…AND TO EAGLE SQUARE! (IV)

Now, is this the Lord’s Choice? Has he chosen these fawaful ones over us for the next four years (or perhaps the sixty years they have vowed to rule us)? Surely and definitely this cannot be Allah’s, God’s Choice. What this may mean is that perhaps the Merciful Lord has left us to our own […]

Now, is this the Lord’s Choice? Has he chosen these fawaful ones over us for the next four years (or perhaps the sixty years they have vowed to rule us)? Surely and definitely this cannot be Allah’s, God’s Choice. What this may mean is that perhaps the Merciful Lord has left us to our own devices, since we have refused to do the right and correct thing at the right and correct time that He has offered; as in the failure of the opposition to come together to fight as one. The Good Lord offered the opportunity on a platter of ballot and, since they didn’t take it, they cannot blame anyone but themselves.

We have indeed succeeded in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by the simple fact the leadership of a faction of the political opposition failed to accept unity for this presidential election. Had the opposition contested as one, perhaps the news would have been different; at least more eyes, ears and voices would have been deployed to protect our votes. As things are, the blame rests squarely where it should be, and we all know where.

Barawo! Ole buruku! No, this may not be the Lord’s Choice! It is indeed the choice of sophisticated thieves. By now, many readers may have ‘seen’ how the ‘elections’ were ‘conducted’ in some areas. As we await more earth-shattering evidence of massive election rigging and fraud (thanks to 21st Century ICT tools), the following YouTube videos should just be eye-openers, the appetisers, the starters: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl5JSE1YrCs and www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lmLZbhOakg&feature=related.

Barawo! Ole buruku! The first video is of a courageous woman busily representing several thousands of voters by thumb-printing their collective ballot papers (so as to, apparently, save them the stress of having to vote themselves). She is protected by another lady who makes it a point to ensure that no one disturbs the busy-body as she conducts her ‘national assignment’. Meanwhile, the easily-recognisable NYSC presiding officer continues ‘business as usual’, feigning obliviousness to the happening right behind his back. And after thumb-printing everything, the brazen woman proceeds to ‘collate’ and apparently cross-check and count the ballots. Meanwhile, ironically, the INEC message VOTING IN PROGRESS appears prominently on the wall of the polling booth.

Barawo! Ole buruku! The second video, equally damning, shows some people sharing sheaves and reams and rolls of ballot papers, busily stamping them and proceeding to thump-print them (and apparently collating and counting them as well), the easier to assist the would-have-been real voters. Now if this is not a pattern, then we do not know what a pattern is. Apparently this was how those incredible figures were obtained by the ruling party in some of the country’s geopolitical zones.

And for those rushing to congratulate the ruining party candidate, especially those who use Allah’s name in vein, the thieves who sing the Qur’anic verse “Allahumma Maalik al-mulki tu’til-mulka man tasha’…(“O Allah, Sovereign of all, You give dominion to whomsoever You will…”) to justify this election, are simply Barawos and Ole Burukus like that woman and those men in the videos. Whatever you are, if you take this sham as election without waiting for all the evidence, then you are no better than those thieves!

But be that as it may, today there is vigorous discussion. Something went wrong. Most of us know the whys and the hows, though many of us would not admit them. We all know what would have been, had certain things being done. Alas they weren’t, and so while some are clapping their hands, a majority are wringing them and ruing their fates. And perhaps the most unpalatable of English phrases in these circumstances is “I told you so!”

Attahiru Jega is not a Maurice Iwu, as Iwu was not a Humphrey Nwosu. Jega still has much sympathy, for what they are saying now is: “Allah Sarki Jega! (Pity Jega!) He promised us a credible election, and he has successfully delivered an incredible one!”

But let us compare Nwosu 1993 and Iwu 2007. Whereas Nwosu dragged his feet over the counting of the votes of the June 12, 1993 elections (a slowness which, tragically, caused a court of ‘competent’ jurisdiction to quash the announcement of a winner), Iwu in 2007 beat the courts to it. As there was one particular presidential candidate in 2007 known to be a constant visitor to, and regular victor at, the judiciary, and the fawaful ones feared that he could again go to court and do Iwu an Nwosu, so Iwu had to be fast. Most likely he even surprised himself for, with only the results of about twelve states at hand, the INEC Chairman got an anticipatory approval to extrapolate the remaining results, and proceeded to announce to a bewildered nation another four more years of the rule of Power.

But Jega has been meticulous to a fault. He tarried not too long, but did not rush too hastily. He took things as they came, but advertised 20 hotlines on the INEC website to report ‘irregularities’. But as he sat there in judgement, perpetually under the glare of those cameras, could he have heard of any complaints? Could he have seen that video? What most people are waiting for, and what is not as yet on INEC website as far as can be seen, is statistics on voter turnout ward by ward, local government by local government and state by state. People want to know the registered by ward, local government and state, and how many turned out to vote. And, most importantly, people want to see the percentages of voters relative to the register. And, while we are at it, how difficult is it to display the whole voters’ register online on INEC website?

Then there are those machines they said they had imported back in 2007 to be used to detect multiple registration (the ‘thumb-print catcher’, remember?). They must immediately be deployed to start the work they were purchased for. Let us see if they can detect the thumb-prints of that woman, and the perhaps millions of suspected others.

If, as suspected, 2007 and 2011 are similar as far as voter turnout is concerned, then there are serious questions to ask. Last week, voter turnout averaged less than 50% nationwide but, in the South East and South South, reports indicate that almost everybody came out to vote (and we can see ‘everybody’ in those videos), and almost everybody voted for one party.

This is exactly how it happened in 2007. In that year, the following voter turnout statistics was revealed for the April 14, 2007 elections: Bayelsa 86%; Rivers 84%; Cross River 78%. They were closely followed by other states in the South South and South East. A pattern. In the same 2007 in the opposition bastions, Lagos reported the lowest voter turnout of 34%, Adamawa 36%, and Kano reported 38%.

And finally, there is no anecdote for you today. The one trending this week (Aso Rock versus Abacha and Maryam, Obasanjo and Stella, Yar’adua and Turai) is, to say the least, in bad taste, even if it makes your day. Why? Because life and death are in Allah’s Hands, ‘My Fellow Widows’ notwithstanding. And why don’t the composers of the joke admit that Abdulsalami went in and out with Justice Fati? Haba!

And so, again, to Eagle Square!