#NACOPPINNigeria2023: RIGGING CLAIMS DON’T ADD UP – MAHMUD JEGA, REBUTTAL FOR THE RECORDS
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In seeking to further validate INEC declaration of victory on the February 25, 2023 Presidential election in Nigeria, Mahmud Jega ( never to be mistaken for Attahiru Muhammadu Jega -INEC Chairman up till 2015), quoted an un-named nearly 90-year old member of the British House of Lords, on the difficulty of having money, who posited that he had never known any time or place were money is easy to come by: to further obfuscate his hideous intentions, and confuse his reading audience, Mahmud Jega used a second old English allegory, ….”locking the stables after the horse(s) have bolted”, to assert that there is a permanent disposition in Nigerian politics in which losers in elections never concede victory. In using these British/English authorities, Mahmud Jega is attempting to force Nigerians into believing that the British are better than we are: this is totally false.
RIGGING CLAIMS DON’T ADD UP?
Is it also true that there is no tribalism in politics in Nigeria, between the English and the Irish or Scottish, or Germans? So long as there is nativity, there will be tribalism, in Nigeria, even more in Europe and North America…. denial of tribalism, just as the RIGGING of the February 25, 2023, Presidential election in NIGERIA is being denied, cannot wish away the phenomenon. Did MKO Abiola not win in 1993, and if he didn’t, should there have been annulment? Mahmud Jega, ultimately lacked courage to fully identify himself, and show his actual pedigree, by stating his current official or retired curriculum vitae.
EMERGENCY POLITICAL ALLIANCES IN NIGERIA
Mahmud Jega stated that he had been watching our politics since 1979, when Shehu Shagari was declared victor in-spite of cries by Waziri Ibrahim, Awo and Zik of rigging. How come Jega forgot the cross-carpeting in 1957 when Zik’s NCNC won the majority votes in the old Western House of Assembly, and that inaugural morning, Awo’s Action Group convinced all the Yoruba-speaking newly elected members, belonging to the NCNC to cross over the aisle to the AG? Was that less than or more than rigging? So Jega’s watchful eyes “since 1979”, was nearly 20 years late, since he forgot the 1957 Ibadan cross-carpeting, that his assertions can be categorized as short-sighted. There was no “do or die” in 2023, when in 2022, Nigerians we’re treated by the PDP and APC, to the greatest mother of all Conventions in Abuja, where belatedly Atiku Abubakar “won” with all the votes of the Sokoto State delegates, courtesy of a gift from Aminu Tambawal: and the APC delegates of the 2022 Abuja Convention, publicly narrated to the Media, how the various Presidential Aspirants “bought” their votes in thousands of US Dollars, later converted to no less than N22 Million Naira for each available and ready delegate? Where is Jega’s horse now, and where is the stable, and who bolted first? Mahmud Jega is being economical with the truth, because in February 2023, the APC had so ruined and failed in NIGERIA that the patriotic non tribalistic electorate knew too well that any concession to either the APC/PDP would spell a fatal condemnation of the country: concession to those who are prepared to sell NIGERIA to the highest foreign business bidder? Prior, during and after the February 25, 2023 Presidential election in NIGERIA, rigging had been planned, implemented and the outcomes rejoiced over by those who perpetrated them; and stage by stage, day by day, the processes will be exposed, by the “young people on Social Media”, who Mahmud Jega has cast aspersions on: the dice will be cast, and the repercussions will be shame and reverse political remedies.
THERE WILL BE NO ACCORD CONCORDIA OR UNITY GOVERNMENT BETWEEN THE MAJOR CONTENDING POLITICAL PARTIES
Accord Concordia or Unity Government of any sort after February 25-28, 2023 voting/rigging, will set NIGERIA back, after all the sufferings and inept government that the APC has put NIGERIANS through, since 2015, for an “accord”, to be reached between ObiDatti and the duo of PDP or APC. It will be a ratification of Mahmud Jega’s false presentation of Nigeria’s political history to seek or accept any kind of accord or unity government of the type between the NPN and NPP in 1979. Then Nigeria’s current spiraling cost of living, decades of incurable epileptic Electricity supply, 2022 public Universities closure of 8-months, Naira-US Dollar devaluation now at N750.00 to $1.00 USD by the CBN, Banks and FGN, all had not been visited on Nigerians: Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulaniherdsmen, Bandits, Unknown Gunmen, multiple separatist agitations to dismember Nigeria, kidnappings of train-bus travelers, Secondary School-University students, abduction/forced marriages of young Christian girls, Owo bombing of Catholic Church service on the morning of Sunday, June 22, 2022, forced conversion of Christians in the Middle Belt to Islam or decapitation, January-February 2023 scarcity of Naira currency/notes, N500.00 per liter of very scarce petrol since December 2022, and APC deceit about RESTRUCTURING NIGERIA (a la John Odigie-Oyegun/el Rufai), had ALL not been piled against Nigerians. Our people have not suffered social hardships, economic deprivations and national insecurity like this before: tens of Nigerians have jumped suicidally into the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos, simply to individually for themselves, end the suffering in our Fatherland. Have Nigerians wholeheartedly voted for greedy politicians of this genre, for the Presidential election of February 25, 2023, for it not to have been rigged? The reverse electoral “do or die” on the February 25, 2023 Presidential election will be made known as the matter gets to the Supreme Court, and evidential materials, including BVAS/IREV electronic data, will be painstakingly produced and be provided by the social media young people that Mahmud Jega has derided: wait and see!
