Kogi Harvest: Iwu Must Go Now!

THIS piece is not about the revered Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, nicknamed by his admirers and literary followers as ‘Kongi’ after one of his fictional characters. The idea is to celebrate the victory of the people at the Election Tribunal. The inspiring news from Kogi is really a harvest for the democratic efforts of the people who queued for hours on end to exercise their right to elect the Governor of that state. That those efforts were frustrated by ballot snatchers, ballot ‘stuffers’ and hoodlums who wielded guns, machetes and all sorts of dangerous weapons is no longer news.

The nullification by the Election Tribunal of the charade that took place in that state on the 14th and 21st of April this year in the name of election is worth celebrating. Although the main ground for the nullification was the unlawful exclusion of one of the candidates, I have no doubt whatsoever that the election could still have been nullified on the ground of substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, not to talk of my conviction that it could also have been voided on the ground of corrupt practices that were widespread, routine and rampant. Let us face it, what Professor Iwu and his cohorts orchestrated in April were anything but elections. By any and all standards of election and even election rigging the April exercise was nothing short of an organised infamy criminally and bestially executed by those who have no regards for the dignity of our people or for decency. If we say that those elections were rigged it is simply because we cannot find a more apt word for the very shameful conspiracy. To rob insult into our collective injury rather than shut up those who masterminded the fraud are still waxing lyrical about how they organised credible elections. It is either that they have no sense of shame or are living in a fool’s paradise. Whichever may be the case, we badly needed someone to shut them up and that is what the Election Tribunal sitting in Kogi has done most admirably.

Until set aside the Tribunal has given judicial confirmation to what we already know, namely, that Professor Iwu and his people unlawfully excluded a man who as a citizen of this country was entitled to aspire to lead his people. That Iwu could be blaming the civil society for his gross incompetence shows that he has not learnt any lesson.

That damning verdict on Iwu’s INEC has consequences or ought to have consequences. It is no longer defensible for President Yar’ Adua to retain Iwu and his co-conspirators in the Commission and still claim that he is a good man interested in electoral reforms. Good people don’t mingle or fellowship with bad people. The English people are right when they say that birds of the same plumage flock together. While Iwu in the sit-tight tradition of the Nigerian elite may not see the honour in resigning as a result of the finding of the Tribunal, the President must help him and our country by shoving the man aside even if it has to be with nice words. The man must be sacked now. Permitting him to preside over the bye-election in Kogi is nothing other than denying the people of Kogi State their deserved victory through the backdoor. It is not right to allow that in the interest of democracy.

We must salute the members of the Election Tribunal Panel for their dedication and sense of duty. They have sent an unmistakeable message to politicians and the Commission that the judiciary will no longer tolerate rigging and undemocratic exclusion. The other candidates who were rigged out can also hope for a repeat performance in their cases. All said the Kogi harvest is good for our democracy.

At Last, Reason Prevails In Oyo!

Many Nigerians heaved a huge sigh of relief when the news filtered in that the Oyo State traditional rulers had brokered peace between the Government of Oyo State and its workers in respect of the industrial dispute over the payment of minimum wage. I am not writing now as the lawyer handling the matter, but as a concerned Nigerian. The strike could have been averted in the first place if the Government of Oyo State had been more tolerant and sensitive. Governments need to accept that workers who create the wealth of any nation are entitled to be respected and given humane conditions of work. I believe that the government was misdirected to sack the entire workforce. If the right lessons are learnt no government would try such a joke again. The government says it will press on with the case to declare the strike unlawful. I don’t know what it intends to achieve by declaring illegal a strike that has been called off after a hectic negotiation involving traditional rulers invited by the government. All I can say for now is that we will meet in court. By the way, it was good seeing the leadership of the workers and the Governor breaking their fast together at the government house the other day. I did not know that the governor was a moslem. But if he fasted in solidarity with the moslem faithfuls, that may be the beginning of good things to come. But the better solidarity would be to pay all the workers well so that they can also break their continued fast with good meals in their own homes.

Don’t you agree with me?