March 26, 2010
One of the arguments advanced by the supporters of Professor Maurice Iwu, the embattled, all powerful, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, that he was criticized only, if the opposition looses an election. Writing in Daily Trust (March 21, 2010) one Mr Amagu Ebere queried, ‘how come the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) dislodged the PDP in Bauchi State in 2007 and won election there? Take the recent Anambra gubernatorial contest. As PDP’s alleged axe-man, why did Iwu not “fix” victory for Soludo, the PDP candidate in the election?’ it is shocking for anybody to sight the example of Bauchi and Anambra as a yard stick of extending Iwu’s mandate. We all know the reason why the two elections for instance in Bauchi and Anambra were allowed to take place.
In Anambra, Soludo was not the Anambra PDP choice he was imposed on them by the National headquarters. Second, it is an open secret that Andy Uba, the PDP/LP candidate has strong influence over making Professor Maurice Iwu INEC Chairman. In the case of Bauchi, INEC under Iwu has no right to claim victory over how the election results turned out in favour of ANPP. The INEC and PDP realized that if they try to alter the election results, which saw the emergence of Yuguda, the then ANPP candidate, they don’t have enough security personnel that would contain the determined people of Bauchi, who were ready to give up their lives to defend their votes.
Therefore, it is wrong for anyone to sight the example of Bauchi and Anambra as parameters for giving kudos to the INEC or Iwu or justify his stay, even for a single day after his tenure has expired. In advanced countries of the world, Professor Maurice Iwu should have resigned honourably after the 2007 election. The level of rigging and the election petitions that followed which led to the upturning of so many results by courts of laws is enough to tell anyone in doubt as to the dubious role played by INEC under Maurice Iwu in the 2011 elections. It is insane for us, considering what happened in 2007 to allow Professor Maurice Iwu, who supervised the internationally acknowledged worst election in the nation’s history, to repeat same in 2011 and Nigerians to expect different results from the previous one
Professor Maurice Iwu has been tried, tested and found grossly wanting. Nigerians are tired of him. The beginning of any sensible electoral reform is his ouster from INEC. This will give us an opportunity to look forward and see how the amended sections of the electoral laws can be implemented under a new INEC Chairman, who, we believe will be neutral and a believer of one man one vote mantra. A man of integrity, who will earn the confidence of Nigerians to supervise the 2011 elections, and give Nigerians what they voted; this is what Nigerians yearn for, not a man, after evidence of failure still want to make us believe he is the best that ever happened in the history of elections in Nigeria.
Nigeria has to move ahead, Nigerians are tired of pretenders, who keep lying and deceiving us that they are the best thing that ever happened to the country. We need people that can admit failure when they failed and take responsibility for their failure. We need people, who cannot be influenced by a godfather sitting somewhere dictating the outcome of elections because he influenced his selection. Elections are the main ingredients of democratic governance because it is through them that citizen can stand up and say NO to bad governance, corruption, crimes and insecurity. But in a situation where those vested with the interest of overseeing the process are partisans, elections can become a platform for instituting incompetent, corrupt and bad leaders as we have seen in recent years.
In Anambra, Soludo was not the Anambra PDP choice he was imposed on them by the National headquarters. Second, it is an open secret that Andy Uba, the PDP/LP candidate has strong influence over making Professor Maurice Iwu INEC Chairman. In the case of Bauchi, INEC under Iwu has no right to claim victory over how the election results turned out in favour of ANPP. The INEC and PDP realized that if they try to alter the election results, which saw the emergence of Yuguda, the then ANPP candidate, they don’t have enough security personnel that would contain the determined people of Bauchi, who were ready to give up their lives to defend their votes.
Therefore, it is wrong for anyone to sight the example of Bauchi and Anambra as parameters for giving kudos to the INEC or Iwu or justify his stay, even for a single day after his tenure has expired. In advanced countries of the world, Professor Maurice Iwu should have resigned honourably after the 2007 election. The level of rigging and the election petitions that followed which led to the upturning of so many results by courts of laws is enough to tell anyone in doubt as to the dubious role played by INEC under Maurice Iwu in the 2011 elections. It is insane for us, considering what happened in 2007 to allow Professor Maurice Iwu, who supervised the internationally acknowledged worst election in the nation’s history, to repeat same in 2011 and Nigerians to expect different results from the previous one
Professor Maurice Iwu has been tried, tested and found grossly wanting. Nigerians are tired of him. The beginning of any sensible electoral reform is his ouster from INEC. This will give us an opportunity to look forward and see how the amended sections of the electoral laws can be implemented under a new INEC Chairman, who, we believe will be neutral and a believer of one man one vote mantra. A man of integrity, who will earn the confidence of Nigerians to supervise the 2011 elections, and give Nigerians what they voted; this is what Nigerians yearn for, not a man, after evidence of failure still want to make us believe he is the best that ever happened in the history of elections in Nigeria.
Nigeria has to move ahead, Nigerians are tired of pretenders, who keep lying and deceiving us that they are the best thing that ever happened to the country. We need people that can admit failure when they failed and take responsibility for their failure. We need people, who cannot be influenced by a godfather sitting somewhere dictating the outcome of elections because he influenced his selection. Elections are the main ingredients of democratic governance because it is through them that citizen can stand up and say NO to bad governance, corruption, crimes and insecurity. But in a situation where those vested with the interest of overseeing the process are partisans, elections can become a platform for instituting incompetent, corrupt and bad leaders as we have seen in recent years.
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