SCATTERED ELECTION DAY PROBLEMS, NOT INCIDENTS, VIOLENCE, DEATHS, BALLOT BOX SNATCHINGS, RUINED/BURNT ELECTION MATERIALS ETC
The statements of Mahmud Jega questioning the extent of irregularities that took place on February 25, 2023, show that he (Jega), has a goal based on lies and falsehood, as the basis and predicate of his statement under review. How was he following that national presidential voting day/event? Real electronic media accounts on TV, radio and the internet, including admission by local and foreign Observers, had hundreds of incidences of shootings, assassinations, abductions, kidnapings of INEC duty staff, under age voting in some Northern States, thuggeries in Lagos, Kogi, Rivers, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom; the unscheduled unnecessary stoppage and closure of the Abuja National Collation Center : travesty of abandoning/rejection of the 2022 Election Law, manual collation and declaration of votes not using IREV uploading. In spite of all these catalogued crimes committed, reported and known to Nigerians and local/foreign Observers, Jega still insists that the declared result of that election must be accepted, and be conceded to by everyone. The Election Law of 2022 lists these malfeasances and provided immediate remedies, such as stoppage, reviews, cancellations and re-voting, prior declarations of results, in order to bequeath NIGERIA, an electoral process that is of the legal, and highest internationally acceptable standards.
JUSTICE, FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN NIGERIA
To call for others to concede to another, those who wish for concessions, must first show a forgiving spirit. No victor, no vanquished of NIGERIA, since January 15, 1970, has turned to eternal servitude of those who speak Igbo, West and East of the Niger, in Nigeria. Would Jega deny that a tripod of Hausa-Fulani/Igbo/Yoruba had been the ruling basis of the political entity called Nigeria, even while the British were colonial masters of the country. When Ogbonnia Onu, APC Presidential Aspirant/former Minister, demanded from the APC delegates at their Abuja Convention of June 7, 2022, “where is equity, fairness and justice in all this?”. Did he get an answer? No, nearly all of them collected millions of Naira, stolen by kleptocrats from NIGERIA’S Treasuries and economy, as Presidential Candidates, whose greed surpassed fairness or equity in NIGERIA, who will sell NIGERIA to the highest bidders, since delegates took millions from them, to “elect” only one of them as Candidate. For the PDP, in abandoning Zoning and Rotation, in its 1998 Constitution, to allow Northerners to run for President in 2023, despite that only Northerners ran in 2019, why would the PDP believe that Nigerians can trust the Party again, seeing how it has contributed to the electoral and political mess Nigeria has become in the 2023 election circle? The reward of both the PDP and APC is the tenacity of Nigerians, especially the more numerable youths, to vote out both parties, and elect the more equitable, fair, justiciable and incorruptible Presidential ticket of ObiDatti. My prediction, had there been no massive “rigging” was a hung Presidential election, based on tribal voting patterns, which would have led to a Presidential re-run. But INEC Chairman and others adulterated and corrupted the process, and declared a most tainted and controversial result, the ills of that Presidential election will lead to a HISTORIC reversal: Jega posited that Goodluck Jonathan made a historic concession, the Presidential reversal of 2023, through the Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN), through overwhelming evidence of more legitimate votes cast for OBIDATTI, will pale the historic concession of 2015. Jega must keep fairer, more sane and better watch, so that NIGERIA will remain indivisible.
CORRUPTION AND ALLEGED ACCEPTANCE OF INAPPROPRIATE GIFTS BY SENIOR INEC OFFICIALS
Even before votes were cast on February 25, 2023, irrefutable accusations of bribery, corruption and acceptance of inappropriate gifts had been leveled against the most senior officials of INEC, to the extent that they had been compromised. These allegations have remained, not been refuted, and not long from then, acts clearly irresponsible and officially reprehensible began to be acceded to by the same senior INEC officials. For example, in 2015 and 2019, closure and stoppage of the National Collation Center led to accusations that the break was accountable for the irregularities that preceded the declaration of results: flexible timing of the duty schedule of the major officials, including the Chairman, on February 25, 2023, would have ensured that the Center would not be shut until the process had been successfully concluded. When the Center reopened after nearly 24-hours, on February 26, 2023, fears of tampering raised by Agents of the Presidential Candidates/Parties, became very vocal. Answers to queries on why the uploading of votes cast from BVAS devices at Polling Units nationwide, using IREV devices, had been so delayed, the level of rumors and the management of public information had become mired in circumlocutions, hot exchanges, accusations of high handed ness and official corruption and arrogance. The stance of the INEC Chairman had become inexcusable, in light of the void created during the shut down of the Center. Every other complaints, rather than be reviewed, re-visited and the voting process remedied, began to be rail-roaded through the corrupt adage, “if not satisfied, go to Court”. Why should Mahmud Jega accuse Presidential Candidates who had seen these irregularities, crimes and anomalies, to concede, to the perpetrators of same, that they had become victorious? Especially in this instance where the electorate had been through so much suffering by the government in power? Evidence has been piling against that declaration of results by INEC, and Nigerians and the world are waiting.
JEGA AND COHORTS LIKE HIM
To seek public acceptance, legitimacy and credibility, the one who wishes to be accepted or be legitimized must show that he/she is above board. It will be very difficult, near impossible for Nigerians, the youths in particular who are about 70 per cent of voters on February 25, 2023, to grant legitimacy to the declared victor of that Election Day. If that happens, the government will be weak, and possibly much less effective than the incumbent government. Jega must, sooner than later, tell Nigerians if that is what they want.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
Signed:
Dr. Orefo Nnamdi Onochie, Convener/Chairman NACOPPIN NIGERIA 2023.
