Nigerians all agree that the past seven and half years of the APC government brought untold hardship to the people with the increase in insecurity, poverty, inflation, national debt, collapse of infrastructure, education, health, and every sector of the social economy.
The youth first reacted to the worsening situation with the EndSars protest which was simply a demand for a more result-oriented, responsible, responsive, organised, and compassionate governance, but they were suppressed and repressed with the instruments of State leading to murders and bloodshed.
They thereafter resorted to expressing themselves in a more democratic approach via election. This quest crystallised into the Peter Obi Movement.
The confidence, trust, and enthusiasm of the people were mostly anchored on the amendment of the Electoral Act, especially by the provision that accreditation shall be by BVAS and that results from each and every polling unit shall be uploaded and transmitted to the INEC Server in real time, for everyone to see and compare with the collations through every level.
It is obvious that this arrangement, even when guaranteed by law, was compromised in the 2023 Presidential election to allow for the manipulation of results that we have all witnessed, such that after all said and done, we have found ourselves with the same very party and persons that we sought to liberate ourselves from.
This deliberate infraction of the Electoral Act and arrogant violation of the will of the people has a disturbing history.
In 2018, ahead of the 2019 election in which Atiku Abubakar/Peter Obi, PDP Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates were to challenge the President Buhari and the APC, the Senate was set to pass the amendment of the Electoral Act to include electronic transmission.
The APC did not want it. Earlier, there had been serious opposition to the willingness of the leadership of the Senate under Dr. Bukola Saraki, to pass the bill. It was in the process of trying to stop its passage that Senator Omo-Agege was suspended from the Senate.
However, on the appointed day of the passage of the bill, he found his way into the chambers with a group of thugs behind him. When he walked down the aisle to the position of the mace, he gave way and the hoodlums snatched and ran away with the mace.
That was how that first major attempt to amend the law to include electronic transmission was botched.
According to a Premium Times report of 2018, one of the security personnel at the entrance of the National Assembly tried to stop the thugs from entering, said the thugs told him and other officers they were with the Senator.
“We tried to stop them but they told us they were with him (Omo-Agege),” the Security man said.”
We went into that election without the use of BVAS and electronic transmission of results. After the election, Omo-Agege was rewarded with the position of Deputy Senate President.
The APC may argue that the amendment to include electronic transmission was eventually passed under its watch. True, but of what use is it to pass a law and fail to faithfully implement same law?
Clearly, the APC and its leaders have always resisted the use of electronic transmission for a transparent and credible electoral system which is needed to enthrone good governance.
It is no surprise therefore that, even after the bill was later amended to successfully include electronic transmission, it went ahead to compromise and disregard it in the 2023 elections.
Talk about the violation and frustration of the will of the people for personal political gains! Sadly, Omo-Agege has been a major actor and culprit in this wicked act of national robbery.
Even as Bola Tinubu and the APC seem now to have benefitted from the corruption of the system in the Presidential election and while the PDP and Labour Party are currently working together to rescue the nation from the charade, it will be curious for Deltans or the Peter Obi Movement to further reward the same Omo-Agege and the APC who have always stood against the desire and overall interest of the people in the forthcoming Governorship election.
If this happens, all the efforts towards change would simply be an act of inconsistency, wasted effort, water in basket, “no work done” and a re-mortgage of the self to the real enemy.
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By Joel Odhomo Salubi (Mr. JOS) writes from Delta State
