Before last Saturday, I had told some friends that I had a very strong suspicion that Jimi Agbaje, the Gubernatorial Candidate of DPA (Please, I don’t know the full meaning of that) would pull a surprise in Lagos State. 

Although it is always very difficult to trust a politician, it is also difficult to listen to Jimi Agbaje and not come away with the impression that he is such a focused, serious-minded gentleman, who spoke with such deep conviction that seemed to suggest he is sincere. 

 I have never met Mr. Agbaje. I only heard him on television like many people in Lagos, but I was surprised when several people I interacted with everywhere I went in Lagos firmly told me that he was the man they were waiting to cast their votes for.  

Now, I do not know if ensuring that Jimi Agbaje’s photograph and that of some other candidates, including that gentle lady, Uche Ibukun Ohimai, whose campaign jingles on TV were always very touching, did not appear on the ballot papers, was part of INEC/PDP agenda to capture Lagos by all means, in this election the party’s leader had already declared a do-or-die affair.

But, the truth, however, is that many people who may have wanted to vote for Jimi Agbaje last Saturday did not care to know the name or logo of his party. They were relying on INEC’s assurances that the photographs of candidates would be displayed alongside their party symbols. 

Last Sunday, a woman complained to me bitterly how she went to cast her vote for Agbaje, but could not do so again, because, his picture was not there. And she did not know the man’s party, let alone its symbol. She sounded so disappointed and bitter that she was denied the opportunity to cast her vote for her favourite candidate. 

Now this woman was not the only one that told me this same story. INEC’s lousy claim that the affected candidates did not submit their photographs have been challenged with proof by some of the candidates. Moreover, what stopped INEC from re-asking for the pictures, if they had misplaced them? What would it had cost them to make that demand if not a mere phone call away? Are they saying that they did not examine samples of the ballot papers before okaying them for mass-production? 

That Jimi Agbaje eventually came Third in the polls despite this grave injustice and deliberate disadvantage visited upon him by INEC is a clear indication of what could have happened had the commission provided level-playing ground for all the candidates. 

Now, I was not able to vote last Saturday. And I also believe that, like Jimi Agbaje, the man INEC eventually declared the winner (maybe because it had no choice), Mr. Babatunde Fashola, worked hard enough to deserve his victory. Indeed we should also not downplay the fact the he was the candidate of the ruling party in Lagos. 

But what I am saying is that if a level-playing ground was provided and Agbaje was still defeated last Saturday, he would have gone home happy that he had put up a gallant fight, and that what he got was what he truly merited, despite the massive rigging that thrived in the charade INEC is calling elections. 

So, what INEC did to Agbaje and the others in the so-called elections was bad and ugly and utterly condemnable. Indeed, never in the history of this nation has an electoral body advertised its partiality with such fanfare.  

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Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye writes a column (SCRUPLES) in the Independent (www.independentngonline.com ) every Wednesday.

scruples2006@yahoo.com

www.ugochukwu.blog.com 

Robot  Villager

# 1 Now, I do not kn...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 18.04.2007 06:24

aringaranso  Villager

# 2 Mr Ugochukwu, Thanks for pointing this out but There are also many injustices in our body polity today--- What about the Injustice Against Adams Oshiomole, The Injustice against Chris Ngige, against Peter Okocha of Delta state. The injustice against Olusegun Mimiko. The injustice in Oyo ,Ekiti ,Anambra ,Bayelsa and EVERY WHERE. In Anambra state Andy Uba got more votes than registered voters..... SUCH INJUSTICE MUST ALSO BE ADRRESED. WHAT ABOUT THE BIG INJUSTICE AGAINST THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE. THE INJUSTICE AGAINST THOUSANDS OF NIGERIANS MAIMED, KILLED BY THEIR PRESIDENT. Thanks. Posted by aringaranso| 18.04.2007 06:49

OSIBINAEBI  Villager

# 3 I wish to state that the polls clearly showed that Jimi had no chance in Lagos with or without his picture. Let me state that i personally would have loved to have Jimi as the governor of the state but he stood no chance. If people weree really hell bent on voting Agbaje, they would have voted him with or without his picture. In a worse case scenario, they will just not vote anyone and then we will have a case of insufficient turn out for whoever wins due to this boycott or refusal to vote for any other candidate. Lets call a spade a spade.JIMI COULD NOT HAVE WON WITH OR WITHOUT HIS PICTURE. This does not mean i support the double standard of INEC o!!!!, infact if it was really premediated by INEC, then i guess it would have been Fashola's picture that would have been missing. INEC is a messed up agent of OBJ , so i never expected anything good from them. Posted by OSIBINAEBI| 18.04.2007 10:08

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 4 A Governorship aspirant whose logo and emblem are not known to the electorate is not a serious contender. In spite of the change of Tinubu and co from AD to AC, nobody is left in doubt as to their new identity. Agbaje should not bemoan his loss, he should take it gallantly. Posted by Mikky jaga| 20.04.2007 09:38