Jega: A glimmer of hope?
With the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the country’s political scene began to take a new dimension. This dimensional movement ranges from the appointment of Arc. Namadi Sambo as Vice-president to the most recent appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega as INEC boss by President Goodluck Jonathan. There were so many movements on the scale. […]
With the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the country’s political scene began to take a new dimension. This dimensional movement ranges from the appointment of Arc. Namadi Sambo as Vice-president to the most recent appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega as INEC boss by President Goodluck Jonathan. There were so many movements on the scale. Either upward or downward depending on the circumstance and the personality involved. But these two appointments are the most noticeable, and either way will have a cumulative impact on our journey to the promise land. Sometime ago, Daily Trust reported with a bold caption, that Prof. Dora Akunyili’s name has been forwarded as INEC boss. When yours sincerely read that, I jumped out of my skin. I held my breathe, thinking that, if that come to pass, then our collective quest to democracy, where the wishes of the masses are respected, will forever remain a pipe dream. But as fate will have it, succour came on the 8th June, when the electronic media first reported that Prof. Jega has been picked as the new INEC boss, as ratified by the council of state meeting. What a glimmer of Hope! But when the euphoria of Jega’s selection subsided, I began to think strange thoughts.
The president, Dr. Goodkuck Jonathan must be given a credit for this nomination. With this, I want to assume with good intention, that the president is gradually and faithfully circumventing the purported undue influence and evil mechination of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Indeed the president has sent a good omen to Nigerians and the international community that our dear country is on its way to conducting elections that would pass the minimum acceptable requirement of a free and fair election, come 2011. Not a few Nigerians applauded Jega’s appointment. This is because of Jega’s track record of courageous service. The new INEC boss was known among other things for his gallant activism when he held sway as ASUU President. The revered Gen. IBB is a living testimony to this fact.
There are high hopes but remember, Jega is not superhuman and so shall he remain. I rejoice with Nigerians but sympathize with Prof. Jega. My joy is obvious but my sympathy for the man is because a person of Jega’s standing, stand the risk of being discredited and image tarnished if the electoral body, which is currently bedeviled by lack of comprehensive voter register, serial late or non-delivery of sensitive materials on election days, supervision of ballot stuffing, as bequeathed by Iwu ecetera, failed to provide the needed and necessary support for the man to midwife the conduct of 2011 general elections.
It is an open secret that about 90% of electoral frauds are being perpetrated at the state and local government level, hence, Jega must have the power to hire and fire any erring electoral officer and such officer must be charged to court. If this country doesn’t get it right come 2011, then, I hazard a guess that free and fair election shall for the next 50 years be a mirage. God forbid!
Internal party democracy is a cardinal principle, if the wish of the people is to reign supreme. Too many commentators seem to be carried away by who occupies the INEC chair, little or no mention is made of the rot in the about 57 political parties in the country. A situation where candidates are foist on the people at the party primaries will never guarantee a free and fair election, however principled and forthright an INEC chairman will be. Internal party democracy has for long eluded Nigerian political parties, most especially the ruling P.D.P. Somewhere in Kano state for example, there is anointed the ANPP gubernatorial aspirant, by Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau. It is sad! Where is the internal party democracy in that? This can only subvert the wishes of the people. There will be so many impositions like that in the subsequent months. There must be an attitudinal change by all and sundry, with high degree of emphasis on the political class.
Another issue that would be added impetuses to this seemingly auspicious strive to successful and acceptable election is for the president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to respect the zoning arrangement of his party, the PDP .If the president is not an interested party in terms of contesting election, there may be some element of fairness and objectivity in the party’s primaries. And the general election will not suffer from incumbency factor. The president should adopt this noble stand to write his name in gold. The president has a constitutional right to contest, but uncommon circumstance calls for uncommon courage from people of goodwill.
ISAH, is of No.1, Kwaru Ajilo close, off maJalisa, Badarawa, Kaduna