FINALLY, WHO SHALL’ll VOTE FOR ON SATURDAY?
By Orefo Nnamdi Onochie
The dice is cast, and the reality cannot be denied any longer, in less than 24 hours, Nigerians will be out again casting the last votes for the elections of 2023. Delaying the Governorship and State Assembly elections for 14-days was because of the ineptitude and corruption in the highest rung of INEC. Despite assurances that the exercise would be successfully run and concluded, the irregularities and failures of the first and most important Presidential election, forced the delay of the very last elections, inevitably on Nigerians. Now to the complexities and complications: the aftermath of the exercise of morrow Saturday March 18, 2023, appears destined to be a pointer towards Nigeria’s direction and destiny in the nearest foreseeable future. Where really do we stand as one people?
OUR CONSTITUTION HAS FAILED US…… WE MUST RESTRUCTURE NIGERIA NOW OR BE CONSUMED AGAIN BY ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
The complex stage of our current national standing is a direct result of the poor constitutional framework of our country. Individual interests and ambitions , are instigating and promoting group, ethnic and religious goals of the political and business elite . It in turn has dictated our national ethos, outlook, direction and possibly the final situation Nigeria may find itself in, at the end of the voting process of tomorrow. Thus, the question, who shall we vote for as Governor tomorrow is evoking and stoking violent responses. It is the same, regarding which political party will determine who will represent us at our State Assemblies. The flash points of violence, expected tomorrow, are numerous, as they are unpredictable, and the major reason is those who have constructed our Constitution have been less than diligent, in articulating the basis of our brotherhood and unity. So, Nigerians have been at daggers drawn against ourselves: the cost of living is too high, elite highest interest is about who must gather the most money and profits for themselves, from our State and natural resources. Our ethnic or tribal groups fight most for the dominance of their group above all other groups: the religious groups, Christianity, Islam etc gather themselves to determine how to DOMINATE all others. Our Constitution has not situated every citizen where they must be, to develop and prosper, at no cost to the other(s). That is why we who must determine who to vote for as Governor tomorrow, in the 28-States where there are Governorship elections, must recognize that there will be flashpoints of violence: Yoruba against Yoruba, Yoruba against Igbo, Fulani against Jukun, etc thuggery, local wars, battle grounds and reprisals. We already know these flash-points, as do the Security agencies with statutory responsibility to keep the peace. Every one thinks it must be Lagos first, make no mistakes about it, it could begin in Warri, to Benin, Lokoja to Kaduna to Zaria to Sabon Gari Kano: we cannot rule out Port Harcourt, Ibadan, because the stakes are also high there too; Abakaliki and Enugu, Abaji to Ilorin to Bida. Why are the stakes so high? It is because our 1998 Constitution is too lobsided, unjust and not fair to all ethnic groups: it favours the North more than it favors the South, and the Northerners are not courageous and honest enough to call the spade a spade: it is more balanced between the Muslim South-West, than all the other parts of the country, so the INNOCENT ones who will become combustible fodder when the violence begins, must represent only numbers/ statistics and not human beings. After the General Elections of 2023, the balance of advantages must be to the Yorubas, continuing, and not to anyone who speaks Igbo, west or east of the River Niger, so that it revolve back to the North, in the next election circle. If you do not have money, or stolen so much from the Treasury, what ought to be dedicated to the benefit of ordinary Nigerians, forget about the next Governor coming from your part of your State: or the member of the State Assembly being some humble dedicated person not known to the exiting Governor. The violence, already being felt around our cities and towns now, is about the rigorous fights for who will win to be the next Governor: this will remind us of why we have failed and keep failing. Where the GREED and ambition is, without additional queries, the innocent ones get sacrificed, and the same GREEDY ones run away, to return and continue their exploitation at a new epoch. Nigerians must remember Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d’Voire, South Sudan and Singapore and Malaysia of 1963…… favor your ethnic group, favor your religion, despise all others, and you will DESTROY your country. We must not allow that, when dawn calls on us on Saturday March 18, 2023. At our current pace, the Nigeria Police will not suffice to maintain peace at the known flash points: in several instances 14-days ago (February 25, 2023), the Police were so out numbered, disarmed, and afraid, the thugs and area boys were more rumbustious than them and took over. Government has been solidly behind the lawless law-breakers, not speaking out to encourage the gallant voters, so they the lawbreakers feel more inspired and energized to openly violate, disrupt, threaten and take over the rigging process. That was the beginning of the failure of BVAS/IREV/INEC. This time, to avoid clearly predictable dominoes and snow-balls, soldiers whose duty it is not to protect voters and the election process, must stand in waiting to safeguard and extend our democracy. A stitch in time saves nine! Why has Government been neglecting, rejecting and not been implementing these our suggestions? Do we prefer a broken Nigeria? Do we have a better country, elsewhere we all can call our own?
