Osun Governorship Election: Let’s Get It Right

By Raymond Oise-Oghaede

All is now set for the Osun State governorship election slated for Saturday, 9 August and expectations are high on the parts of the umpires, the electorate, the politicians and security agents to make it a worthwhile exercise especially when the 2015 general elections are fast approaching and people are watching to see if we are truly serious about our democracy or not. You will agree with me that the last has not been heard concerning the recently concluded election in Ekiti State because the APC are lining up series of malpractices and infringements purportedly perpetrated by the PDP and other government agencies to counter its outcome. It is normal that in a democratically conducted election, a winner is expected to emerge. However, when the outcome is always being challenged by people at the other side of the divide, then, there is much to it than meets the eye. Expectedly, the challengers are required to prove their cases beyond reasonable doubt at the tribunal or the courts of law. What is very disturbing about this trend is the fact that ‘no election seems to be won and lost in Nigeria until the final verdicts by law courts. What this simply means is that some things are certainly not done correctly and this should be a cause for concern for all well meaning Nigerians and true friends of the country.

It is either the INEC is accused of manipulating the voters’ register to favour a particular candidate/party or the people in authority used their wherewithal to covert political advantages to mention but a few. Though it is not out of place in politics to capitalize on your strengths to achieve desired results, it becomes an offence or a crime if fraudulent and dubious parameters are employed. Consequently, the outcome and credibility of the election will be questioned.

In view of the forgoing, it is high time we started to embrace the ‘principles of equity’ in the way and manner we play our politics and conduct our elections. If the June 12, 1993 elections (under a Mmlitary dispensation) could still be a reference point in our political history as the freest, fairest and most credible, then we should bury our heads in shame if after 21 years we still find it difficult to meet and surpass the feat (even under  democratic settings).

At this point, it is not out of place to say that the Osun State governorship election would be a test case for all and sundry to prove and confirm that democracy is the system of government we crave in Nigeria (or otherwise).

Based on the aforementioned, I would enjoin INEC to be apolitical as much as possible by conducting this election as an unbiased umpire. The commission is funded with tax payers’ money and they are under obligation to conduct credible elections in the country. In as much as I want to agree that the Chairman and other Principal Officers can only be in one place or the other at a particular point in time, the Field Officers should show great sense of responsibility by carrying out their duties conscientiously and as demanded by the rules and regulations of the commission. They should shun all practices that could directly or indirectly undermine the outcome of the election.

Polling agents and representatives of all the political parties should also conduct themselves in an orderly manner. Campaigns are not allowed during elections thus, the people should be allowed to make their choices without interference. In the same vein, all security personnel and other government agents on duty should also respect their callings/profession. What is expected of them is to observe and or to safeguard the officials and election materials by ensuring that the people conduct themselves in an orderly manner.

Also, as I posited in my earlier article titled ‘CALLING THE YOUTHS TO ORDER’, it is time  for the youths and other well-meaning people to reject/resist being used by corrupt and unpatriotic politicians to engage in any form of malpractice. We should be prepared to take our destinies in our hands by doing the right things. If you are convinced and appreciate the performance of the incumbent governor so far, then, let your votes talk for you. In the same vein, if you crave for change, let your votes also speak for you. As a neutral observer, my advice for you is to vote for your conscience and say ‘NO’ to malpractices and violence.

It is pertinent to also call on leaders of all political parties that will participate in the election. The exercise should not be seen as a do or die affair. If you engage in actions that will jeopardize a free and fair election, it means that you do not truly have the interest of the people at heart and that you are just involved in the process for your selfish and vested interests. If at this stage of our democracy we cannot boast of conducting credible elections, then we should as well forget about that system of government and it would not be a condemnable act if the men in uniform decide to save us from the noose hanging on our necks before it is too late. In as much as military intervention in politics is now unpopular and seemingly outdated and we do not want it to happen again in our country, one would be compelled to ask the question: What is the rationale behind the deployment of soldiers during elections under a democratic setting? The answers in my opinion are not farfetched. It is either because our people are simply not mature enough to conduct themselves in an orderly manner without the presence of soldiers and or because the people in authority are using them for their selfish political advantages.

For crying out loud, the military have their callings as professional fighters and defender of the territorial integrity of the country from external forces. If we continue to distract their attention by involving them so often in our day to day civil activities, what we are saying in essence is that the civilians/politicians are not capable of running the affairs of the country. This trend is very dangerous and should be stopped forthwith. This is the time to start getting it right. As the adage says “A stitch in time saves nine”.  All hands must be on deck to save our democracy from imminent collapse.  What we sow today is what we shall reap tomorrow.

A word is enough for the wise.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

Long live the good people of Osun State,

Long live all well meaning Nigerians

Long live the true friends of the country.

•Oise-Oghaede wrote from Lagos. E-mail: [email protected]