Where has Elder Friday Sani Paul really gone wrong with the APC led government in Kogi State? During presidential election, fake police were used to abduct him from Odolu while exercising his civic responsibility until the men of Nigeria Navy and community youth came to his rescue. And now, during House of Assembly election, police are being lured with money to vote against him at the poll which is counterproductive as far as electoral law is concerned.
In his capacity as Special Adviser to Alhaji Ibrahim Idris former Governor of Kogi State, Elder Friday Sani Paul Makama played a ground breaking role in curtailing the excesses of famous thugs in Kogi State through bipartisan cooperation and community policing. The same method he employed at Egbolo during Fulani herdsmen incessant attack on the people. In fact, Makama invited dangerous thugs for dialogue to allow peace to reign. The same Makama went into the bush at Egbolo invited all Fulani herdsmen for a face to face talk thereby putting a stop to unnecessary killings.
Instead, this singular act to earn him good name and accolades the reverse is the case for those saddled with uninformed opinion.
The greatest crime Makama has committed against the APC government is to raise a motion of urgent importance tagged ‘Save The Souls of Kogi Workers’. The over all aim of the motion was to draw government’s attention to the plight of workers and device palliative measures that will cushion the negative effect of unending verification exercise or staff screening depriving civil servants of their monthly stipends and subjecting everyone to diseases or death.
We have never seeing this draconian fashion and style of governance since the inception of democracy in Nigeria.
At the end of George Orwells Animal Farm, it was difficult to distinguish between pig and man. In our democrazy of today, you can’t differentiate between politician, police, and the military. Thugs are now armed to the teeth and soldiers now snatch ballot boxes while police now thumbprint ballot papers.
Our leaders have succeeded in reducing our electoral process and rule of law to a joke. On Saturday at the State Assembly election in Igalamela/Odolu LG of Kogi State, precisely at Oguma Polling unit Ajaka Ward, a Policeman hired by the APC party, instead of carrying his responsibility of maintaining peace and order, was seen (see pictures) seriously thumb printing ballot papers in favour of APC. One might be tempted to think if this was part of his official duties.
There is a general impression of voters apathy in the last House of Assembly and Governorship election in Nigeria. The reasons are not far fetch, people have lost confidence in the electoral process. The general believe is that their votes wouldn’t count. The pockets of violence by sponsored thugs, police and intimidation by the military have left Nigerians less enthused about the exercise. People don’t want to die, no wonder there was a low turn out of voters at the various polling unit across the country.
I don’t agree with the opinion in certain quarters that Nigerians are not interested in their state elections, people are interested but they also fear for their lives. A government must never be perceived to be biased, it destroys hope and dashes every faith in the system.
2015 general elections was an improvement on voters turn-out. People were more enthusiastic after the upset at the presidential polling in that year. This year’s exercise is definitely a set back from 2015. It is time to pray for our country Nigeria. The land of generals without war, professors without discovery, politicians without ideology, wealth without prosperity, leaders without vision, court without justice, criminals without fears, the poorest without worries, schools without learning, intellectuals without identity, changes without progress, next level without foundation, policies without plans, saints without humility, integrity without performance, youths without dreams, billionaire without business, elders without vision, please pray for Nigeria.
– Inah Stephen Eyiene writes from Ajaka, headquarters of Igalamela/ Odolu LGA.
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