Ok. I believe you’re appropriate!…

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THOUGH BENT WITH AGE, SHE WALKED ASSUREDLY INTO THE POLLING CENTRE STEADIED BY A MAKESHIFT WALKING STICK IN ONE HAND AND A CAREFULLY KEPT VOTER CARD IN THE OTHER. SHE STOPPED AT THE FIRST BOOTH WITH SHORT QUEUE OF VOTERS AND MADE STRAIGHT TO THE POLLING ATTENDANT PRESENTIING HER CLEAN VOTER CARD. SHE SMILED UP TO THE OTHERS ON THE QUEUE. THEY UNDERSTOOD. A SHUFFLE THROUGH THE REGISTER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NO NAMES OR IMAGE TALLY WITH MAMA’S IN IT. SORRY THE ATTENDANT SAID AND DIRECTED THE OLD WOMAN TO THE OTHER BOOTH STILL IN THE SAME VICINITY. SHE LOOKED UNPERTUBED, EVEN SLIGHTLY ENTHUSIASTIC. OBVIOUSLY, DESPITE THE LENGTH OF AGE SHE HAD NOT HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY OFTEN. NO THANKS TO THE NIGERIAN STATE AND THE FIREBRAND ANAMBRA POLITICS WHERE EVERY ELECTION IS A CALL TO BATTLE. ( NOT A DEAL FOR THE LILLY LIVERED) SHE MOVED AS DIRECTED TO THE OTHER BOOTH WITH A LONGER QUEUE. THIS TIME SHE HAD TO TAKE A SEAT, OBVIOUSLY TO REST HER FRAIL, BENT BONES. SHE AGAIN PRESENTED HER CARD TO THE ATTENDANT WHO BEGAN ANOTHER ROUND OF FLIPPING THROUGH PAGES OF THE PHOTOCOPIED REGISTER. FOR THE FIRST TIME ANXIETY COURSED THROUGH THE OLD WOMAN’S FACE EVEN BEFORE THE ATTENDANT GAVE HIS VERDICT. NAME NOT ON THE REGISTER! THE ONCE LIVELY OLD FACE BECAME SULLEN, ANOTHER BOTCHED OPPORTUNITY AT THE POLLS, PERHAPS FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME, PERHAPS FOR THE LAST TIME FOR THE OLD WOMAN. SHE WAS TOO DISTRAUGHT TO GO BACK HOME AS SHE TOOK HER SEAT AMONG OTHERS IN HER DILEMMA. THEY SOON FORMED A BAND OF HAPLESS SPECTATORS IN AN EXERCISE THEY WERE MEANT TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS.
THIS IS THE STORY OF MANY ELECTORATE IN THE JUST CONCLUDED ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION. FROM DUNUKOFIA TO OYI, IDEMILI NORTH TO AWKA SOUTH AND ANIOCHA THE STORY IS ALL THE SAME WITH DIFFERENCES NOT IN KIND BUT IN DEGREES, ENTHUSIASTIC VOTERS TROOPING OUT TO EXERCISE THEIR CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY BUT TECHNICALLY AND IRRESPONSIBLY SHUT OUT BY THE VERY BODY THAT IS MANDATED TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR INTEREST. NOT EVEN THE LAST MINUTE, FIRE BRIGADE DIRECTIVE BY INEC TO ALLOW EVERYONE WITH A VALID VOTER CARD TO VOTE COULD HELP AS THE POLLING OFFICERS ON THE FIELD CLAIMED THEY HAVE NOT BEEN DIRECTED TO DO SO. ONLY VERY FEW ESPECIALLY THOSE CLOSE TO THE METROPOLIS WITH ACCESS TO THE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS WERE ABLE TO ACT. EVEN AT THAT VERY MANY VOTERS HAD WAITED AND HAD TO LEAVE THE CENTRES AS THEY WOULD NOT WANT TO PUSH THEIR LUCK TOO FAR LURKING AROUND THE USUALLY VOLATILE POLLING AREAS. NO WONDER THE ELECTION RECORDED A LITTLE OVER FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE ENTIRE REGISTERED VOTERS. WHILE THIS MAY REPRESENT THE ACTUAL VOTES CAST, IT IS INDEED A FAR CRY FROM VOTER RESPONSE TO THE MUCH AWAITED ELECTION. THEY WERE SIMLPY DISENFRANCHISED.
