The title of this article is a little bit misleading because it suggests, rather wrongly, that Nigerians ever had confidence in the electoral system. Truth be told, they never did – which is why most elections in the country since independence have been contentious and marred with allegations and counter allegations of rigging. I am therefore using the word ‘re-building’ cautiously to refer to whatever shaky confidence people had on the electoral systems and processes before the unfortunate postponement of the election by one week on February 16 2019. Despite the anger and disappointment that followed the postponement of the…
Author: Jideofor Adibe
In barely 72 hours, the D-Day will beckon and the anxiety will shift to the H-hour. I don’t believe that February 16 will be a doomsday for the country because hanging on a cliff is apparently the country’s comfort zone. This will suggest that despite the current tension and possibility of localized violence during and after the elections, the country is likely to come out of it, perhaps not stronger or weaker, but with the usual limp and trudge. As a country we are experts at movement without motion or running tirelessly on a treadmill. As the D-day nears, we…
The plan by the PDP’s presidential candidate and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to grant amnesty to suspected treasury looters if elected President, is, in my opinion, the way to go. At an interview on the platform, ‘The Candidate’, hosted by broadcast journalist Kadaria Ahmed, Atiku was asked if corrupt people would be granted amnesty if he became President. He replied: “Why not? I give you an example of Turkey. Turkey gave amnesty and all the monies taken abroad were brought back and the government said when you bring the money back, you don’t need to pay taxes. Invest in…
The recent suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Judge of Nigeria has raised fundamental issues that go beyond the government’s claims of fighting corruption and the opposition’s and social activists’ bedlam about the country’s possible descent into fascism. The entire saga has been befuddled by politics such that both the substantive and the procedural aspects of the matter are now matters of contention. There have been several opinions on the issue and the Senate has approached the Supreme Court for the legality or otherwise of the suspension. Individuals like Dr Olisa Agbakoba have also raised complaints against Justice…
Obasanjo’s recent 16-page letter to Buhari, which sounds more like a state-of-the nation address, has, as expected, dominated the deadlines since it was delivered on Sunday, January 20, 2019. Titled, ‘Points for Concern’, the 4,018-word commentary was a bare-knuckled critique of the Buhari government on sundry grounds, including accusations that his government plans to use state institutions to rig the forthcoming elections. Obasanjo also accused Buhari of undermining the country’s democratic process and returning the country to the Abacha era. Though Buhari once claimed that Abacha was a hero, most Nigerians regard him as the poster boy of Nigerian authoritarianism…
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo raised the stakes in the politics of 2023 when he added his voice to the politics of ethnic baiting. Speaking during a visit to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola, on December 22 2013, the Vice President was quoted as saying: “Yoruba have a crucial role to play in the 2019 elections so ensure that APC wins. We are looking at 2023. If we don’t do so well in 2019, the opportunity might evade us.” Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, who accompanied the Vice President to the visit, reportedly went a few steps further.…
