It was this time last year. February 25 was the date. It was one day that Nigerians looked up to. They had worked hard towards the actualization of the promise that the day held. On that day, Nigerians had looked forward to a bright new beginning.
They had imagined that the day would make all the difference. They had hoped that it would give them the Nigeria of their dream. The presidential election scheduled for that date was the clincher. Nigerians thought that the election would usher in a credible leadership that their country sorely needed.
Regrettably, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by Mahmood Yakubu scuttled the people’s yearnings and aspirations. Rather than give the people the opportunity to choose their president, Yakubu made the choice for them. He gave the country the president of his choice.
One year after, we were set to reflect on the tragedy of that fateful day when Yakubu and his Commission intruded with a ridiculous afterthought. In a report released one year after the election , the commission explained why the INEC result viewing portal, IRev, failed to upload the presidential election results despite the seamless performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). The commission said it was due to an http error. According to the commission, there was no issue in uploading Polling Unit (PU) result sheets of the Senate and House of Representatives through the Election Result Modules. However, there was problem with uploading the presidential election results to the system. It said the system encountered an unexpected configuration problem in mapping the presidential election results uploaded into the system to the participating polling units.
“One year after the mess that was made of February 25, the people are gasping for breath. The leadership they got is clueless. Its incompetence has boiled over. The country is on death throes.”
What do we make of this linguistic rigmarole? Practically nothing. We can only say that the commission simply sent language on holiday. It just regaled us with inexact definitions. It does not want language to settle down into a stable form so that we can contain or decide it. INEC, in all seriousness, has used language to distort the matter further. But we are not taken in by that antic. Yakubu and his commission have failed to convince anybody that what worked for the Senate and House of Representatives elections cannot work for the presidential election even when the three elections were held simultaneously. INEC’s explanation is sheer bunkum. The story can only be told to the marines.
In reflecting on this matter, we must recall that Nigerians had so much expectation from the 2023 presidential election. Yakubu gave them so much hope. And many believed him. Only a few, like my skeptical self, entertained some mixed feelings. I did not know whether to believe or doubt this man. I just had my reservations. That was why, some seven days to the presidential election, I went into my sanctuary and observed as follows in this Column.
“They (Nigerians) have been promised by INEC that their votes will count. But much more than that, the introduction of technology by the commission is giving them hope. The impression they get is that elections can no longer be manipulated now that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation system (BIVAS) has been put in place. According to Yakubu, “votes will continue to count and will be the sole determinant of the electoral outcome”. He has also said that the commission will deploy appropriate technology “to protect the sanctity of the choice made by Nigerians at the polls”. The commission is also promising that BIVAS will be aided by the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal which makes the result management procedure more transparent. With this device, polling unit results will be uploaded to the portal in real-time in the 2023 general elections. Nigerians are relying heavily on this promise from INEC. The people are believing the commission and that is why their interest in the electoral system has picked up.
“So, what will Yakubu do with these trump cards? Will the technologies work as he has presented them? Will the machines be discriminatory or selective? Will what worked in Zungeru fail to work in Opobo? Questions abound. But whatever the doubts or reservations may be, the commission has a responsibility to ensure that Nigerians as a whole or in part do not feel disappointed at the end of the day. Beyond technology, the more important factor is the human element. Yakubu is human. So he can fail. But should we expect failure from him or should he aspire to fail? Neither is an option in this matter. Yakubu is at a historical juncture in his career. His performance on this job is not his alone. It is even more significant in the way it will affect the survival, peace and progress of the country or the absence of all of them. But what is difficult to come by here is sincerity of purpose. Is Yakubu just wearing an innocent mien or will he prove to be a true lover of his country? If he chooses the latter, then he will not cohabit with negative influencers. Rather, he will put Nigeria first and every other consideration last. What will Yakubu choose? History beckons.”
Was this observation prophetic? Did it foresee what we are going through at moment? The answer lies in your cognitive abilities. But what is obvious in it all is that Yakubu’s choice has messed up Nigeria. It has taken the country to the pit of hell. One year after his imposed choice, Nigeria has become a complete shadow. The president Yakubu imposed on Nigerians has taken them to the gallows. The people look forlorn. They look forsaken. They are at a loss as to how to get out of the cesspit.
In fact, the people’s worst fears have been confirmed. Before Yakubu came with his revisionism, the people were scared stiff of anything that would leave them in the hands of the old order. They yearned for a new Nigeria. They looked forward to a new way of doing things. This, they know, can only be achieved through a new and uncorrupted leadership. Unfortunately, the choice of Nigerians was thrown overboard. Contrary to Yakubu’s assurances, the people’s vote did not count. The technology that Yakubu elevated to oracular heights was only programmed to fail. And it failed, leaving the country with an imposed leadership.
One year after the mess that was made of February 25, the people are gasping for breath. The leadership they got is clueless. It cannot run the country. Its incompetence has boiled over. The country is on death throes. If only the people were given a free hand to choose their leadership. This tragedy is too much for us all.