Nigerians Should Watch Jega
The long awaited 2015 electoral time table was over the weekend released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the chagrin of most Nigerians.
Granted that it has been the wishes of all to ensure that the time table is made public as soon as possible which goes to express the desire and curiosity of the political class who actually want to fit into the project properly.
However, one had expected that the Alhaji Attahiru Jega’s led INEC having seen the heat which the 2015 general elections is already generating and generated, would have soothe the wound by ensuring transparency right from the word go.
But rather, it beats the imagination of most citizens of the twist which now promoted both the Presidential and National Assembly elections above all others to be the first to be held in February 2014.
Common sence has it that the essence of holding the House of Assembly and Governorship elections should be to taste the strength of the various parties at the states since Nigeria is not running a one party system.
But fixing the Presidential and National Assembly elections first at this stage of our democracy is unfair, undemocratic and unacceptable. The interest of Nigerians should not be which party or which person wins at any given time or not rather, our interest should be that the most popular and acceptable party and persons should carry the day.
Now that the All Peoples Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) particularly are laying claims to majority and wide acceptance, it would have been right to expose these claims by allowing or introducing the downward approach of conducting the 2015 elections.
It is by so doing that the rest of the world and indeed Nigerians will be able to appreciate the strengths of these political parties and their so called leaders and their magic wand.
But holding the presidential election first would simply create the opportunity for the winning party to influence both the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the states.
And by so doing, we will find ourselves in the express road to one party system which of course is not healthy for both our democracy and development of the nation.
Although the INEC Chairman was recently quoted in the Daily Papers of saying that he can not guarantee a free and fair elections in 2015, but we do not want him to further convince us by his actions.
Nigeria already is sitting on a cake of gun powder following the over zealousness of our political class who are threatening fire and brimstone daily and anything that would further give room and create room for the realization of these threats should be nipped in the bud.
And it is the Jega’s led electoral empire that has the magic, the power as well as the key to salvaging this country with the conduct of the 2015 general elections which presently is the mare or make factor to our continued co-existence as a people.
The Emekuku Centerdness Of Chief Martin Agbaso And The Progress Of Imo State
It is a known adage that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Human utterances and outward behavior usually reflect ones personality and innermost beliefs. No matter how much people pretend they tend to betray themselves by their actions and utterances. Even Christ stressed at it by providing the eternal measure for humans and human organizations viz – by their fruits, ye shall know them.
It is sad that the Hack writers of Chief Martin Agbaso has chosen to misinform the Imo public about an incident which occurred at the very recent National Executive Committee Meeting of the ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA) at Awka in Anambra State, on the appointment of additional members of the Board of Trustees [BOT). To put matters accurately, after the announcement of the list of twenty five (25) names which included Chief Martin Agbaso, Senator Chris N. D. Anyanwu protested the non inclusion of women in the list. At that point Chief Martin Agbaso passed on the name of one Mrs. Dozie to the National Chairman for inclusion but Senator Anyanwu objected on the grounds that she comes from the same place as Chief Martin Agbaso in Emekuku and opted for a better spread. This is more so, as the only BOT member of APGA from Imo State before this exercise was Sir Henry Mmegwa also from Emekuku. When the point being made by the Distinguished Senator was correctly understood, an additional provision for five (5) slots was created for the women folk nationwide out of which she secured two slots for Okigwe and Orlu Senatorial Zones.
Therefore when the Hack writers contracted by Chief Martin Agabso talk of our Distinguished Senator being disgraced at the meeting, one wonders where they got that notion from. How could she be disgraced when she was responsible for winning the five (5) BOT slots for women in the country and for ensuring that other Senatorial zones in Imo State were adequately represented in the board? On the other hand, it can be correctly argued that it was Chief Martin Agbaso who disgraced himself at the meeting. First by coming late and being reprimanded for being a habitual late comer to important party functions; Secondly for storming the venue of the meeting with nine (9) luxurious buses loaded with thugs from God know where, and thirdly by exhibiting his well known EMEKUKU CENTERDNESS in his management of APGA affairs in Imo State. It is no secret that all the slots given to APGA in the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha while in APGA were handed to Emekuku people and his relatives. Emekuku is just one out of six hundred (600) autonomous communities in Imo State. As at now, it has the three (3) positions meant for Owerri Senatorial zone in the new Board of Trustees (BOT) as well as other key positions in the party and government.
Chief Johnson Obasi
Imo State APGA principal stakeholder,
Uzoagba – Ikeduru LGA.
