INEC should be congratulated on Kogi election - Aduwo

Olufemi AduwoOlufemi Akinbule Aduwo, is the executive director Probity and Ethics Society[PES] and the co-coordinator Rights Monitoring Group.Recently Shola Adekola took him up in Lagos on national issues ranging from the on-going probe of the power sector to the just concluded Kogi State election among others. Excerpts:

You were in Kogi State to monitor the just concluded re-run for the governorship election. What were your impressions about the conduct of that election?
Unlike other observers, my team arrived there on Thursday and we monitored the distribution of materials from state headquarters to the local government. We are so satisfied with the way INEC handled the materials and the second day we deployed more than 88 observers excluding the ones we used by proxy.

We had people like Femi Aborishade, Dele Akele, five senior journalists and ASUU members. Many credible associations were there also and we were able to monitor the way and manner INEC did its job. We were satisfied, election especially in a developing nation like ours can not be 100 percent free, even the so-called American democracy still go about with hiccups in their electoral system. What we saw in Kogi was not what the media projected, no body thought that Kogi will not get burnt. I remember we were in Okene and that was why we made it known as correction that the crisis that erupted in Okene was between the miscreants and some youths before the election. The electoral officials came out around 10.30am, what we heard from elders, we spoke with when we got there around 9.30am was that there were gun shots somewhere among some miscreants between 7.00am and 8.30 am, then electoral materials were not there yet. We took pictures there and election went peacefully. And to confirm that the election there was peaceful, no single casuality was reported. Even in Nigeria, when you conduct local government election, you see people dying. In the case of Kogi State, how many people have been confirmed dead? So far, so good, we give INEC a pass mark for Kogi election.

Kogi re-run election was a test case for future re-run elections. Do you think the same process should be used to conduct elections in other states?
Kogi is a different terrain, INEC, this time around, did not use adhoc staff, the NYSC members were used as polling clerks. They used their members of staff. They deployed directors and assistant directors to serve from twelve states from the North. If you know what they went through, you will give them Kudos. It was a real sacrifice. The use of NYSC is a kind of test running. There was a little improvement in logistics and distribution. If materials can get there 48hrs before election e.g Adamawa State is a very vast area. Yola, to some local governments is about six hours and materials must go to those areas earlier. The security operatives played a very vital role in that election, it was wonderful on the part of the military and paramilitary. It would have been so bad if the security was not there, they were impartial and ensured that everything went smoothly.

From what you have said now, you have scored INEC a pass mark, but after the election we discovered that eleven in some wards were cancelled in Okene and four others Audu has gone to the Tribunal. How would you reconcile this with what you have said?
Thank you very much. It is only a stupid teacher that will score his student 100 percent. Now remove all those areas mentioned and put them in percentage, you see that all that was cancelled will not be up to 00.1 or 00.2 percent of the total figure. Even PDP is still contesting the election in Okene. We have the pictures of election in Okene. Election took place in Okene, we witnessed it. INEC can not score 100 percent. If the area cancelled was to be about 65 percent, then they will be saying that they will be a run-off of the election. In case of Audu, if you are wronged as a Nigerian, you can go to court, but I am afraid that going to court this time around, they are just extending Idris' time, because he is starting afresh now as a governor. So it is a blessing to him.

As a political observer, you noticed all that happened, what would you say led to the cancellation of the wards results
It may be due to mutilation of papers, multiple voting or over voting because it did not involve the entire Okene, but because a lot of people protested the crises. Even when you cancell result in Okene all the parties are losers. I was at the INEC headquarters when the results were coming in and I saw all the agents but the party agent of the ANPP was urging reluctantly that the election in Okene must be cancelled. INEC would have seen a lot of things that made them cancel the result. So to give a kind of leverage to the acceptability of the total vote they cancelled. It was a good development.

After the exit of Nuhu Ribadu as EFCC chairman the agency is said to be crawling now. What are your views?
I am concerned about EFCC. When Ibrahim Abdullahi Lamorde came as the director of operations; I met with him and gave documents on the activities of fraudsters in the country at our own risk. Most of those we reported earlier are being dealt with. The issue of corruption is not EFCC affairs; if we want corruption to be reduced in the country all Nigerians must join the war against corruption. When you keep quiet and assumed you will be killed, you are damaging yourself or your family and even the generation yet unborn.

Lamorde is a new helmsman. Do you think he can fit into the shoes of Ribadu?
I recalled a long time ago when I asked if Ribadu goes today, in this order, I mentioned Lamorde and the personal assistant to Inspector-general of police, Solomon Assertion whether these men are capable of the job. Yes they have everything it takes to manage that place. What happened over the years in EFCC is not one man's credit. You only hear Ribadu because he was the chairman. Without the capable hands that believe in his vision, Ribadu would not have been able to achieve 10 percent. Larmorde was the director of operations, the engine room of EFCC, for him to be the chairman now, I have no doubt that he is capable. But my fear now is that I have now seen the EFCC that is moving at a snail speed. Remembere last year Ribadu said 32 former governors had cases to answer, meanwhile Ade Bendel that was involved in fraud was jailed but these governors that stole money meant for the people are left off the hook. One of the governors that had a case to answer was the one that made Ogbulafor the chairman of PDP. That PDP is dead, that party is gone. We are expecting EFCC to act now, if they fail to act now, we will look beyond what is happening. Nigeria can not claim to be observing the rule of law more than America . In America , they have presidential task force on corruption and when you are caught you're handcuffed. No country that wants to survive corruption will handle the issue of corruption slightly in the country. These governors are lucky.

The minister of health,Adenike Grange and her junior counterpart resigned as a result of N300m fraud in the ministry, how do you see it?
N300m a chicken change. The level of bribery that is going on in this government give are headache. I have not gotten details but I can tell Nigerians that nothing will come out of the N300m scandal. I only pity Professor Grange and people are suspecting that it was a calculated attempt to bring her down. Mobalaji Oshomo, the former minister of housing was rattled and disgraced based on housing sale scandal. Look at Grange, somebody with a long time credibility from the world organization is now being rubbished On the e issue of probe, I don't think we will get anywhere. The National Assembly that increased budget from N4b to N17b and their salary from N2m to N20M monthly are just crooks, very soon Nigerians will rise against them. They believe President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is following rule of law. What happened to the case of Adolphus Wabara and Steve Osuji over N50m scandal, today where is that case. Whether you are talking about energy sector or whatever, they all want their share of the money.

Are you saying that this power probe will end in futility?
Nothing will come out. Nothing. Assuming my uncle,Olusegun Agagu or Liyel Imoke are involved in the scandal and you know they are covered by immunity and you know that the immunity is extended beyond tenure, because today we see our brother Odili enjoying immunity. A judge sat somewhere and gave injunction that Odili should not be prosecuted by law enforcement agencies. So one day if I will commit a crime l can rush to a law court where my sister is a magistrate and get injunction from being arrested. It is a shame to the bar and bench. How can you give stupid injunctions, that shows that we don't have court of justice in Nigeria, we have court of law. We have a black market judiciary in Nigeria.