‘‘We no longer need kind words but firmer positive action in order to save Nigeria from the throes of insanity. Elections are supposed to be about the people’’ – Quoted in Nowinta’s book; 2009: Where We Are (page 135)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
Since Professor Attahiru Jega’s tenure expired at Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in June as Chairman and his glorious exit all can be said to be no longer at ease with the nation’s electoral body.
No thanks to the nation’s chief opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that has been behaving like a wounded lion since it lost the March 28th 2015 Presidential Election in Nigeria to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP is not mincing words about its absolute unhappiness with the present leadership of INEC as led by Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari as if it was this team that created the internal crisis that contributed to the fall of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at the polls.
With the gubernatorial elections slated for November 21st 2015 for Kogi State and December 5th 2015 for Bayelsa State the PDP has intensify its media war against acting INEC Chairman, saying that they will not accept the outcome of the elections as stated above.
The opposition has alleged that the INEC Boss is even related to President Muhammadu Buhari; that she is going to compromise and work against the PDP during the governorships elections in the above mentioned States.
The PDP has even taken a step further by asking President Buhari to send the name of a substantive INEC Chairman to the National Assembly for the usual screening exercise as stipulated by the laws of the land.
With all of these allegations being peddled against Mrs. Amina Zakari by the stalwarts of the PDP, I think they are still living in the past.
They have not really realized that election wise, it can never be business as usual again in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The PDP seems to be living in a dream land; they are still nursing the electoral bruises that were inflicted on them mercilessly by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
One fact they have not fully come to terms with is that the March 28th 2015 Presidential Elections is not only a watershed but a revolution that has brought about a paradigm shift in the pattern of voting in Nigeria.
Professor Attahiru Jega’s twin masterpiece of Permanent Voters Register (PVR) and the Card Reader (CR) and other innovations that have reduced the business of professional election riggers are devices or mechanism that have come to stay.
The fact of the matter is that with or without Mrs. Amina Zakari at the helms of affairs at INEC only popular serious minded and people oriented candidates will carry the day during the forth-coming Gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.
Those that thought they have had their ways in Rivers State, Delta State and other places where sophisticated, crude and reckless rigging took place during the last general elections will soon receive the shock of their lives by the time the Election Petition Tribunals will start rubbishing their pseudo victories.
If I were in the shoes of the PDP stalwarts castigating Mrs. Amina Zakari I will simply put my acts together by facing the electorate in Kogi and Bayelsa with matured convincing campaign strategies that will swing votes in their favor on Election Day, instead of chasing shadows.
Come to think of it, Mrs. Amina Zakari has been a Federal Commissioner at INEC, under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan since 2011.
Therefore the noise about her favoring President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress now is simply unreasonable, illogical and petty.
I see the present campaign of PDP against INEC current boss who hails from Jigawa State as distractive, diversionary and unnecessary.
This woman should be left alone because she is capable and the most experienced INEC official after Prof Jega. She is known to be close to high ranking PDP members too.
President Buhari should just take his time to find a smart and honest guy like Professor Jega who will institutionalize the brave reforms already in place at INEC and introduce digital voting and separate salary structure for INEC staff to deepen their independence
Nowinta wrote Where We Are: A call for democratic revolution in Nigeria.
