Getting Ondo Governorship Election Right:
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Okwubunka of Asa
25th November, 2016
Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well. The growth of democracy in Nigeria has been having it's own challenges.
Due to the peculiar experience associated with it, Nigeria's brand of democracy has remained too long a learning process.
If the Nigerian Military had spared it the required breathing space after independence, Nigeria's democracy would, by now, have done away with the stage of elementary learning and limitless tutelage.
Be that as it is, stakeholders in Nigeria's politics owe it a duty to guarantee the growth and stability of democracy in their fatherland.
Come to think of it, if, as a people, we fail to put our house in order, we should not expect people from another country or clime to address our challenges.
For Nigeria to go beyond her present state of backwardness and abject penury, her leaders must start looking at issues from an altruistic point of view. Selfishness and crave for momentary personal gains must be put behind, not only by the leaders but also by the citizenry.
The Ondo governorship election scheduled to hold tomorrow; Saturday 26th November, 2016 has thrown a fundamental challenge to Nigeria's central leadership.
The situation in Ondo provides a platform for measurement and evaluation of a combination of patriotism, integrity and statesmanship supposedly inherent in the Buhari administration.
If his government is parochial and self-centred, it would go ahead with tomorrow's election in Ondo state, not wanting to take cognizance of the legal limitations associated with the election should it hold tomorrow.
A President of Nigeria's status, as Buhari is, by all standards, should radiate and exhibit statesmanship. This means what should be of utmost concern to him at any given time is the overall interest of his country and the citizens. Emphasis should not be placed on what his Political Party would achieve as against the health of the country.
At any given time, the President has to be mindful of the fact that he swore to an oath to defend the constitution of Nigeria and to protect the lives and property of his fellow citizens.
The extant electoral acts guiding elections in Nigeria dictate that names of candidates for elections should be made known publicly for not less than two weeks before the election proper.
It was only day before yesterday (Wednesday) that the Appeal Court reinstated Barr Jegede Eyitayo (SAN) as the legitimate governorship candidate of the Peoples' Democratic Party.
On this alone, allowing the election to hold tomorrow means a deliberate but avoidable resort to dangerously arming enemies of democracy to work successfully against the result of the election if it does not go their way.
Besides, a candidate in such a high calibre election as governorship should originate and submit the names of his Party's agents to the Independent National Electoral Commission quite on time.
As at last Wednesday when the Court of Appeal restored justice, the list of PDP agents submitted to INEC was the one drawn up by Chief Ibrahim Jimioh, the usurper.
As a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, I strongly believe that what is worth doing, is worth doing well.
Therefore, in the overall interest of our democracy, which unfortunately and sadly is still qualified as nascent, let Ondo governorship election be postponed, even if it would be for a week.
This, where it is not anticipated in our laws, could be another doctrine of necessity.
Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Okwubunka of Asa
Executive Director Centre For Equity & Eradication of Rural Poverty.