This piece may go down as one of the unpopular opinions in this space, not because it is fallacious, but because the truth it points to, stands the risk of being dismissed as act of jealousy or malice. Of course anyone who maintains regular opinion column will definitely come under fierce criticism, except such fellow is hosting an ineffectual space aimed at pacifying all men and women of honour and dishonor. But any columnist that is worth his onion will occasionally run into rejection, once any of his/her verdicts clashes with popular schools-of-thought on a particular topic.
The court of public opinion which its panel of judges are controlled by emotions have smacked its gavel against me severally. It is one of the hazards of this job (as selfless as it is). Nsukka dialectal rhetorical proverb has it that “onye bu únú sozuru oha uso?” (anyone who seeks universal acceptability must turn himself into salt).
The event that trailed the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections in Abia and Enugu States threw up once again the need for conscientious moral re-armament among Nigerians.
In Abia, Alex Otti of Labour Party was comfortably leading Okey Ahiwe of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), when final results from Obingwa local government area came in with astronomical figures. This monstrous and bogus result, if allowed to stand, would mean that Otti would have been easily knocked off his perch.
Observers shuddered in disbelief!
The people said no, and threw their hats into the ring. Abians were combatant ready to wrestle all accomplices of this sham to the netherworld. Labour Party cried foul. But the decision was with the Returning Officer — Prof Nnenna Oti (who hails from Ebonyi State, but whose surname, by sheer random coincidence, rhymes with that of the State Labour Party candidate).
As Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), she was hired by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as Returning Officer for Abia Guber poll. But when the report of irreconcilable over-voting in Obingwa LGA came, collation was suspended, and the results were taken to Abuja for review by National office of INEC. There was breathtaking stalemate for days while the review lasted. Suspense hovered around the people. After the review, instruction was issued by the reviewers that the controversial Obingwa LGA votes shouldn’t stand, and Prof Nnenna was to announce the results in line with INEC directives.
This, she did, exhibiting overbloated egoism in a manner that doesn’t befit a high ranking academic, a university Don and highbrow Intellectual like her. Let it be on record that Prof. Nnenna’s terms of reference is to declare the final results presented to her, and she did virtually nothing more than that to warrant the resultant mass hubris she incited. How she managed to attract needless attention to herself is a marvel.
But the fact that she could make certain unverified allegations of herself being pressured to pronounce the looser a winner, paints her as someone who knows how to steal the show.
For the record: Nigerians are tired of the two mega political parties — PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) because most people nurse this consensus belief that the two parties had poorly managed our democracy.
Emotions were highly charged against them. The nation’s barometric indices were all showing red, and it was easy to incur the wrath of the masses or court their excitement.
Prof. Nnenna as a Nigerian, and an Igbo of South East extraction knew this very well. So, it was a convenient whim for her to cash into the populist ideology and become a “national hero.” That was not quite the issue as was her boastful disposition. She, (seeing that the country was watching), raised her shoulders and arrogated to herself, the position of arbiter of moral justice.
First, she began by accusing unnamed political actors of wooing her with money, and later charging her with threats to announce their candidate as the winner.
“They came with their threats, they came with their money, they came with their intimidation, I remained unshakable” she alleged with gleeful braggadocio.
Who exactly were the “they”?
Nigeria as a funny state has kept blind eye to the collective pronoun — “they” which she used in her allegation. Even our secret police department never called her for questioning to ascertain the veracity of her claims.
Meanwhile, was it actually her heroism alone that helped saved the day? There are four gated procedures for the declaration of final governorship election results. Collation is done at the polling unit, ward, local governments and state levels, before final declaration of the winner is made.
The first three stages are all potential venues for people to fall for the temptation of altering results and compromising the integrity of the whole process. Many polling agents are usually lured with irresistible offers to look the other way at those levels. Was she at the polling units, wards and local government levels?
The answer is no!
Men stood their ground at those points to insist that the “surplus” in Obingwa result be disregarded. Those were grassroot heros of democracy. But Prof. Nnenna allotted all the glory to herself, because she had the privilege of newsmen’s microphones and cameras.
Since the event, we have seen many Nigerians, including Presidential spokesman — Femi Adesina, praise her to high heavens, and prayed for more of her kind. The truth is that we need more of those grassroot advocates of social justice, who spotted the irregularities in Obingwa, mounted continuous pressure on INEC till it heeded their voices by removing the disputed figures. Prof. Nnenna only announced what the authorities at INEC headquarters Abuja told her to announce. This was why her counterpart in Enugu said that he was announcing the results in line with instructions from the electoral umpire.
Second, she appealed to christian sentiments, in guise of professing her faith. “My conscience as a Christian will not allow me to further participate in this process. I didn’t start today. I stand here before God and Jesus Christ. I have never defrauded anyone. Under me, votes must count, under me, the people’s mandate must be upheld” she said.
While she was making those remarks, she ridiculously raised her shoulders in boastful demonstration of cosmetic spirituality. She blew her own trumpet, canonizing herself on pharisaic altar of self-righteousness. But the Word of God advised: “be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven (Matt. 6:1).
Prophet Jeremiah forewarned: “let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches…” (Jer. 9:23–24).
Christian charity abhors boasting, pride and publicization of good works done by oneself.
Even Jesus Christ, Whom, she mentioned up there admonished: “when you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, “we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (LK. 7:10). The reason for this divine advisory was because “to whom much is given, much is required” (LK. 12:48).
Third, she was grandstanding on public morality. She did what showbiz professionals do — broadcast their good deeds to attract social media hype, and guilt-trip those who may or may not have done as they did. Such public show of ‘moral rectitude’ portends indirect stigma on those they believe they are better off.
There are other Good Nigerians who have done more examplary deeds worthy of emulation, but shut their mouths.
In 2018 a cleaner at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, one Miss Mary Ishaya, picked a bag containing $2,000,140 at the male toilet of the aerodrome and returned it intact to the owner. A clear demonstration of honesty, integrity and incorruptible character. Weeks later, a certain Anthony Obioha, another cleaner with the same airport, found and returned another bag containing $7,000 to the authorities to trace and return it to the owner.
Perhaps, their heroism didn’t trend because they were not Professors or theirs did not bother on electoral matters. Added to her academic gown and garlands of heroism, Prof. Oti should be reminded to adorn the fabrics of humility as the foremost regalia of Christian virtues.
May daylight spare us!
✍️ Jude Eze
