₦airaland Forum

Donseze:
Whatever had happened in Osun State in the last couple of days in trying to get the person to occupy the gubernatorial chair of the state, cannot be described as a democratic process, but a military coup d’etat, a travesty of democracy, the subversion of the will of the people of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had earlier told the people that a vacancy would in no distant time, occur in Osun State (sorry, they call it “State of Osun”) Government House, specifically, the Number One Citizen of the State, and as such, that they should get their permanent voter’s card (PVC) ready to vote for the candidate of their choice to fill up the vacancy.

The people were overjoyed and harkened to their call and resolved that they would troop out in their numbers to cast their votes. For eight years, they had been groaning under an inhuman and despotic regime that denied them every good thing in life, in particular, that is owing civil servants in the state close to 34 months salaries, but was busy servicing its masters in Lagos.

When later the people came out in the field to vote, alas, they were amazed by what they saw – the uncountable number of military and paramilitary personnel, such as the army, the police, the civil defence, the FRSC, NDLEA, the Customs, the Immigration, etc., that had practically taken over almost every inch of the state.

The people were surprised that Nigeria could still afford such large number of military and paramilitary personnel that could be used in elections, yet she does not have enough military personnel to contain Boko Haram terrorists who have continued to mesmerize the country and take its citizens hostage.

But not to be deterred, the people of Osun State decided to brave the situation and came out in their numbers to vote for the person of their choice. At the end of the day, but because the person the people had voted for, the person who had the higher number of votes, was not the pereferred candidate of the powers that be, the election was declared “inconclusive”. The people were surprised.

Not minding the protests and calls by well meaning Nigerians that a winner of the election exercise had already emerged and should be declared, INEC and its backers stuck to their guns. They held that the exercise was inconclusive. They told the people that they were seven polling units in the state where the exercise did not take place, and thus must be repeated.

On the day of the rescheduled exercise, a greater calamity descended on the land. The seven polling units were heavily policed, occupied by both military and paramilitary personnel. Many intending voters who sighted these gun trotting military personnel were scared away, took to their heels, and went back to their houses. Those who decided to brave it, were worse for it, and had ugly stories to tell. Some of them were beaten up, while others were mowed down.

In the process, the powers that be had the field day, to manipulate the exercise. They began to allocate figures to various political parties as they liked. In the end, they declared themselves as the winner of the election. It was like a military coup d’etat, where the first had become the last, and the last becomes the first.

We were not surprised at what had happened. We know that the man at the helm of affairs is an expert coup planner. He had truncated the will of the people during the Second Republic, never mind that he now wears babariga, and claiming to be a democrat. But he is not. Does the leooard change its spots? It hardly does. We know that the man is not a democrat, that his belief in democracy is but ephemeral, a mere lip service.

Thus, with his firm control of INEC, the army, the police and other paramilitary organizations, he decided to truncate the will of the people of Osun State, to impose his own man on the people.

This is a pointer to 2019. Everybody should know that there is fire on the mountain, that there is danger ahead. Those hoping to make any headway in 2019 should rise to the challenge. They should be on their guards. They should be prepared to take up the gauntlet, to meet the lion in its den, before it takes off.

https://donseze./2018/09/28/the-subversion-of-the-will-of-osun-people/

Donseze:
Whatever had happened in Osun State in the last couple of days in trying to get the person to occupy the gubernatorial chair of the state, cannot be described as a democratic process, but a military coup d’etat, a travesty of democracy, the subversion of the will of the people of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had earlier told the people that a vacancy would in no distant time, occur in Osun State (sorry, they call it “State of Osun”) Government House, specifically, the Number One Citizen of the State, and as such, that they should get their permanent voter’s card (PVC) ready to vote for the candidate of their choice to fill up the vacancy.

The people were overjoyed and harkened to their call and resolved that they would troop out in their numbers to cast their votes. For eight years, they had been groaning under an inhuman and despotic regime that denied them every good thing in life, in particular, that is owing civil servants in the state close to 34 months salaries, but was busy servicing its masters in Lagos.

When later the people came out in the field to vote, alas, they were amazed by what they saw – the uncountable number of military and paramilitary personnel, such as the army, the police, the civil defence, the FRSC, NDLEA, the Customs, the Immigration, etc., that had practically taken over almost every inch of the state.

The people were surprised that Nigeria could still afford such large number of military and paramilitary personnel that could be used in elections, yet she does not have enough military personnel to contain Boko Haram terrorists who have continued to mesmerize the country and take its citizens hostage.

But not to be deterred, the people of Osun State decided to brave the situation and came out in their numbers to vote for the person of their choice. At the end of the day, but because the person the people had voted for, the person who had the higher number of votes, was not the pereferred candidate of the powers that be, the election was declared “inconclusive”. The people were surprised.

Not minding the protests and calls by well meaning Nigerians that a winner of the election exercise had already emerged and should be declared, INEC and its backers stuck to their guns. They held that the exercise was inconclusive. They told the people that they were seven polling units in the state where the exercise did not take place, and thus must be repeated.

On the day of the rescheduled exercise, a greater calamity descended on the land. The seven polling units were heavily policed, occupied by both military and paramilitary personnel. Many intending voters who sighted these gun trotting military personnel were scared away, took to their heels, and went back to their houses. Those who decided to brave it, were worse for it, and had ugly stories to tell. Some of them were beaten up, while others were mowed down.

In the process, the powers that be had the field day, to manipulate the exercise. They began to allocate figures to various political parties as they liked. In the end, they declared themselves as the winner of the election. It was like a military coup d’etat, where the first had become the last, and the last becomes the first.

We were not surprised at what had happened. We know that the man at the helm of affairs is an expert coup planner. He had truncated the will of the people during the Second Republic, never mind that he now wears babariga, and claiming to be a democrat. But he is not. Does the leooard change its spots? It hardly does. We know that the man is not a democrat, that his belief in democracy is but ephemeral, a mere lip service.

Thus, with his firm control of INEC, the army, the police and other paramilitary organizations, he decided to truncate the will of the people of Osun State, to impose his own man on the people.

This is a pointer to 2019. Everybody should know that there is fire on the mountain, that there is danger ahead. Those hoping to make any headway in 2019 should rise to the challenge. They should be on their guards. They should be prepared to take up the gauntlet, to meet the lion in its den, before it takes off.

https://donseze./2018/09/28/the-subversion-of-the-will-of-osun-people/