2011 ELECTION: HOW ENTHUSIASTIC ELECTORATE WERE DECEIVED

Sir,

2011 ELECTION: HOW ENTHUSIASTIC ELECTORATE WERE DECEIVED

Nigerians enthusiastically believed that the 2011 polling exercise would be a departure from the past hence they trooped out to register. This exercise went on but not without some hiccups including unsatisfactory display of the voters’ lists. That was a sign to show that the electorate may be taken for granted as their objections were not considered.  

Relying that they were properly registered, the electorate hoped their votes would count. Everything was set for this but inefficiency occurred on the first day (April 2) that saw the fidgeting Jega shift the national assembly elections hurriedly to April 4. His panic measure partially showcased what the trusted Professor Jega would give to Nigerians. It took convincing by the statekholders for him to know that two days difference (weekend for that matter) would not make any good impact for a clean job. The election was then shifted by another one week and the rest followed in sequence. Even the Christians in a show of cooperation with Jega could not complain much when the last balloting was fixed for Easter Tuesday, April 26, thereby depriving some of them either their Easter holiday or their right to vote.

In spite of the shortcomings, Nigerians still trooped out at each of the election dates to vote believing that their votes would count. There were ballot box snatchings mainly by PDP, aided by security agents; some ad-hoc staffs were forced to do unholy things at gunpoints in some states like Akwa Ibom, Delta, Imo, etc. Nevertheless, at various polling booths where votes were peacefully carried out, voters conducted themselves orderly and jubilated when results were counted and announced on the spot, oblivious of the fact that the counted votes would be tampered with at the collation centres; and so they were. Different results and figures, some outrageous, were declared after ‘collation’. Professor Jega who must have felt that some things went wrong but decided to pretend unruffled in order that his performance would not be mocked. 

Were the elections free? Yes; because people freely came out to cast their votes. Were they transparent? No; because voters were deceived. Were they fair and peaceful? No; because most incumbents engaged the services of the security agencies and compromised some INEC officials to rig with impunity in places like Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Katsina, etc. Therefore the final outcome demoralized voters but they would like to see the bad situations upturned (as was the case for 2007 elections in Osun, Ekiti, Edo, and Ondo), hence majority insist that the Election Petition Tribunals should not disappoint; nevertheless, time shall tell.

Kenneth Dagogo, Plot 334 Alkali Street, Bukuru-Jos, Plateau State.