I have lately been silent on issues concerning the Nigerian state not because I don’t want to rant my ideas on the public domain but it was a deliberate act to give the President the benefit of doubt to put the country on the right path but after watching the video on Rivers state rerun election posted by Vanguard newspaper on its online medium, I can categorically state that the country is nose-diving into the era of impunity and outright neglect of the choice of the people.
‘’The December 10 re-run legislative polls, like that of 2015, were like war in Aleppo’’ … Rueben Atawaji. The rerun in its reminiscence will always depict a gory picture of what our elections are turning out to be gradually.

How did we get here? Surely our founding fathers will be weeping in the graves. Prior 2015 general elections the then President of the country, Mr Goodluck Jonathan promised the country an election that no matter the outcome should be classified as free and fair, this promise removed him from office through a credible election. As the new President came to power with the change mantra promise, hopes were high, people including myself believed that he will build on the gains of the past administration in moving this country forward, despite that hope seem to be eroding us, hopelessness and total dismay to how things have played out have become a normal routine for the citizens. But to think that the gains we made towards credible election will suddenly be a reverse is unthinkable.


I have never witnessed such an election in my life before; the militarization of the election, better still the military inversion of the state seems like the USA inversion of Afghanistan. It is such a pain to see our political gladiators turn simple elections into a do or die affair. Both the ruling party and the opposition lacked sanctity of speech and no regard for human life. Utterances before the election exposed the fragility and biasness in the political system especially from the electoral umpire. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) truly displayed how dishonourable it has degenerated since the past 19 months. Independent reports and live feeds from various part of the state indicated the commission was playing to the dictate of the powers that be. The link here gives a clearer and detailed reports about the election [https://www.nairaland.com/3514474/inec-police-army-culpable-rivers] , one is left to his thoughts on how the electoral umpire has degenerated into this pitiable state.

The impunity that most of us witnessed has never been seen before, Ad-hoc electoral staff manhandled because of their refusal to obey “orders from above”, (cover image speaks volume) a clear case of a collation officer beaten by the SARS squad in an attempt to cart away election results which seems not to favour a particular political party. The military, police and the secret police connived to deliberately subvert the choice of the people. It is no news as evident by the pictures and video that will accompany this write up, the security agencies have failed in their primary duty of protecting lives and properties, rather they have taken sides with the highest bidder to downgrade a system that barely a year ago Nigerians saw hope in. It is disgraceful the Presidency through the Minister from Rivers state turned the election into a battle. Shivers ran through my body when I saw a gory picture of a young voter shot dead by security operatives while trying to cast his vote; what have they turned this country into and what do they want to achieve by deliberately undermining a thriving system that brought them to power. But let it be known that 2019 is close than thought; we will see how this ignoble tactics will survive when the anger has reached its ultimate cycle.

written by
Ejezie Darlington Elo
www.jezrainfo.com

God help Nigeria, cos if our long waited 2019 election bring such fate hmmm. I comment my reserve. I don't want to be the first to say what will happen if INEC fail to do the needful.