It is shameful that in 2009, we are still unable to conduct ourselves like civilized and enlightened people. The conduct of INEC, the Police and the political parties especially the PDP in the suspended Ekiti Re Run Elections leave more to be desired of your administration and your 7 point agenda.
I am not an Ekiti indigene but as a Nigerian, the blatant flouting of law and order in an election by a few 'sacred cows' has run its course in our political evolution and need to stop now! If this re run election is allowed to hold without interference, the people of Ekiti will accept whoever emerges winner cos it would have been transparent, fair and a free expression of the people's will. We are not animals and must resist the few among us who insist on behaving like one, irrespective of who or what they are.
The second issue here is that of government responsibility. It is unacceptable that we have a president in Nigeria and such brigandage is allowed to run roughshod over a people. Mr President sir, are you only the president of PDP faithfuls or the President of all Nigerians? How can you be perceived to be taking sides in this case? If your allegiance sir, is more to your party than to the Nigerian nation, then you would have lost the moral right to remain its President.
What is your Vice-President doing in Ekiti for a re run in mere 63 wards in 10 Local Governments? What are the Deputy Governor of Osun State and two of its Senators doing in Ekiti during the election?They are not Ekiti indigenes and are serving public officers. Osun State is one of the most backward states in the South West so obviously there is enough public service to occupy them in their state. And they have been reported to be seen actively involved in the conduct of the elections..with armed persons in tow? Is it a war?
How come so many unauthorized people were brandishing weapons in the full view of purported 10,000 police men and they were not arrested on the spot? On whose side is the Police? Why is it that the same irregularities that forced the Courts to annul the last elections are showing up again?
Who on God's earth is Senator Arise? Of what relevance is he to our lives that he will hold a whole nation to ransom? How dare he create an environment that makes it impossible for elections to be held in his hometown? Is he the only citizen of Oye town?
I don't care how much money he has or what development he has made to the town, he has shown that he is great liability to the indigenes of Oye. Men like him are a shame and disgrace to the entire Yoruba race and are attracting a curse to their descendants by these lawless and unruly actions in Ekiti state. Posterity will judge them guilty in the annals of history except they stop their barbarian conduct within the society.
It is clear that any result that is declared after the questionable decision to suspend the process can never be credible…except it is in favor of the opposition because the ruling party has compromised itself in the way it has presided over this re run.
How can INEC, under the control of the ruling party, PDP expect us to believe that its candidate won this election (even if he actually did were the process allowed to run freely) when it had kept uncounted votes in its custody for days now? How can we be sure those votes are not being tampered with to favor PDP? Afterall, he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
Then can INEC please explain what happened to the Resident Electoral Commissioner? The same thing that happened to Nwosu in the days of Babangida's annulled elections? Iwu was quoted to have said she was sick but we understand that her family has denied the fact.
The story making the rounds about her, Mr President, is that she was summarily quarantined when she refused to announce Segun Oni as winner because the elections were not concluded. At over 70 years old, she was reported to have insisted on keeping her integrity even at the expense of her job! One hopes that is true as it would earn her a place in history.
As a Nigerian, I, and I am sure millions like me, am fed up with this offensive conduct of men and women in authority. In case our public service officers dont remember their job description, it is to create and effect policies that make our lives better not become chief public nuisances in a desperate effort to entrench themselves in power.
We are thoroughly ashamed by this show of shame, President Yar'adua. How can we be expected to be proud of our country when we conduct elections like animals scrambling for a piece of a carcass? What is the essence of spending millions of naira rebranding a nation when you knew you were not committed to delivering on the desired image? Is this how 2011 will be? What guarantees do we have for the safety of our lives and property and the sanctity of our collective will?
How can the world take us serious enough to invite us to the gathering of global leaders when we are behaving like imbeciles? Why are you allowing your party to whittle away at our fragile credibility as a people?
It is time for you to stand up and display the integrity we have heard so much about as one of your sterling qualities as a statesman, Mr President. Truth is never multifaceted; it is always clear and concise. If you would evaluate this situation as a Nigerian statesman and not a PDP stalwart, you can clearly identify the truth and stand up for it sir. Nigerians are desperately in search for a true statesman they can believe in. This is an opportunity for you to earn your place in history as the Nigerian President who chose to do right thing against all odds.
May I remind you sir, that as a God fearing nation, we are accountable to the God of heaven for every conduct of ours on this earth. And He is a righteous judge who sees all things. You and all the parties involved in this debacle will one day give account of your stewardship to your Maker. My bible and your Quran says so.All the justifications your party members may be giving for visiting this level of terror on the innocent Ekiti people will not hold in God's court sir. Do not let it hold in yours.
Finally, I call on all concerned Nigerians to stand up and be counted on this issue because Ekiti Re Run is a litmus test for what 2011 will be like. This is the time to insist on proper conduct during elections and the only way is to ensure that this kind of disgrace is not rewarded. If INEC declares Segun Oni of the PDP as winner in this re run, we would have rewarded the violence, chaos and irregularities leveled against the PDP in practically all the reports of the elections. Evil prospers when good men keep quiet. We all have a stake in this nation irrespective of our party affiliations, ethnic lineages or social status. Nigeria belongs to all of us and we can no longer allow an infinitesimal few to hold our destiny to ransom any longer.
It is unacceptable!
Sola Salako
April-28-2009
