Mahmood Yakubu
INEC Chairman
The inventors of the political system known as Democracy made it clear that it is People/Voters that ultimately determines who should hold political office within a defined sovereign entity where the system is practiced.
Like a little leak that brings down a mighty wall, our democracy is now teetering on the precipice from the dictatorship of INEC and technical overdose from the judiciary.
The People/Voters no longer decide who becomes what in our democracy. And votes no longer count.
It is now the prerogative of the electoral umpire called INEC and its twin brother-the Almighty Judiciary to say who should occupy a particular public office in our country.
For two days now, the story of INEC disqualifying APGA from the November 2021 Governorship Election in Anambra State has been in the news.
What was/is the offence of APGA? INEC claims the party failed to inform it of delegates to the party’s primaries within the number of days prescribed in the Electoral Act.
By all intents and purposes, that was clearly an ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR by APGA as alleged by INEC. Is that enough and reasonable reason to ban and debar a duly registered political party from participating in an election? The obvious answer is NO!
There ought to be other penalties/sanctions like fines rather than ban.
It happened in Rivers State. It was done in Zamfara State. Today, it is Anambra State!
It’s now like a vicious cycle that keeps expanding during every election cycle.
It is incredible that INEC which has less than 1% competency level in the conduct of elections now arrogates itself the power to ban political parties from election over MERE administrative errors.
INEC is NOT perfect and should NOT expect perfection from political parties.
Our democracy is going down the drain due to such disastrous intrusions by Dictator INEC.
Can l even imagine the Conservative or Labour parties in UK or Republican or Democratic parties in USA being banned or debarred from elections? Can you just imagine that?
The other side of the coin is the Almighty Supreme Court of Nigeria that now employs the so-called technicalities to wipe away the votes of the People/Voters at random!
Let the ballot box determine winners of election in Nigeria, NOT INEC or Supreme Court.
Sooner than later, millions of right-thinking citizens would stop wasting precious times at polling units under the illusion of voting when such votes count for nothing.
Our democracy is clearly in danger.
Time for rethink before we say Goodbye to Democracy in Nigeria!