THOUGH THERE WERE OTHER INFRACTION IN THE ANAMBRA ELECTION, LIKE SOME BALLOT BOXES SNATCHED BY GUN TOTTING YOUTHS IN NRI (EKWUNIFE’S PERCEIVED STRONGHOLD), MISSING BALLOT BOXES IN MANY CENTRES IN AGULU (GOVERNOR PETER OBI’S HOME BASE),AND VOTERS IN OBOSI (NGIGE’S PERCEIVED STRONGHOLD) REFUSING TO VOTE AS A RESULT OF ALLEGED MASSIVE thumbnail PRINTING OVERNIGHT BY SOME MISCREANTS OF A LEADING PARTY. BUT ALL THIS PETERS TO NOTHING COMPARED TO THOUSANDS OF VOTERS WHOSE HOPES WERE DASHED BY INEC’S UNJUSTIFIABLE AND RECKLESS TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT. RECKLESS BECAUSE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION NOT A FEW GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS HAVE CALLED FOR A REVISION OF THE REGISTER WHICH HARBOURS ALL SORTS OF NAMES AND IMAGES, FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS. THAT IF INEC DOES NOT KNOW THAT THE LIKES OF THE LATE GANI FAWEHINMI, JIM NWOBODO AND CO WHOSE IMAGES ADORN THE ANAMBRA VOTER REGISTER WERE NOT FROM THE STATE, AT LEAST IT STANDS TO REASON TO OF NECESSITY KNOW THAT THE IMAGES OF TREES,DOORS, WINDOWS AND OTHER INANIMATE OBJECTS GIVEN NAMES AND ADDRESSES WHICH FORM A PART OF THE REGISTER ARE NOT JUST LAUGHFABLE BUT INDICTING TO THE ELECTORAL BODY, AND SHOULD NOT TAKE ALL THE EFFORTS OF THE WELL-MEANING GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO CALLED FOR A REVISION BEFORE THE ELECTORAL BODY DOES WHAT IS INTELLIGENT TO DO. BUT INEC CARRIED ON ARROGANTLY UNASHAMED LEADING TO ONLY 300,000 VOTERS PARTICIPATING OUT OF ABOUT 1.8MILLION VOTERS. TODAY GOVERNOR PETER OBI HAS ANOTHER MANDATE TO RULE A STATE OF OVER 4 MILLION PEOPLE WITH A LITTLE OVER 90,000 VOTES ALL BECAUSE INEC WANTED IT SO. INEC AND OTHER AGENCIES INCLUDING ELECTION OBSERVERS AND MONITORS COULD CLAIM THAT THE FEBRUARY 6 ELECTION WAS FREE AND A DEPARTURE FROM THE USUAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA, (SAVE JUNE 12, 1993) I ALSO TESTIFY TO THAT. BUT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY FAR FROM FAIR. IT IS THIS ELEMENT THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BANE OF OUR DEMOCRATIC EXPERIENCE WHICH HAS CONTINUED TO THROW UP ALL MANNER OF CHARACTERS IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS WHO HAVE NO COMMITMENT TO COMMON GOOD SINCE THEY SOUGHT NO MANDATE FROM ITS LICENCEES.
WHATEVER GAINS ARE ACCRUABLE FROM THE ANAMBRA ELECTION, AND THERE ARE MANY, FROM THE GOOD CONDUCT OF THE CANDIDATES, THEIR PARTIES AND SUPPORTERS THROUGHOUT THE ELECTIONEERING PROCESS, TO THE ELECTORATE WHO KEPT FATE WITH THE PROCESS AND DISCHARGED THEIR DUTIES AS FAR AS INEC COULD GUARANTEE, TO THE POLICE WHO MUST BE GIVEN KUDOS THIS TIME AROUND FOR NO NOTICEABLE ACT OF SABOTAGE, INEC BY ITS UNPARDONABLE WARPED PROCESS SEEMS TO HAVE MESSED IT ALL UP DENYING THE ELECTORATE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY AT THE POLLS, LIKE IN 1999, 2003, 2007 AND 2009 IN EKITI.
NOW, WHAT ARE THE TRUTHS ABOUT THE ANAMBRA ELECTION; THAT NIGERIANS ARE EAGER TO ELECT THEIR LEADERS, THAT ELECTIONS CAN BE CONDUCTED IN A FREE AND SAFE ATMOSPHERE, THAT RIGGING IS NOT THE ONLY WAY ELECTORATE CAN BE DISENFRANCHISED, THAT THERE IS NOW WHAT IS CALLED ELECTORAL TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT WHICH IS AS GRAVE AS SNATCHING OF BALLOT BOXES OR ANY OF THE BRANDED FORM OF RIGGING NATIVE TO NIGERIA. BUT ABOVE ALL THAT NIGERIA WILL BEGIN TO HAVE A WHOLESOME ELECTION WHEN THE ELECTORAL BODY IS DETERMINED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. IF THERE IS ANY FAILURE IN THE ANAMBRA ELECTION IT IS FAILURE ON THE PART OF INEC. IT SIMPLY TOOK THE SHINE AWAY FROM AN ELECTION THAT EVERYBODY WAS PREPARED TO SIGNPOST AS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST. A COUP AGAINST THE ELECTORATE, INCLUDING THE OCTOGENARIAN WOMAN FROM DUNUKOFIA WHO MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY AT THE POLLS.

KANMI OLATOYE WORKS WITH A PRIVATE TELEVISION STATION IN NIGERIA.

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