The footages were ugly and gore as violence marred the elections that held in Kogi and Bayelsa states. It was violence all the way before, during and after the elections. It was fought more like combat than a civic duty. The massive deployment of security depicts everything else but safety. Investment in security for the elections therefore was not worth the while as it was a free reign of tears and blood and bitterness to the very end. Intimidation and box snatching was the order of the day and the presence of the security people pale into nothingness. If the outcome of the election in Kogi State is a reflection of the will of the people of that state, then we have completely gone round the bend in insanity.
If the government allows this tragedy to stand because it falls in sync with lust for power, then we know that we have gangsters as leaders and I hope not. It is not about Kogi or Bayelsa now, it is all about Nigeria. It is about the future of democracy in our country and the integrity of our political leaders. The result of the two elections is a vote of no confidence on the security apparatuses of the state as well as the government and all so-called democratic forces in this country. It is an anathema for the people to sit down and allow the antic democratic forces take root in the land. If we tell the world that we are practicing democracy, then we must rise to defend our ballots. We should not stand helplessly while our mandate is stolen through the assassin’s bullet.
The government should not pretend that what we witnessed in Kogi was not a state sponsored attack on the people and the collective will of Nigerians. What has just happened in Kogi State is bigger than the Kogites. It is our democracy that is being hijacked by state sponsored thuggery. Tomorrow, Yahaya Bello would leave government just as Seriake Dickson is preparing to leave. Modu Sheriff left government a long time ago, but we are faced with a holocaust of his brainchild that has metamorphosed into full blown terrorism wearing the visor of Boko Haram.
Those armed bandits that the security agents allowed to operate because they are watching the lips and body language of their paymasters in government will turn against the state tomorrow when they exhaust their tenure.
Already, Kogi is one of the states where kidnapping and armed banditry has defied solution. Why unleash mayhem on the land because you want to be a leader? It is important for us to be very reflective and take a score card of the APC led government and the anti-democratic and anti-people behaviours of its leaders. If it is indeed true that we had over 35,000 policemen deployed in Kogi State alone for the election and we witnessed such free reign of violence and electoral heist, then those behind the violence should be scrutinized again. Why would anybody be at peace with his conscience to stay in power with blood-stained hands of citizens because they have alternative view?
The federal government shortly before the election released a humungous sum of money to the Kogi State government for federal projects executed by the government. A beautiful co-incidence with the election you would say. But wait a minute, where are the projects? Is it the road infrastructure? Is it for the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Company or payment of workers’ salary?
We have lost the finest moment in Kogi State to hoist Yahaya Bello on the people again with his abysmal record where you have cerebral intellectuals harassed to submission. We have lost the finest moment when the Chief Judge of the state could be used to preside over the swearing in of a deputy governor in circumstances of open display of travesty of justice. It is very clear that under the watch of APC-led government, the votes of the people may never count. The electorate will not determine who represent them any longer but INEC officials and security agents or licensed and armed thugs and in isolated cases, the judiciary.
The pro-democracy space and activists have contrasted after the demise of its avatars like Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome Kuti, Chima Ubani and Bamidele Aturu to mention but a few. We now have Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) which do not have the appetite to fight against anti-progressive policies of government. They now exist only for life-line and bread and butter not to take on the state on policies that will improve and advance our democracy and well-being.
The social media bill has passed second reading in parliament the purpose of which is to muscle the people from speaking out whereas we have laws against libel and defamation. Our parliamentarians are even unanimous that offences on social media should attract the death penalty. That is how base and insensitive the people we voted for are. We have road infrastructure across the country that have collapsed in places and those who embezzle the huge budgets allocated for these roads have no laws made to punish them. We have corruption in the power sector just as in other government departments; it is good for them to be patted on the back when we lament over the lost occasioned by the activities of the corrupt officials.
We have people punished occasionally when they fall out of line with the government; people who manage to find their voices and hold a divergent view on the policies of government. The chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole was once quoted to have said that any person accused of corruption and defects to the ruling APC would have his sins forgiven. Indeed, we have seen that and it is clear manifestation of the type of system we operate in this clime. This is a regime that rode to power on the platform of social media.
We are living a lie. We go to bed hungry and the government bring out statistics of the number of people taken out of poverty. A bag of local rice is sold for between N22,000 and N24,000 in Delta State. Which worker that earns N30,000 can afford that; assuming that it is only rice that he is going to live on? Not to distract from our focus, the Kogi electorate should demand that their votes be made to count. Those behind the violence, arson, killings should be brought to book if we are a serious people. Let justice be done even if the heavens fall!
– Mike Kebonkwu Esq wrote from Abuja.
