Osun Gubernatorial Re-run: Let’s Do The Needful

BY RAYMOND OISE-OGHAEDE

Ordinarily, I should have waited for the conclusion of the re-run election scheduled for Thursday, 27^th instant before doing a follow up review to my last write up titled `Osun Gubernatorial Election and the Future’. However, I was overwhelmed by the outcome of last Saturday`s exercise and, this challenged me to wait no further before coming out to congratulate the electorates and people of Osun for doing a marvelous job. Though, some skirmishes were recorded; the overall conduct of the people is a welcome development to our nascent democracy. In fact, it will not be out of place to refer to the State as the `Pride of the West`. You have demonstrated that you are not pushovers in the mainstream of Nigeria`s political calculations. It is now clear to all those who care to know that you are matured enough to take political decisions without being pushed around by politicians. For all those that contributed to achieving this feat, you are truly blessed. It will not be too much to shower you with encomiums and prayers for toeing the line of honour. Consequently, it is my sincere prayers that your labour shall not be in vein; all your efforts towards breaking away from the shackles of political slavery and poverty will also not be in vein; and, you will live to enjoy the fruits of your sacrifices for good governance.

However, in view of the declaration of the exercise as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and subsequent fixing of a rerun for Thursday, 27^th, it is very important to remind the electorates that what should be paramount in their minds at this stage is how to better the achievements of Saturday 22^nd. There is the need to look forward to conducting yourselves peacefully and orderly. The reasons adduced for the cancellation of the votes some centres last Saturday should not be allowed to reoccur. All eyes are on you; so, you must comport yourselves and build on the standards that have been set for the rest of the country`s electorates to emulate. Do not to toe the steps of the ballot box snatchers and trouble fomenters. They are enemies of our country who are prepared to stake their future and that of their unborn generations for `plates of amala`. One thing is certain;posterity will not be kind to them. However, for those that are prepared to retrace their steps by shunning violence and other electoral vices; the door is wide open for them to take their destinies in their hands by getting it right. Thus, the enlightened ones should educate their neighbours on the need to do it right. Consequently, the electorates in the affected areas are expected to go to their respective polling centres on the day of rerun peacefully and orderly to cast their votes accordingly. You are not expected to go there with mobile phones or any dangerous objects. Your only weapon is the PVC; any other dangerous or prohibited objects found in your possession will lead you to jail. Please do not be deceived that the politician and those that sent you to perpetrate criminality will come to set you free; it will not work; so, you have to think twice before embarking on a death errand. Tell the pay masters to ask their children and close family members to do the dirty jobs for them.Most importantly, you must be vigilant and at alert. Do not be intimidated by anyone because it is your right to vote for your choice. The world is watching.

Also, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should endeavour to remain apolitical and carry out their duties without fear or favour. Your performance on Saturday was commendable safe for the incidents that led to cancellations of some votes. Therefore, it is pertinent to go back to the drawing board to address some knotty issues with the aim of protecting our nascent democracy. One of such is the issue of cancellation of elections as a result of ballot box snatching and over voting. If the INEC officials at the polling centres are performed their duties thoroughly and diligently, the issue of over voting will not arise. So, if there are ways the politicians are cutting corners to undermine the procedure; it is the duty of the Commission to find lasting solutions to blocking the loopholes. The fact that, the provision of the Electoral Act on the issue of cancellation of votes has now been popularized as a major factor for declaring an election as inconclusive;  we can be rest assured that it will be made the surest avenue for perpetrating malpractices. There is therefore, need to do a critical appraisal of those acts or factors that could lead to cancellation in order not to create a bigger problem for our democracy. This is in view of the fact that,political parties do always have a fair idea of the election results before the INEC officials submit same to the Collation Centres; thus, after doing a quick computation of the figures from their agents and discovering that they are trailing by certain margin; the next thing will be to send their thugs and agents to snatch the ballot boxes or destroy the result sheets in some identified and strategic  polling centresthat will make cancelled votes to be in excess of the margin. This evolving criminality will make corruption looks like a child`s play if not nip in the bud. Now that a rerun has been fixed, I can assure you that the whole world will be watching to see the success of the exercise or the unveiling and perfection of a`new electoral fraud`.

Consequent upon the foregoing, all eyes will also be on our security personnel that will be on duty for the conduct of Thursday`s rerun. Those that partook in the Saturday`s exercise did a nice job and their performance can also be rated as `so far, so good.Therefore, it would not be an overstatement to say that, youhave proven that you have what it takes to carry out your duties professionally as required under the law if you want to do so. As I have noted elsewhere, you are security agents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not that of a particular political party, individual or selected few. You should not allow politicians to rubbish your reputations and professional callings. This is in view of the fact that whenever the chips are down; the political parties and the electoral umpires will exonerate themselves and pass the blame on you. They will aver that snatching of ballot boxes, destruction of election materials and, perpetration of other criminalities were carried out because of the carelessness, inadequacy or non diligence of the security agencies.Let me inform you that Nigerians and the international communities are waiting to know the outcome of your investigations on the alleged directives by an Electoral Officer for the destruction of election results in a particular polling centre. In the same vein, they are equally waiting to appraise your conducts and dispositionsduring the rerun exercise.

Finally, our overzealous party leaders and those that are not directly involved in the Osun election should watch their steps and allow the will of the people to prevail. This is surely going to be a MAKE or MAR test for the electorates, the political parties, the INEC, the Security agencies and, the government. We must get it right.

 

 

 

Oise-Oghaede is a public policy analyst and commentator. He writes from Surulere, Lagos and can be reached on 08023116867 and 08099405562.