In this interview with Paul Okah, the chairman of the African Youth Union Commission (AYUC), Dr Carl Oshodi, speaks on the 2019 general elections and sundry matters.
Excerpts:
Latent agenda
The postponement was a strategy to dissuade the people from taking decisions on how they want Nigeria to be governed. It was glaring on voting day that voters had decided and certain political parties were not at peace with this decision. There was mass movement of people from urban to rural areas where they registered. It was the first time in the history of Nigeria.
It did not happen in 2015 general elections, as there was a wide gap of political apathy. The voter’s apathy and voided votes from 1999 to 2011 tripled itself. But in 2019, the people eager to vote and who collected their PVCs moved massively to their villages, showing a reversal of apathy to activities.
Voters making changes
It also indicated that people were no longer ready for vote buying, because of the sensitization from the media, civil society and political parties, whether directly or indirectly. Nigerians were now aware of the situation they were faced with. The long years of ineptitude, crisis, irresponsibility of the government of the day, stakeholders in the private sectors encapsulated in the desire by the people for a change, to restructure the country by themselves by casting their votes. This willingness, desire or hope was dashed by the postponement of the elections.
Apathy
The postponement was the grand plan of political entrepreneurs. They had in mind to create political apathy so that elections can be rigged in favour of any political party that has rigging mechanism.
The APC and PDP are trading accusations of having devised rigging methods. Whatever the rigging method, the two parties have attested to the fact that they have rigging plans. Whoever is rigging should know that the people themselves will not allow it. When there is apathy, rigging will be possible, but impossible with empathy, because people will come out en mass.
There has been an orthodox system laid down for elections. Politicians have always known the voters. Most of them have been living in the community. But now, there is a system of a group of voters added to the old faces. So, the possibility of vote buying is now null and void.
Advocacy
Our ability as activists and civil society actors, the media, civil rights movement, the government sector, the international community, election observers is to continue to encourage these people who are taking their time to right the wrongs of their nation to go back to their respective communities and cast their votes on that day. It should not be business as usual for these politicians.
It should be, for the first time, let Nigerians decide to express their grievances through the power of the ballot. Let Nigerians decide that if you messed up in an administration, we will have the power to remove you in the next political dispensation. Nigerians should be encouraged to go to their respective polling units to cast their votes, wait for their votes to be counted. That way, those who want to snatch and stuff ballot boxes will be recorded.
Punishment of riggers
The hand of the law will also catch up with them by prosecuting those caught in the act. The only way this can be possible is when you increase political empathy and not apathy. People must begin to reflect on the scientific structure of governance in this country. The people should decide who governs them, how they should be governed. They should be included in decision making and policy framing.
It is through the electoral process that people will begin to understand that public debate and issues as small as policy decisions and framing can be brought to public debates. This is where they can right that wrong. I believe that the People’s response will be answered to at this time.
On Buhari’s death threat to ballot box snatchers
I think that there is a misinformation somewhere, as the president could not have directly said that ballot box snatchers should be shot. However, people are now scared. He was supposed to encourage people to go out and vote and that those caught snatching and stuffing ballot boxes will be arrested and prosecuted.
That is the right language that a civilian president, a democratically elected president is supposed to say, because you are not dealing with animals. You are leading a people as conscious as Nigerians. You are leading a political enclave of intelligent, smart law abiding and peaceful people.
Electoral violence
In civilized climes, people don’t snatch ballots. This is because they have a system working for them. However, that the president has ordered law enforcement agencies to deal decisively with ballot box snatchers is empowering our already misguided security agencies to shoot at the slightest provocation.
They may shoot even those that want to ask questions or raise questions over irregularities in polling units. These people can now be shot and branded as ballot box snatchers. It means he has given a prerogative order to security agencies to shoot at sight fellow Nigerians who are casting their votes to decide what is happening in the country.
People making changes
For people to leave the city center in droves to their villages, especially those who have not been to their villages for years, means they want to make a change. Will this same people who have not been to their villages for ten or twenty years turn to snatching boxes?
People are now fed up and want to vote out or vote in leaders. They want to vote for the candidates of their choice, based on issues that have been happening so far. The issue of insecurity is still here, as herdsmen have been visiting villages, killing people and ransacking homes. We have insecurity everywhere, even when security agencies are not living up to expectations.
Trigger happy officers
Recently, a customs officer killed an innocent Nigerian on Benin-Lagos road because of N5,000. The customs then fabricated an issue that did not existing. We have seen a situation where SARS went to places and killed people, especially young people. We have seen situations whereby policemen on patrol killed drivers because of N20 bribe.
We have seen situations where military men harass, humiliate and intimidate Nigerians and reduce them to animals. And now the president is giving them the prerogative to shoot at sight. The statement implies that anybody can be killed by a trigger-happy security agent and the individuals will be tagged ballot box snatchers.
Innocent Nigerians killed
We have had issues where innocent Nigerians are killed and ammunitions are placed on their dead bodies and they are paraded as suspected criminals or people who died in a cross fire between criminals and security agencies. How can someone make such a statement at this time and say he is the president? I am greatly disappointed. It has nothing to do with party. For me, the APC and PDP are the same. But the language of the president is unheard of. A man who has presidential charisma can never say that.
That he said it after a caucus meeting is even more baffling. Caucus means secret, inner circles, strictly for members. You can’t be selling your product to other members. It means you are giving the mandate to security agencies to shoot your opponents at sight and label them ballot box snatchers. It is a disappointment that we are seeing a time like this.
Impeachment offence
Under the section that brought him to power, Mr President has committed an impeachable offence. His statement has increased political apathy by 120 percent. Right now, those who want to go to the village will not go anymore. They don’t want to be killed by people masquerading as security agencies. The villagers will stay in their homes because they don’t want to be killed by the trigger loving security officers loyal to the government in power.
Even those in the polling units will be scared to address some of the misgivings by raising up alarms. The person can be shot and labeled ballot box snatcher. The statement of the president has created tension and has reduced the voting population to 70 percent. The people you will see in the polling units are just 30 percent of the people that would have voted last week. Therefore, it is unfortunate that at this time of our electoral maturity, we still behave like people who live in cave stones.
