Oshiomhole and mustard
seed of democracy
By RAZAQ BAMIDELE
Wednesday, November
19, 2008
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Adams
Oshiomhole
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Since last week’s victory of the Action Congress (AC)
governorship candidate in Edo state, in the April 2007 elections,
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, it has been accolades galore for
Nigeria’s Judiciary as well as agenda setting for the
new governor, whose victory was seen as a deadly blow to any
dream towards a one party system.
In addition to that, the victory was also interpreted to mean
a boost to his party, AC, which now has two states in its
kitty having initially won Lagos state in the April 21, 2007
general election.
Setting the ball of reactions rolling, the Alliance for Democracy,
(AD), which prides itself as the father of the AC praised
the Court of Appeal judgement that upheld the victory of the
AC in Edo state, saying that the ruling has further raised
the hope of many people despaired by the emergence of one
party state.
The AD, in a statement signed by the party’s National
Vice Chairman, (South-West), Reverend Adetunji Adebiyi urged
the other Appeal Court Judges to follow the example of the
Edo ruling by upholding the truth and ensure that people’s
power prevailed.
“AD commends the courage of the judge. We really appreciate
the determination of the judges and their commitment to the
rule of law. We are glad that the tenet and philosophy of
free education, free health and integrated rural development
that have been the hallmark of the AD, being practised by
the AC will replace the agonising years that the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) has subjected the people of Edo for the past eight
years,” Adebiyi stated.
He said, by upturning the victory of the PDP in the state,
the judges have exposed the frivolities of the April 2007
elections, adding that the ruling has re-enacted confidence
in the county’s judiciary.
“The AD is glad to see the possibility of a new lease
of life for the people of Edo state. For the past 50 years,
the people of Edo have not reneged on their unflinching support
for the principles of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo
whose political supporters were the founding fathers of the
ancient and modern Edo nation.
“We hope and believe that the victory of Oshiomhole
would rebuild the lost heritage of the people of Edo state
and bring back the glorious past that would ensure that the
people regain their dignity as humans through a progressive
party like AC,” the AD chieftain stated.
He said the AD in the state is ready to work with the government
of Osiomhole to ensure distinctive improvement in the quality
of the lives of the people of the state, adding that it has
confidence that Oshiomhole’s victory will lead to fundamental
changes and paradigm shift in the way infrastructural development
are tackled in the state.
He stated further that the AD was ready to work with political
parties that were founded on the kernel principles of democracy
and the rule of law as against the rule of one man and the
brigandage of a tiny cabal
“Edo state has been under the grip of reactionary forces
for the past nine years. This is totally against the principles
through which the foundation of the state was laid. The emergence
of Oshiomhole, we hope, would clear the mess of the ugly past
and re-enact a new window of opportunities founded on the
respect for human lives, freedom for the people and the working
class and a new lease of life for women, children and the
aged which are the hallmark of the AC.
He therefore urged Oshiomhole led administration to follow
the footsteps of his Lagos state counterpart, Governor Babatunde
Raji Fashola (SAN), saying, “with two states controlled
by the AC, there is hope for the progressives to seize the
political terrain of Nigeria.”
Speaking in the same vein, the National Chairman of a Northern
socio-political group, Northern Patriotic Front [NPF], Alhaji
Ali Abacha, also congratulated Governor Adams Oshiomhole on
his victory as well as the President of the Appeal Court for
following the path of justice without minding whose ox was
gored in the process, adding that, “Nigerians and the
International Communities, who have in the past lost faith
in the judiciary would now feel secured by the integrity of
our judiciary.”
The Chairman therefore condemned in its entirety, recent negative
comments by some people in the Country over some Tribunal
rulings in the Country insisting that the election Tribunal
rulings have lived up to expectations.
“The Front is of the opinion that it is totally unacceptable
and is tantamount to undermining the integrity of the Nation
for any politician to wage war against the second highest
judicial body or it’s President by writing uncomplimentary
remarks devoid of facts in the National Dailies just to satisfy
certain political interests.
