WOLE OLAOYE FROM PREMIUM TIMES
I don’t agree that the admittedly flawed 2023 presidential election should be cancelled, as requested by some people.
What we require to put the matter to rest is a forensic audit of the entire process and the tools used. In this wise, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will serve the same purpose that the Video Assistant Referee performs in soccer. Like the VAR, the BVAS has the power of recall. How many people were accredited? How many voted? What were the scores? Check all that against the original result sheets signed by all party agents.
I don’t agree that the admittedly flawed 2023 presidential election should be cancelled, as requested by some people. Decapitation is not the right cure for a nagging headache. In spite of its imperfections, the rule of law is still the most civilised way of resolving any dispute known to man. As such, no matter how aggrieved one is, the sanest thing to do is to gather evidence to substantiate one’s allegations and approach the courts.
I confess that I am one of those who thought that polling units results are, as described by JS Okutepa SAN, “The pyramid upon which other results are built”. I had therefore expected that as soon as the polls ended and the results were declared, such results would be uploaded on INEC servers or portal immediately or, at worst, soon after.
Apparently, for some reason, which the forthcoming legal battles will unearth, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not live up to its promise. As a Nigerian, I feel utterly ashamed that we bungled this straightforward assignment before the whole wide world.
Emotions are understandably high. However, we have to allow reason to prevail by coming to terms with what has happened and fashioning out a peaceful way of resolving the issue. Bola Tinubu did not declare himself president-elect. It was INEC that bungled the sacred duty entrusted to it. The fact that both Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Peter Obi of Labour Party have taken their grievances to the courts, should bring down the tension a bit.
I have heard insinuations about how our courts have become cash-and-carry outfits. I consider such aspersions unfair and unwise. Why would any sensible person urinate in a well from which he hopes to drink? Whatever our misgivings, let’s give the courts a chance to rescue our politicians from themselves. Without the courts, dog would literally have been eating dog by now. So, let the discontented approach the temple of justice with absolute trust.
There are loads of video and audio clips making the rounds all over again. This time, many of them are simply focussing on the next round of elections and whipping up ethnic sentiments to win converts. The focus is no longer on party programmes but on ethnic baiting. The results of the presidential election have given parties an indication of their strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps because it is rather late in the day to correct their perceived weaknesses, some have resorted to hate-vending.
My fear is that an ethnic war in a place like Lagos will just destroy the gains the city has made over the years. Some people are hell bent on setting the Yoruba against the Igbo, as if the governorship election is a tribal warfare between the two groups. This kind of slant didn’t rear its head during the presidential election. If it did, it was subliminally managed. On social media, for example, I am appalled that young people who haven’t taken their time to understand what happened in the past are flaunting all sorts of half-truths and outright falsehoods to create a wedge between Yorubas and Igbos. And some supposed senior citizens are cheering them on!
