| 2011: War drums over
electoral reforms
By RAZAQ BAMIDELE
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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•Ladega
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Today, the major discourse in the front burner of Nigeria’s
political landscape is, Electoral Reform. Genuinely concerned
citizens of this country are worried that, at almost 50, the
country has not found its feet democratically.
More worrisome to them is the seeming unperturbed attitude
of some sections of the populace towards charting a new course
towards achieving undiluted democracy in the country.
And the backwardness of the country, to the concerned citizens,
is attributed to the absence of true democracy. To them, the
development has turned the country to a laughing stock in
the comity of nations.
Concern
One of the concerned citizens is the Founder and President
of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun. In
several chats with Daily Sun as well as in several for a,
Faseun has regretted that, “at almost 50, Nigeria is
still at the stage of ballot boxes snatching!”
According to him, the cause of Nigeria’s backwardness
is lack of credible election, where the people’s votes
would count and the authentic winners sworn-in as ruler.
And he commends President Umaru Yar’Adua for putting
together the Uwais Committee, having realised that, the election
that brought him into office was faulty.
He, however challenged the President to be courageous enough
to allow the report submitted by the committee to be subjected
to debate by the generality of Nigerians without hindrance
to save the country from avoidable anarchy.
He did not support the editing of the report by the President
saying, no Nigerian has disagreed with the report.
Peoples’ voice
And besides the Uwais Committee put together by President
Yar’Adua to look into ways by which Nigeria would have
a fool proof electoral process, some individuals and groups
of civil society organizations have also been organizing for
a peoples opinions on the burning issue.
One of the organizations is the Voters Assembly (VOTAS), under
the leadership of Comrade Moshood Erubami. The event, which
took place in Ibadan had who is who in attendance.
The Convener, Moshood Erubami, said the conference was borne
out of the need for free, fair and credible election in the
country.
He also informed that, the conference was considered imperative
and timely when the National Assembly has set machinery in
motion to consider the business of electoral reform.
Part of the VOTAS’s agenda, the convener revealed was,
“to entrench and safeguard respect for citizens democratic
rights and democratic values in the process of choosing leadership
and electing people into governing the country and so as to
make the votes of the people to count.”
In any democratic country, Moshood reminded that, “credible,
free, fair and non-violent elections are sine-qua-non for
a government that can be called of the people, by the people
and for the people.”
While expressing displeasure that elections in Nigeria have
not been allowed to fulfil required functions, Erubami said,
“that is why we want the National Assembly to convince
Nigerians about their seriousness about the important issue.”
He challenged them to push their personal preference for leadership
numenclature behind the people’s interest.
He also charged them, “to agree to sit together to push
the electoral and constitutional preferences forward in the
best interest of all.”
He however regretted that, paradoxically, Nigeria’s
election has not been allowed to fulfil all these functions.
“Since 1952 till the present date, Nigeria has been
entangled in election controversies with far reaching negative
consequences on leadership recruitment and welfare of its
citizens,” Moshood pointed out.
CODER
And to demonstrate how important and imperative the electoral
reform, a group of people, also formed an organization called
Coalition of Democrat for Electoral Reform (CODER).
The major objective of the group, under the leadership of
a foremost democratic warrior and legal practitioner, Mr.
Ayo Opadokun is for people’s vote to count in 2011.
According to him, anything otherwise would amount to wasting
Nigerians’ precious time. The PDP, to Opadokun, were
confederate of the military agenda, stating that, they don’t
know where the shoe pinches and that, unless people are mobilised
to see reason for the reform, Nigeria would be in greater
trouble. The CODER, he emphasizes, is committed totally to
the Uwais report.
His words: “CODER has no agenda other than ensuring
that people’s votes count at elections. CODER is not
a political party and it is not an opposition agenda. It is
essentially a Nigerian project. In fact, it is the business
of ensuring that your own vote count at election.
“The only thing that differentiates between democracy
and authoritarianism or any form of dictatorship is the opportunity
to elect those who would govern you for a period of time.
That opportunity has been virtually frustrated in the Nigerian
setting to the extent that those who get into government in
Nigeria today don’t believe that they need your vote
before they get into office. So, they become irresponsive
to your feelings and aspirations. They become irresponsible
in their conduct and performance in the office because they
believe that whether you vote for them or not, they would
be there. They always put their own kind of persons in the
office of the electoral umpire. They know how to cut corners.
If the situation does not change, it portends danger for our
country because of what has happened in the recent past, is
a little bit worrisome.
“In 1999, there were only 10 cases before our tribunals.
In 2003, there were 506 cases before the tribunals. In 2007,
we had 1, 700 cases before our tribunals. Post apartheid South
Africa, the election of 1994; they had just six cases standing
at the tribunal. You can see the level of regeneration that
they have got to.
“If the situation remains the way it is, other people
can result to many other things. Have they been able to conquer
the Niger Delta people in spite of the entire wherewithal
they have?
“With the volume of arms and ammunitions in the possession
of ordinary people in the state, if care is not taken, elections
will be violent. Today, elections in Nigeria are violent and
warfare. If we don’t change the system, then everybody
will go and fend for himself and Nigeria can in the process
go under. You remember the prediction of the American Intelligence?
“People like us, members of this team and large group
of concerned Nigerians thought that merit of conscience and
public spirit should do something to arrest the fast deteriorating
situation. That is why we put up this platform of democrats,
properly in support of politicians, human rights and civil
society organisations that are concerned about the nature
of governance in Nigeria that we must restore legitimacy to
governance in Nigeria,” the CODER boss submitted.
The consequences or alternative, according to Opadokun, will
be pretentious, dubious, hypocritical and irresponsible to
ask Nigerians to go for another election if we don’t
change the current electoral system.
“The consequences will be fatal. People will take whatever
that is available to them to defend themselves. So, our own
resolve is to rewrite the law, make sure that they correct
the electoral laws that will govern our elections in the future,”
he concluded.
Apprehension
But apprehension and fear about the sincerity of President
Yar’Adua over the Electoral Reform Committee seemed
to be confirmed when the report submitted by the committee
was doctored and tampered with, by the same President that
put the committee in place.
Comrade Afolabi Gbajumo, the Lagos Chairman of the National
Conscience Party (NCP) told Daily Sun in an interview that,
“Yar’Adua put the committee together to buy time
to stabilise in government.”
According to him, now that he has sort of stabilised, he can
afford to toy with the destiny of the people.
The solution, according to him, is that the people should
not be docile warning that, leaving the leadership unchallenged
would be the major undoing for the country in 2011.
War Drum
Former governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lam Adesina, can’t
agree less with the NCP chieftain when he urged Nigerians
to prepare for war to make the required electoral reform a
reality. He expressed apprehension that the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) government is not interested in the project.
According to him, to secure and sustain true democracy is
never an easy task, saying people must be ready to make sacrifice
to make things work.
The former governor, who volunteered to lead the war at the
age of 70 years, said no stone should be left unturned to
make true democracy a reality in Nigeria.
“And since free, fair and credible election is the vital
ingredient for true democracy, no effort should be spared
to ensure that the process towards the electoral reform is
not scuttled.”
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