FEATURE ARTICLE

Nnanna IjomahFriday, January 16, 2015
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New York, New York, USA

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ABIA ELECTORATE AND THE FEAR OF ELECTION RIGGING

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f there is wrong thing that has been proven the world over in the game of politics, it is that elections have consequences. Unlike in a parliamentary system of government, sometimes depending on the number of seats won, where the party with the majority seats can share power with the opposition or with a number of smaller parties as is a regular occurrence in the state of Israel, ours on the other hand is a Presidential system where the winner takes all. The victorious party sets the agenda for the 4 years it is in power. Again unlike other developed democracies the Nigerian electorate after casting their votes seem to have virtually no say , or input in the formulation and implementation of policies that will affect their lives or well- being. Even their so called representatives in the state Assemblies, House Of Rep or Senate, who can be best described as "Self Representatives" since in the most part they are more concerned with acquiring wealth and power for themselves than fighting for the interest of their electors. As much as I agree with the assertion that "you get the government you vote for', it is just that it is an assertion that does not universally apply to Nigeria, since in Nigeria we most times get the government we did not vote for due to rigging.

Recently while addressing a group of women who paid him a courtesy call, former Head of State Gen Olusegun Obasanjo was quoted as saying "Good governance comes from the selection of leaders. It is up to you to decide who you casts your votes for, because if you throw away your votes you have lost out''. I guess he should have said 'if your allow your election to be rigged after casting your vote, you have lost out mightily". True words indeed nevertheless except that as usual it was coming from a notable Nigeria who like other past office holders only become paragons of virtue after they have left office

In the next few weeks, Abia state like the rest of the country will be conducting its governorship elections after its first real campaign since the creation of the state. I use the word "real "literally because Abia state has never had what you might call a real campaign or election, hence what we have had in the past were coronations. Orji Uzor Kalu while leaving office picked his successor and coronate him and now his replacement Ochendo is attempting to coronate his own successor in the person of Ikpeazu. If we should let them succeed we might as well declare Abia state a Monarchy. This is why the choices we Abians make in this election will be the most momentous decision of our political lives with good or devastating consequences.

To drive home the point about the consequences of elections, I refer those who care to remember to the Bush/Gore elections in the United States. If Gore had won , there probably would have been no Gulf war. Consequently the billions of dollars and thousands of human lives that were lost would not have occurred. In the final analysis the economic downturn the occurred in 2008 would have been prevented. The Abia electorate cannot get it wrong again by allowing the imposition of another handpicked member of the Ochendo family because if we do we will have no one to blame but ourselves. That is why in this election Alex Otti must be elected by all cost. By any means necessary. Yes, you heard it from me "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY". I f you want to call me a disciple of the Machiavelli principle, (The Italian who coined the phrase) so be it.

Past electoral exercises in Abia informs us that they were somehow rigged. Not that it was absolutely necessary for them to do so, since in all 4 elections Abia was basically a one-party state , once under PPA and later PDP. They were more or less no contest elections. The opposition was non- existent. All the same I guess they could not help themselves as it is in their nature to rig elections. Their attitude is akin to the Lion who said "No matter the condition of the economy in the jungle I cannot eat grass. It is not pride, but just in my nature". The question therefore arises. Are they going to try to rig the election? The answer is unequivocally yes. It is not only that they have no choice but to do so, it is just in their nature to do so. The second question is, what can we possibly do to prevent or minimize it.

While it will be wrong for us to sit back and let Ochendo and his group of kleptomaniacs steal the elections , I believe also that we may be giving them too much credit for their rigging prowess, in view of the fact that the political environment in the state has changed dramatically from what it was 4 years ago. For instance, this time around, there are real campaigns by two formidable candidates. While one candidate, Dr Alex Otti is formidable on the basis of his intellect and administrative antecedents, his opponent's only claim to formidability is the billions of stolen state money being spent on his behalf . The electorate are also more aware and if I am right determined to fight to secure and protect their votes.

We in diaspora are concerned and wish there is something we can do to help protect our votes on election day especially in the villages where we believe most of the rigging attempts will occur. Since many of us cannot be there physically to help, we are calling on you, our fellow Abians to do everything humanly possible to protect their votes. Remember if you collect money or stomach infrastructure and turn a blind eye to rigging , you are hurting yourself , your future and that of your children. Be aware that you will be denying your pregnant wife pre-maternal care, your child a qualitative education, your graduate son a job, good roads and basic infrastructure. My advice to those who cannot resist taking the money is this . If Ochendo offers you money , take it shamelessly , promise them whatever they want you to say and still vote your conscience. My attitude is this, if those party delegates during the various party primaries can collect money from 2 or more candidates and still vote for a candidate of their choice you can also collect Ochendo's money and still vote for Alex Otti. I do not condone bribery , but if someone is stupid enough to offer you money to do something you never had any and still have no intention of doing , then take it.

The Alex Otti campaign must select its most fervent supporters in all the voting districts to represent it at the various polling centers. INEC should not be allowed to announce any results unless it is checked, rechecked and verified. INEC should be mandated to publish the voters list for all to see ,so we will know when the number of votes cast exceeds the number of people in the registered list for a community. All said , the most important weapon against rigging is for Abians to come out in great numbers and vote for Alex otti. Studies have shown that it is difficult to rig an election with a wide margin of victory in favor of one candidate. I cannot say this enough. The only elections that are easier to rig or manipulate the figures are very close elections. Abia voters must be vigilant. They must not only cast their votes, they must protect it also.

It is highly improbable that the PDP will not attempt to rig the election. This is because as one Havard scholar Biodun Jeyifo recently asserted, "the PDP will never attempt to clean up the augean stables of filth and rot it has created, but rather attempt to rig itself into perpetuation and misrule" and as is the case with Abia state, if they succeed in doing so , they will be emboldened to raise impunity to new levels and we the citizens of Abia will be astonished by new forms of monumental corruption, waste and mismanagement as we have never seen before. This is our chance to make things right as we may never get a chance like this again for another 8 years. We must listen to the words of Obasanjo when he recently said" Find out the track record of achievements of those you want to vote for. What have they achieved in the past and not what they have said". We know who Alex Otti. We know his record of achievement in the past as the managing Director of Diamond Bank. We know of his excellent academic credentials, his managerial expertise and his determination and resolve to bring change to Abia state. Our new mantra henceforth should be "ALEX OTTI WE KNOW. IKPEAZU.WHO ARE YOU?" voters must vote right and vote for change. Change they believe in,as Obama would say. They also must not leave their vote to chance or expediency. As Henry David Thoceus once said "A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance".

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