before the world.

In 2007, it was hoped that things would be different partly because of the outcry against those previous elections, and partly because of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s pretence to being interested in free and fair elections. 

But it was clear to those who were paying attention that Obasanjo was not honest.  To begin with, he appointed to head the Independent National Electoral Commission a man called Maurice Iwu.  Not only was there nothing in his background to suggest he knew the meaning of fairness, his attitude and pronouncements were proof he was a hatchet man.

Then there was Obasanjo himself.  He insisted his party would rule “for 60 years,” and repeatedly described the 2007 elections as “do or die,” for his party.  It is also significant that even when his friend, Chris Uba, confessed to having rigged the 2003 elections for his party in Anambra State, Obasanjo did not once seek to invoke the rule of law in honour of his oath of office.   In the same Anambra State, Obasanjo backed Chris’ Uba’s brother, the heavily-criticized “Andy,” for governor, armed with plane-loads of cash. 

In addition, it should also be remembered that ahead of the 2007 elections, the police reported finding ballot boxes in the home of the Ibadan local PDP champion, Lamidi Adedibu.  The President of Nigeria specifically ordered that the man be left alone.   The political parties have also used the police to manipulate elections.

In the states, it is common knowledge that many gubernatorial candidates formed and armed local gangs to protect their electoral interests.  We have seen such gangs at work in many states.  In some of them, such as Anambra, Rivers and Oyo, such gangs are currently presenting a serious challenge to established order.   

If federal government officials care about the truth, this was the background to the electoral farce of last April.  Even within the PDP, it will be remembered that the current President was imposed by the outgoing President; he did not emerge through a democratic process.  And the current President has acknowledged, again and again, that he is the product of a flawed process. 

This is why it is such a shame that the same government is responsible for the irresponsible rebuttal of the new HRW report, in direct contradiction of President Yar’Adua’s frank admission.  It is on account of his acceptance of the international e evaluation of the elections that the President said he would review our electoral process.  He has fulfilled part of his promise by setting up the Electoral Reform Panel. 

Let us be clear, then: either the President’s admission, or the rebuttal of the report, is a ruse.  The government cannot have it both ways.  And if we seriously intend to rectify the situation, we must begin by humbly accepting the sad truth: rigging elections and ripping-off the voter has become our political way of life.  This situation is championed by the PDP, and last week’s nullification of a governorship and Senatorial election in two states is evidence of this. 

The Nigerian voter is also guilty of helping political criminals to defraud our country. 

Rigging is much more than vote-counting.  Nigerians all know the harassment at polling stations.  Sometimes, we are victims; at other times, we are the perpetrators.  We stand by when the potential beneficiary of a political violation is our relative or friend or townsman or tribesman or partyman.  When you stand by without denouncing the act, you are a participant, a perpetrator.

Sometimes, we stand back.  We stand back when those hired to wield the machetes or guns or cudgels, or inflammable liquids or matches are our relatives.  We do not stop them, we do not protest.  We justify our response by looking at their “employment.”  They are just trying to earn something. 

We do not think of the opposition as someone entitled to fairness.  We do not think about his   office, or listen to his ideas, or permit his voice.  He is not a competitor, he is an enemy.  Even when we know him, even when everything tells us that he is a better person and candidate than our own candidate, we are comfortable with putting his life on the line.  We resent the truth, and in our sleep, count the profits when our own man assumes an office he is the least qualified for. 

But if we do not think of the candidate as a person, how can we think about tomorrow?  How can we think about the water we know he will never provide for the community, or about the schools and hospitals he will never support?  How can we think about all the flesh and blood he will seek to deny or destroy simply because they said they believed in someone else? 

And so, out of selfishness or shortsightedness or cowardice, we foster, or support rigging.  A man to whom we should say, “Get Behind Me, Satan!” is permitted ahead of the community, and we celebrate him like an angel.  Criminals we should be handing over to the police become the officers who manage the prison. 

