Some factual statement about elections in Nigeria. Hardly anyone would disagree that most elections in Nigeria are set up to be rigged. And no one knows this better than the present Governor Segun Mimiko, who fought for his stolen mandate for nearly two years before he recovered it through the Appeals Court.
“What we must realise is the fact that to fight an incumbent is an unequal battle. This is because when the politician realises that he can be sworn in and fight from the seat, knowing that the case can drag on till the end of his tenure, he can always go out and manipulate the process to his advantage. That some enjoy unmerited access to Government with the attendant perks all through the process of litigation, more than anything else, is a major incentive to rigging and manipulation.” — Dr Segun Mimiko, Ondo State Governor.
The take-home message here is simple: All electoral disputes MUST be resolved before any of the candidates is sworn in. But it would take a constitutional amendment to fix it…
Can this happen? And how long must Nigerians wait to see this happen?
Can and should happen and definitely before the 2011 polls. Tis the right thing to do. What Mimiko went through (and thank God that in his case all is well that ends well); was hell, not for the cheated governor alone but for the common people who had their votes hijacked and falsified.
What I just wonder is if this is another matter we would talk, comment and rant about, without any results - as usual.
October 22, 2009 at 12:48 pm
We have “practised” democracy now for a little over 10 years. The 1999 constitution is over-due for amendment. It’s present state seems to favour those in power, thus the feet-dragging with amendment.
October 22, 2009 at 11:28 pm
I was just wondering if we can send round ideas, representations and needs with a view to collecting thousands of names or signatures and presenting them to our Nigerian Government be it at Federal or State level on things we believe should be done even with suggestions on how these could be realised. The combined synergy of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora could work better if we do not relent as opposed to blogging about things that are wrong, making comments and getting frustrated that things are not being done. For all I know the powers that be could be adverse to Websites and blogs, so we need to take our complaints to their doorsteps.
October 24, 2009 at 11:28 am
I share your frustration, omotaylor. The only language the Nigerian managers understand is force.
Look at the Niger delta, look at the most recent ASUU strike. The first is the most pathetic, now it pays to be a militia in Nigeria. Few college graduates earn 65,000Naira/month, but guess what… that is what a registered militia gang member will be getting per month in the Niger delta.
October 26, 2009 at 9:31 am