‘Get to court,’ is the new catchphrase in Nigerian election history. The term is widely used these days by announced ‘winners’ of an election to cover up their well-planned illegal behaviour during the polls. The statement is used at their opponents, who are said to have ‘lost’ the hotly contested and contentious elections. This slogan has been notoriously popularised by several of the All Progressive Congress’s eloquent spokespersons (APC). Sadly, some of these rambling individuals are sitting ministers, previous ministers, and former government officials.
It is widely said that those who say go to court already have the judiciary in their wallets, which implies that their opponents will never achieve justice. The manner in which this statement has been confidently and arrogantly utilised since the February and March elections lends validity to this charge. Nonetheless, the wicked deeds of Nigerian politicians are reaching new heights. More importantly, this indicates that there is a fading culture of virtuous life in Nigeria’s political sphere.
Again, this demonstrates unequivocally that politics in Nigeria is a nasty game dominated by ungodly individuals. This explains why the gang of politicians employing the mantra “go to court” do not want to see any decent person in Nigeria’s political sphere. To control the political landscape, they must fight dirty.
This new word has taken the political culture of impunity and flagrant misuse of the law to a new and dangerous level. And this terrible degree of electoral crime by desperate politicians is currently battling for political dominance. It is a worrisome new phenomena because it has the potential to unleash widespread chaos at both the macro and micro levels of human interaction in Nigerian society. For example, one is concerned that one day, someone may cut off another person’s head and then sue the deceased person’s family in court.
And one could ask if going to court will bring the dead guy back to life. What kind of futile justice is being demanded? Is Nigeria reverting to Hobbesian nature, where existence was’solitary, poor, ugly, brutish, and short’? With frequent killings by terrorists, robbers, herdsmen, and unknown gunmen in every area of the nation, some would argue that Nigeria is already in a “Hobbesian state of war.” Sadly, the acts and inactions of politicians were solely responsible for this anarchical Hobbesian condition. Victims of politicians’ wicked activities are already wailing in Nigeria.
It is heartening to see, however, that the rising (political) culture of impunity in election administration has just experienced a setback in Adamawa State. In reality, the Adamawa State supplementary election catastrophe was the latest attempt by this gang of desperate politicians and their electoral administration partners to impose candidates in an arrogant way against the will of the people. The Adamawa case is one of the most visible expressions of the wicked activities of Nigerian politicians. Mr. Hudu Yunusa-(the Ari’s Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa state) most blatant, irresponsible, and audacious misuse of authority in the history of Nigeria’s election management is a heinous crime that should be prosecuted as treasonable, similar to a military takeover of government.
When Hudu Ari openly and brazenly flouted the law by declaring the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Party (APC) the winner of a yet-to-be-completed electoral process (under the protection of the state Commissioner of Police and some other security officials), the well-planned strategy was to ask the loser to go to court. Luckily, the immediate action of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) national headquarters put a halt to the well-planned crime. Hudu Ari’s behaviour was a well-planned parody of our democratic process and a violation of our democracy.
Many people are wondering why, if INEC’s national headquarters was able to quickly identify the illegality in Adamawa, the same INEC was unable to do so during the presidential election on February 25, 2023. More and more evidence has developed to show that INEC Chairman knew what he did during the presidential election when he swiftly declared a winner despite obvious irregularities.
When agents from opposing parties complained at the national collation centre about large-scale anomalies (which many Nigerians witnessed), those who believe in the rule of law expected the INEC Chairman to halt the process. Notwithstanding this, he persisted with the collation process and even went ahead and announced the faulty election results that night. This left enough space for people to plausibly conclude that there was an organised effort to rig the presidential election in order to advance a certain agenda, while remaining selectively objective and firm in other elections.
This explains why INEC receives both acclaim and criticism from politicians of all political stripes, ethnicities, and religions. Yet, in the end, supporters of the rule of law believe that there is no difference between what the INEC Chairman did during the presidential election collation process and what the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner did during the supplemental election collation. INEC’s selective objectivity creates the impression that it has been fair to everybody. This is far from the case.
About the APC gubernatorial candidate, who has received a lot of sentimental support across the country since she is a woman, we believe she has disappointed many and lost many followers with good conscience. If the outcome of this election is any indication, many people believe that womanhood has been shamed and debased. Womanhood deserved (and still deserves) more honour, decency, and respect than she demonstrated.
Many people would agree that her actions were heinous. If we recall that it was her firm that INEC granted the contract to supply the sensitive materials utilised in the elections, then there is more to her reprehensible political behaviour. When we consider that many followers of opposing political parties complained about having difficulties identifying their emblem while voting, it is apparent that INEC and the ruling party understood exactly what they were doing in that presidential election.
A lady of her kind should not be entrusted with anything of public concern and should be’retired’ from politics for life by Adamawa people. Advocates for women’s representation in politics should be concerned with the character of people they support for political offices. Immaculate honesty is a critical aspect in guiding such assistance. Good people do not want to know or hear that a woman has’made money’ and so deserves to be supported.
Does Hudu Yunusa-Ari act alone in his blatant exhibition of criminality? This’failed coup’ in Adamawa State must have been prepared by a bunch of political criminals. For a commissioner of police and others to cover him, there must be higher criminal collaborators and authorities, such as the main benefactor, her colleagues, and the ‘Abuja factor,’ which strengthened the psychological confidence. It would thus be immoral and unjust to penalise Hudu Ari and other state-based security personnel while ignoring other higher-level criminal facilitators. In this situation, state authorities were simply foot troops. The election debacle was a high-level, well-planned organised political crime, and all those involved should be identified and prosecuted.
By the way, why would there be unnecessary bureaucracy in prosecuting the political criminals in the Adamawa election fiasco? When thieves and armed robbers are caught in the act, they are apprehended immediately. But why would the police wait for INEC to write it before arresting the State Resident Electoral Commissioner? When persons are participating in a coup, they are swiftly arrested. So, what’s the difference between the Adamawa electoral coup and the military coup? Those who yell treason have refused to notice this one.
