On the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections
Can INEC conduct free, transparent, credible and hitch-free elections on Saturday?
On the evidence of the remarks of the not-fit-for-purpose chairman of INEC, the answer is: NO.
You've to pay heed to paras 2 & 4
Can INEC conduct free, transparent, credible and hitch-free elections on Saturday?
On the evidence of the remarks of the not-fit-for-purpose chairman of INEC, the answer is: NO.
You've to pay heed to paras 2 & 4
of the remarks of the Chairman above. On delivering hitch-free elections, the chairman passes the responsibility to political parties. And on security, he speaks glibly to the police coordinating election security while trying to look poseur. Police and the security forces failed
to secure the 25 February 2023 election and there's no indication that they'll step up to their plates on Saturday.
The Saturday election will be worse than the election conducted three weeks ago. We don't need a prophet to tell us that.
The Saturday election will be worse than the election conducted three weeks ago. We don't need a prophet to tell us that.
Why so?
1. The competition for political and existential survival is fiercest at the subnational level. Thugs and louts need the patronage of power to secure their survival in subnational states in which governors are the biggest allocators of patronage and giveaways
1. The competition for political and existential survival is fiercest at the subnational level. Thugs and louts need the patronage of power to secure their survival in subnational states in which governors are the biggest allocators of patronage and giveaways
To legitimise them, they'll be masked as security agents. Akwa Ibomites would readily tell you how thugs became "law enforcers", clothed in military fatigues three weeks ago.
Everywhere else, they'll run riot while enjoying the protection of power and the axis of evil.
Everywhere else, they'll run riot while enjoying the protection of power and the axis of evil.
2. If you've read the CSOs Election Manipulation Risks Index - EMRI - Report, you'd know that over 24 Resident Electoral Commissioners of INEC have either been captured by governors or are card-carrying members of the ruling party. INEC, a state-captured Commission, can't deliver
free, transparent and credible election. Hoping it would is as counting on water to flow from the stone.
3. The academia is in cahoots with INEC. Those men and women who go by the prefix, professor, will profess what they know best: collude with power to announce fake results
3. The academia is in cahoots with INEC. Those men and women who go by the prefix, professor, will profess what they know best: collude with power to announce fake results
What is to be done?
1. Any serious opposition party should by now be testing the instrumentation of their situation rooms in targeted subnational States. Instrumentalise the right framework first than cry later when the head is off.
2. Ensure that operational links exist
1. Any serious opposition party should by now be testing the instrumentation of their situation rooms in targeted subnational States. Instrumentalise the right framework first than cry later when the head is off.
2. Ensure that operational links exist
the subnational states' situation rooms and the National Situation Room, so that declared results from PUs can be uploaded on their parties websites in real time.
Don't create room for yamayama.
Don't create room for yamayama.
4. Be intentional in recruiting agents that will man PUs of states' constituencies.
If opposition parties desire to be in the play on Saturday, they must prime their supporters in such a way that they're not intimidated by the axis of evil.
If opposition parties desire to be in the play on Saturday, they must prime their supporters in such a way that they're not intimidated by the axis of evil.
Finally, there's something like protection of mandates in post-electoral contests. This is for LP/Obi-Datti: if it doesn't organise legal defence teams for its elected legislators, the party's mandates will be stolen at the election petition tribunals.
A word is enough...
A word is enough...
Good morning from the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine
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