An Action Congress (AC) governorship aspirant in Lagos in
2007, Otunba Niyi Raheem has also stated that, “the
judicial victory has shown that there is hope for the country's
young democracy,” saying,”it was getting clearer
that the country's democracy could only get better with greater
commitment to the rule of law.”
He urged the judiciary to continue to display courage and
firmness, especially in dealing with the remaining election
petitions just as he expressed optimism that AC would also
regain its stolen mandates in Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Delta
and Kwara states, enthusing that the Edo episode was a sign
of further good thing to come the way of AC.
The Switzerland based businessman turned politician said that
Nigerians should not only celebrate the beauty of democracy
as exemplified in the US with the election of Barack Obama,
pointing out that, “such celebration should remind us
that we too have a role to play in order to make our democracy
work.”
The judgement, according to him, has renewed his belief in
the electoral process, even as he urged the Federal government
to expedite action on the ongoing electoral reform, so that
Nigeria could have a better election in 2011.
Raheem, who said that the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)
deliberately rigged the AC out of the 2007 election urged
President Umaru Yar'Adua to restructutre the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) before the next election, asserting
that, “only the restructuring of the electoral body
could bring some sanity to the electoral process.”
While agreeing with Raheem on the restructuring of the nation’s
electoral system, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Hon. Dimeji Bankole has said that the survival and sustenance
of democracy in Nigeria would be guarantee if stakeholders
were provided a forum to work out the best balloting method
for future elections.
The Speaker made the assertion on the occasion of a National
Workshop on Balloting Method for Future Elections organized
by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), in
Abuja where he lamented that, “earlier democratic experiments
in Nigeria failed largely because of failure to guarantee
orderly succession and transition through credible and legitimate
elections.”
Bankole, who was represented by the Chairman House Committee
on INEC, Hon. Sarkin-Adar Musa said democracy anchored on
a credible electoral process could help societies like Nigeria
manage the distributional conflicts that arise from economic
reform programmes.
According to him, the credibility of the electoral process
will remain a key factor in assessing the stability of political
governance,” adding that there is nothing really mysterious
about rigging elections, but it was as a result of the failure
of institutions.”
Bankole, who further noted that democracy was not about elections,
explained that, “free and fair elections are the heart
of democratic governance because, democracies are worth very
little if the people do not vote or votes do not count.”
In his keynote address at the event, the Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu was quoted
to have agreed that, “getting the balloting method right
is, for sure, one crucial step in getting an electoral process
right in Nigeria,” adding that sincerity of purpose,
honesty and simplicity were the hallmarks of an effective
electoral process.”
He asserted that, “electronic voting machine which is
one method in balloting, holds out tremendous prospects, one
of which is the capacity to minimize human influence and therefore
enhance confidence in polls.”
Iwu however said that there was no doubt that the nation and
its electoral system would record a positive leap in advancement
if this voting option came into existence.
The Nucleus Group (TNG), a Lagos based indigenous Non Governmental
Organization expressed delight in the eventual emergence of
Oshiomhole as another AC governor, saying, “this has
given birth to a golden opportunity for both himself and his
senior colleague in governance, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)
to set a formidable standard for other governors in Nigeria
to use as parameter to measure their own achievements.”
Speaking with Daily Sun in Lagos at the Weekend,
the TNG patron, Mr. Bosun Jeje congratulated Oshiomhole on
having a team mate in Fashola whose achievements, he said,
had dazzled even the die hard leadership of the opposition
parties, asserting that, “come 2011, other states would
vehemently agitate for AC governments based on what they must
have seen as real dividends of democracy in Lagos and Edo
states.”
Jeje therefore urged Oshiomole to work hand in hand with Fashola
to move AC to an enviable height that no reasonable Nigerian
would be able to resist in the next elections, admitting that
Oshiomhole’s arrival from activism to real governance
would be a boost to AC since, according to the TNG boss, the
former Labour leader would put into practice, what he had
been agitating for the masses of this country all this while.
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