Now, that the Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its judgement as the first round of the three likely processes of stretching the law of the country in Nigeria to its limit, nerves are up and of course, expectations are high on basically both sides, particularly the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the estranged-APC SDP, with likely sympathizers here and there, reminiscence of the Premier League where Manchester United wants Chelsea to lose to Arsenal for them to be reassured and those kinds of stuff called “ote” in Yoruba parlance.
That as it may, there will be grounds to look at such as evidence, political implications, financial implications, security implications in today’s Nigeria, administrative implications, historical sympathies and all those indicators. The naked truth, I have come to understand as a fact, is that judgements are beyond untying LEGAL KNOTS, one of the reasons why some judgements can’t but come short of one expectation, sometimes: which does not disown it a legal position.
Even in the face of their failure of legal values, the misadventure to the Tribunal by the aggrieved APC-SDP will still not find favour in the suppose odds, which make them more culpable than anyone or party.
The US, being the icon of democracy so to speak, has had this experience in some cases too, where judgments were political than legal, it’s simply a measure of the barometer of the society at that time of delivery.
Coming to specifics in Kogi state, I am still waiting for another ⅔ of 19 state miracle by the Akinjide of NPN in those days, as he unwitted the UPN in the Presidential suit then! Hmmmmm.
Whether or not, the November 11th historic Governorship election in Kogi state was right, will be an issue of contention in the judgement, notwithstanding INEC standing by its submission that His Excellency Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman (OAU) won the election, this position it retained in its closing address to the Tribunal with proofs, that, indeed, it carried out it’s duties dutifully.
I am still screening to locate how a political party, the SDP estranged from the APC in Kogi state and led in rebelion against the choice of Ododo wants to win from one part of the state’s three (3) parts and deliver itself as victorious with 8 LGAs of the 21 LGAs! even, without claiming it won in more LGAs.
I raised this subject as purely historical and tribal angles to the judgement, also remembering that the present Deputy Governor of the state, His Excellency Elder Salifu Joel is from the same Eastern part of the state as estranged APC Muri Ajaka of the SDP.
The party which “won” (questionably) in 8 LGAs of the 9 LGAs in the East, and had no victory outside the East, even vehemently resisted by the great people of Bassa, thier oppressed; safe to say in the Central and Western part of the state is now pushing for a “⁸/²¹ and ⅓” assumed-victorious declaration!
While the 1 part of the three parts (⅓) is equated to 33.33% which means irredeemable failure, the 8/21 shows an abysmal 38.09% which still hasn’t beaten the D value of PASS, meaning also a failure: failure + failure, nothing shows the SDP has been able to address this in their Legal gymnastics.
If you move deeper into history, which is also a factor in law, the people of the Eastern part of Kogi State, have democratically been governors for not less than sixteen (16) consistent political years, fragmented into Audu’s 4 years, Wada’s 4 years, Ibro’s 9 years and another attempt to pretentiously lord themselves ( the greedy ones) again over other parts of the state, through what is called protesting for the Western part that, H.E Yahaya Bello CON, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, refused to ceed Governorship to Okun, and they too as SDP Eastern greed-campaigner failed woefully to go for an Okun man as flag bearer in the protest claim (smiles)…
If there is one battle former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello CON, fought vehemently for the OPPRESSED people of the West, Bassa, Central and fair-minded esteem Eastern people of Kogi State, is to say “NO PERPETUATION in the office of the Governor, We All Have Rights To Be “, many may not know, that some of the perceived sins or self adjudged self sins of Yahaya Bello, were FORGIVEN on the platter of this won battle of fairness, YES, it didn’t go to WEST but it didn’t return to the PERPETUATORS, leaving room for the WEST to rule after this period of the Central, it’s simple logical reasoning of NO TO THE SLAVE MASTERS, who see ruling as their birth rights.
I would like to make this categorically clear, there are a lot of great people in the EASTERN PART OF KOGI STATE, who believe in EQUITY and those are the ones who voted for OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES excluding SDP, just that, the ones who stood and voted the APC in that election, are so smart to know, that doing otherwise will give SDP undeserved short-fused victory, just as Peter Obi’s Labour Party divided votes, gave way for APC Tinubu’s victory at Presidential election, which was less than seven (7) months before that, it was indeed a great lesson to learn from.
Going back to records, there is no way any tribunal will not seek to do justice to these issues because justice is not just all about what they are told or shown but what is evidentially factual and not detrimental to the stability, peace and tranquillity of the society.
You may just join me in asking- WHAT IS THE SIN OF THE WEST AND CENTRAL? AND WHAT IS THE UNTOUCHED POWER OF THE EAST and the long-denied Bassa people?
If there is anything, that the 2023 Governorship election did, it was to REUNITE the brothers from old Kwara and reinforce the need for sustainability in the God-transferred power, for if Audu had not died, Yahaya wouldn’t have been a former Governor now, at least as at then!
Going forward, it is important to note that, SDP was not telling the Tribunal they have won more than 8 LGAs, (smiles) they claimed that the election was rigged in the Central, not even in the West, but APC didn’t allow them a breathing space in the East, loading the East block, with claims that there were grave semblance there, the stronghold of the SDP. The court is not a “Fatherer Christmas” and as such won’t give what is not asked!!!
It is good to note too, that the issue of time of filing the case or not, is a subject of the law, which to date only the Tribunal can run a conclusion on that, unfortunately, the Tribunal is only in this case, subject to how the Appeal Court will look at it’s ruling and not what I or you feel, meaning that it has the final say at that level on the judgement.
If the assumed itches or glitch or whatever the name it is called and the IREV or voters’ POS machine (smiles) could not hold ground at the Presidential Election Tribunal am sorry, I don’t see it holding sway in the case of Kogi Tribunal, for they are product of the same election.
The US, in its report, only singled out Lagos State Gubernatorial as being rigged and concluded that others, AVERAGELY REFLECTED the wish of the people, including the Presidential election.
This is to wish all well, as the WASTED WAR downloads…
– Dayo Onibiyo wrote from Lokoja.
