Two things have been handed over to the elected governors in Nigeria without any external audit – Security vote and local government elections. Methinks that the security vote is a form of electioneering campaign refunds to these governors because they are not obligated to account for this monthly allowance. The other side of this gift to the governors is the conduction of local government elections. The governors constitute the election bodies that will supervise activities and conduct the local governments elections. Most of the governors often rig the entire process by using caretaker committees instead of elected Chairmen to run the local governments in their domains to enable them to have total control. Since the committees are appointed by governors, their allegiance will also be to the same.
El Rufai is the only governor in the history Nigeria that has ever conducted free and fair elections. Read his confession:
“While I was the Governor of Kaduna State, I introduced electronic voting and conducted local government election with it. After the election, we lost about three to four local government areas to the opposition, because of the credibility of the election. And because we were transparent in the election, some of those opposition candidates decamped to our party because of our fairness in the election.
“I remember that one governor from the Northwest who loved the conduct of the election through electronic voting asked me to assist him with the technology I used in the election, but because it has the state logo, I told him that it would not cost more than 10,000 US dollars, so that he can get the equipment to conduct his state LGA election electronically. But after that conversation, I did not hear from him again, he went back home and conducted his election by writing the results as usual,”
Every local government election in Nigeria to date is a sham because the presiding officer, the governor, is also contesting in the same election by proxy. The reason why you see the low turnout during the local government elections is that the electorate know that the outcome of every polling booth has been pre-determined days before the election.
However, something to the effect of free and fair elections is brewing in Oyo state. From Oyo INEC to the DSS office, we hear the same tune- Seyi is not interested in rigging elections. Seyi has told the chairmen that he will give them money to campaign etc. If these feelers are true, Seyi will enter our local Guinness book of record as the second governor in the history of Nigeria to conduct free and fair local government elections. His candor, rhetoric and body language concerning the April 27th elections have invited credible people to come out and contest in the elections.
In the interim, we should give Seyi the credit for the A-list of people who have shown interest in the Saturday elections. I have listened to robust jingles, debates and the activities on the streets /WhatsApp and without hesitation give the credit to Governor Seyi Makinde. The energy on the street is to say the least contagious and the list of credible candidates who have put their hopes/fates on the credibility of Governor Seyi Makinde is inexplicably high.
Will Governor Seyi write the election results like other 35 states or conduct free and fair election like Governor El Rufai? Naija Guiness Book of Record is waiting for an update.
Also, will Governor Makinde leave his mark and cultivate a legacy? Saturday 27th will tell.
Isu ati obe wa lowo gomina Makinde
Abiodun Egunjobi
Co-founder, AfricanOrbit
Providence, Rhode Island USA
