28th April, 2011
This year’s general elections came to an end Tuesday with the governorship and House of Assembly elections held nationwide except in Kaduna and Bauchi states where the polls were shifted by two days because of the post-election violence in parts of the north, including the two states. Election in those states will be held today.
However, in spite of efforts by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct free, fair and credible elections, some unscrupulous elements tried to subvert the will of the electorate by engaging in all kinds of malpractices to secure victory at all costs.
Apart from the bomb blasts in Maiduguri, Kaduna and Niger states in the course of the polls and the detonation of two bombs in Delta State on Tuesday, thugs tried to hijack the electoral process in some parts of the country while politicians sent killers after their opponents.
Malpractices that were of minor scale in the National Assembly election held on 9 April and the Presidential election held on 16 April, assumed a monstrous dimension during the governorship and House of Assembly polls on 26 April.
In Ogun, Delta and Oyo states, stalwarts of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and 60 thugs were arrested for various electoral offences. Guns were also recovered from party supporters and eight persons were feared killed in Akwa Ibom State.
In some of these states, snatching of ballot boxes and thumb-printing of ballot papers were the order of the day. In parts of the north, underaged voters were seen queuing to vote in full view of security personnel. It’s shocking that this anomaly was allowed to take place after INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega had told security men to arrest underaged voters. All these underscore the desperation of some politicians to win at all costs.
All those arrested in connection with these malpractices should be prosecuted immediately along with their sponsors who did not want to play by the rules.If indeed they are seeking public office to serve, why should these politicians go to the extent of hiring thugs to kill or maim their political opponents and even snatch ballot boxes to actualise their ambition?
For the first time, we want the law enforcement agencies to go the whole hog by bringing to book all those involved in trying to tilt the electoral process illegally in their own favour at the expense of the larger national interest.
These politicians who do not want to move with the times are tainting the image of this country by their conduct and should be put where they belong no matter their status. At a time INEC is trying to get is acts right, a few politicians should not be allowed to drag the nation back. Nigeria is in dire need of change in our electoral process and whoever stands in the way of that change is an enemy of the people and should be treated as such. Outlaws should have no place in our electioneering process anymore.