WHO I WILL VOTE FOR THIS TIME:
The election of tomorrow, Saturday, March 18, 2023, is very close to me. Even the member from my Local Government, who will be at the State House of Assembly for the next four years, is as important as the Governor, if not more. As with most Nigerians, I want to be sure that she must be a very modest, honest, approachable, and incorruptible person. Do we have that in my local constituency and in my Party, the PRP? We have no Candidate, so on principle, I hereby recommend Barrister Bridget ANYAFULU, of the PDP, despite my hard , now longstanding rejection of the PDP as an inchoate party, destroyed by dishonorable, over-ambitious, untrustworthy persons, who began this confusion of the 2023 election circle, by jettisoning Art.7.2.c. of their 1998 Constitution, on Zoning and Rotation: when you REJECT the Constitution of your own party, who can trust you to preserve and protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?…… your personal mantra, will then become “it is my turn”, and nothing else will matter, your end will justify your means. To your followers, political POWER can only be achieved and grabbed by force, not by voting or convincing the electorate: no debates, no voting by BVAS or collation by IREV…… only those who belong to your ethnic group, can vote in the State where they reside, work and pay taxes and the almighty VAT.
As a local politician, I have known Barrister Bridget ANYAFULU, for more than 20-years, as a humble but very hardworking, incorruptible and dedicated politician. Unlike others, she has the highest consideration and respect for our Royal Father, the Asagba of Asaba, and believes in the truth that brings cohesion, stability, unity and prosperity, to all our communities…… not the few persons who disrespect, disparage, dishonor and starve funds meant for our Traditional Royal Father , HRM The Asagba of Asaba, even as a minority sub-clan……. honor must be given and be granted to whom it is due. From our Oshimili South LGA, we all must vote for Barrister Bridget ANYAFULU, though she is in the PDP!
Again on principle, I have a Governorship Candidate in my party the PRP……. Honourable Immanuel EDIJALA. Based on our NACOPPIN Coalition stance on the Presidential election of Saturday February 25, 2023, with the OBIDATTI ticket, (Peter Obi & Yusuf Ahmed Datti), on a Southern Christian President, and a Northern Muslim Vice President, who must be progressive, astute in Social governance and Economics, diverse in Constitutional remediation, in the same vein, we believe in the furtherance of these Coalition principles, with respect to the paucity of our nationwide electoral gains ( the PRP), in the current election circle, and urge our supporters and members to accept and support the Labour Party Governorship ticket of Ken PELA, and Julie Umukoro; and also vote for them tomorrow Saturday, March 18, 2023: as EDIJALA is incorruptible, and astute, so too are KenPELA and JulieUmukoro, especially in managing and using the vast resources of our dear Delta State.
In the rest of Nigeria, regarding the Governorship election of Saturday, March 18, 2023, voters must avoid rewarding those who rigged the Presidential election of Saturday February 25, 2023, and the entire Presidential election process, beginning with the Abuja Primary election/Conventions of May-June 2022. These political parties have no due consideration for the brotherhood, peace, unity, stability and prosperity of our Fatherland…… as they are not trustworthy individuals, we can not entrust our 28 State Governments tomorrow to their selected Governorship Candidates, agents and minions. The same moral profligacy and policy recklessness they have been visiting on Nigeria, will be continued. As a people, we cannot afford that any more…… already badly wasted, bruised, suffered and abused severally, openly and disparagingly…… see what Nigerians have been through since December 2022….. to March 2023…… thousands of patriotic citizens seating in the dust in front of Banks seeking to withdraw from their bank accounts…… the Government is not bothered because the elections can be rigged……very high cost of living, very scarce and costly petrol at N500.00 per liter, no Naira cash to buy even food for our children…… bribery and corruption everywhere…… persisting-pervading unemployment of our young graduates…… still no solution to our Electricity outages …… high cost of Naira against the US Dollar (N750.00 to $1.00 USD)…… Boko Haram, Bandits, ISWAP, Fulani herdsmen, Unknown Gunmen, Kidnappers everywhere. Separatism/Agitations to dismember Nigeria, yet pranks from them and refusal of RESTRUCTURING…… Nigerians cannot trust the APC and PDP, and voting for their Governorship Candidates is to plan to extend and expand your SUFFERING for another 4-years. Our suffering is already too much, Nigerians cannot afford to vote for them any longer. Reject and do not VOTE for them to become Governors of any State, tomorrow Saturday, March 18, 2023, we refuse to REWARD their past recklessness. Remember the future of your children and youths!
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
Signed:
Dr. Orefo Nnamdi Onochie.
Convener/Chairman
NACOPPIN NIGERIA 2023.