This is where we are.  This is what HRW describes in its well-researched, balanced and well-meaning report.  In rejecting it, however, the government indicates it has no intention of listening to the thoughtful recommendations contained in the report. 

This is sad because if we cannot stand the truth, no matter how bitter, how can we say we are committed to change?  Our system is rotten, and that is why, since 1999, Nigeria has continued to earn tremendous revenues that, like popular confidence in government, continue to evaporate before our eyes.

That is why our governors are often called thieves in public, and they react by carting even more money out of the country.  That is why almost every public office holder in our country is scared to declare his assets.  That is why our infrastructure is decaying, human security is deteriorating, Nigeria’s best brains are heading in the other direction, and foreign investment is going to Ghana and Botswana.

In my view, none of these ailments can be cured by an aspirin.  Nigeria needs radical surgery.  If President Yar’Adua actually has the stomach for History, he should pick up the scapel.  He should reject the rotten dish he has been served, and seek a new start by quickly revamping our relevant laws and calling for credible new elections no later than 2009.

·         sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 Let Us Have Fresh Elections In 2009 Predictably, the Nigerian Government has rejec...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 13.10.2007 23:07

chuma nwokolo  JJC

# 2 Hi Sonala, Much to like in your post, although mugshots of recent election finalists don't suggest that a perfect election will save us. Organic reforms are a more urgent imperative. Democratic elections are the new bugbears. America has in the last few years elected a son to replace a father and is on track to elect a wife to replace a husband. Do fair elections toss up the best candidates? No. Is it a better system than most? Yes. But we have to be v. conscious of the filtration systems that feed 'democracy': particularly money and media. With the billion dollar election budgets, we know clearly that it is the rich, not the right who get elected to the highest offices - and this is the case whether the money is used to buy votes, buy thugs, or buy wall-to-wall media coverage. This electorate is no saint. Monied fools, conmen and light-fingered retired dictators have a better chance than most to be elected in a 'fair' election, which suggests that we have a more fundamental work (which you hinted at) staring us in the face. Chuma Nwokolo Posted by chuma nwokolo| 14.10.2007 01:31

Abraxas  Villager

# 3 Hi, Chuma Nwokolo JJC! Welcome to the Square of our very beloved Village of origin, (of no regret). Your début comment is very refreshing and insightful. It would be very nice to know more about you, as you begin your journey through our Village, and if possible, meet with like minds in the process. Why don't you proceed to the 97th Floor of the Village Twin Towers Complex (New Members Introduction forum), conspicuously located by the Square, and introduce yourself to Villagers and fellow JJCs worldwide, and secure for yourself, our much coveted GENUINE temporary transit visa into the nooks, crannies, and underbelly of this our very beloved Village of origin. Muchas gracias. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) Welcomer-in-Chief of all NVS-compliant JJCs in the Cosmos. Posted by Abraxas| 14.10.2007 02:28

overdryv  Villager

# 4 In my humble opinion, we should not be talking of organizing a new election in 2009 as nothing would come out of it. This would be a farce as both the leadership and ruled have corruption and dishonesty ingrained in their subconscious. The obstacles to a fair and free election are clearly scattered all along our political high way.Even if it were possible to remove the appointment of the INEC from the presidency, would that throw up a neutral umpire?. The PDP as a cult party is in a position to influence whatever body that is charged with choosing such a person. The actual problem here is whether PDP is ready to concede power to another political party since we are way off their set period of 60 years and if the electorate would be purged of their complicity in aiding and abetting electoral fraud and thuggery. Nigeria's unique problems make it imperative that before we could talk of another election, there has to be radical re-orientation of the citizens and a complete departure from our current political system. Democracy as attractive as it may be, has been shown to be unsuitable for a society like ours that is largely illiterate. The system itself has strife and corruption deeply rooted in it. You have a situation where you organize an election with an outcome of 51% ruling over 49%. How can there be peace like in our case? In a follow up to every election, people work towards the success of their nominated or imposed candidates by way of providing campaign money and rigging logistics. After the election, they are rewarded with ministerial appointments or ambassadorial posts. Nobody would honestly say that these ministers or ambassadors would not dip their hands in funds allocated to them. A celebrated case is that of Tony Anenih under Obj who pocketed a whopping N300 billion for road maintenance. If Nigeria must continue to exists as a corporate entity, we definitely don't need a democracy. What we need is a leader who is corrupt free and is ready to work for the good of the masses without any hidden agenda. Such a leader for all I care, could be a life dictator. That would remove the wasteful need to organize fraudulent elections. For now, the only solution to Nigeria's problems is the convocation of a sovereign national conference to address all the core issues. There is no way around this. In the past, Nigeria had been sustained by the power of the gun. Now with the departure of Obj who ruled Nigera always wearing Agbada on his military camouflage, the clamor for self determination of the various ethnicities, is expected to take centre stage. Some groups even in the North know it that they are better of living in a republic without having anything to do with oil. The Taleban group in the North knows well that their interests would be better served if they are allowed to have a pure islamic enclave. So S.O. try to focus on the reality on the ground. All talks of 2009 election are a distraction and postponing the evil day. Lets have a SNC and allow every group to decide their future. Yar'Adua who came in fraudulently with his two eyes wide open could never organize any fair and free election. He came to only protect certain interests. Its only a matter of time before he transforms into a full monster. It is always good to stand up and speak the truth. As Abraxas would say, NO SHAKING! Posted by overdryv| 14.10.2007 04:51

Afeni  Villager

# 5 Umaru's style is too slow (Assuming they will even work) to have Nigerian in a position to hold fairly decent elections by 2009 (Even 2011 is doubtful). In all seriousness what is needed are: 1) Ban everyone that engaged in election malpractice in the past from re-contesting. 2) Arrest and execute all major players in election rigging (See: Adedibu, Bode George, Ahmadu Ali, Deputy Governor of Ondo, Andy Uba, Chris Uba e.t.c.) 3) Station armed soldiers on every polling booth in the country. 4) Assign a commander to monitor each group of soldiers. If any malpractice is reported in that polling booth, the commander loses his or life. 5) Open polling stations at 7 a.m and close it by 6p.m. 6) Results will be counted in public for all polling booths. Anything short of this, and we might as well forget it. The system is far too corrupt for us nt to use drastic measures and expect different results. Posted by Afeni| 14.10.2007 06:29

overdryv  Villager

# 6 =Afeni;209177997>Umaru's style is too slow (Assuming they will even work) to have Nigerian in a position to hold fairly decent elections by 2009 (Even 2011 is doubtful). In all seriousness what is needed are: 1) Ban everyone that engaged in election malpractice in the past from re-contesting. 2) Arrest and execute all major players in election rigging (See: Adedibu, Bode George, Ahmadu Ali, Deputy Governor of Ondo, Andy Uba, Chris Uba e.t.c.) 3) Station armed soldiers on every polling booth in the country. 4) Assign a commander to monitor each group of soldiers. If any malpractice is reported in that polling booth, the commander loses his or life. 5) Open polling stations at 7 a.m and close it by 6p.m. 6) Results will be counted in public for all polling booths. Anything short of this, and we might as well forget it. The system is far too corrupt for us nt to use drastic measures and expect different results. Afeni, Well said. You fell short of saying that what we need is a new beginning as almost everybody that ever took part in elections in Nigeria is a rigger. It is best left to the imagination of who will ban former election riggers and execute them. Obviously our present law makers who are themselves embroiled in electoral offences of all sorts, cannot be be saddled with such a herculian task. Doing so is like signing their death warrant. What is the need of stationing soldiers to guide polling booths in an exercise that is purely civilian? If the electorate is truly reformed not to view elections as an avenue of enrichment and a do-or-die affair, then even police presence on election day is not necessary. Posted by overdryv| 14.10.2007 07:59