By Badamasi
S. Burji
The control of the power of the purse and the levers of power and the misuse of incumbency powers are huge challenges to the electoral process. This was buttressed by Professor Attahiru Jega, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thus: “There is also the abuse of incumbency powers, particularly by parties that are in charge of the states or at the federal level.
On election days, security personnel are used to harass and rig elections in collaboration with political thugs who engage in targeted attacks against INEC staff, agents of political parties and election observers.
Before former Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau contested election in 2007 he granted an interviewed promising to conduct free and fair election and assured people that whoever won from any political party will be given a chance even if it is “mai zakara ce.” Everybody was pleased that Shekarau will lay the permanent foundation of “justice and fairness” where whoever emerges as governor of the state will enjoy massive support.
Incumbents know that Nigeria is a cash-based economy where it is easy to move money around and it is difficult to trace dirty electoral money as some of the incumbents, their friends, fronts and cronies have their own banks, Bureau de Change and cash officers in the different banks and finance houses.
On November 20, 2007, ANPP swept Kano local government (LG) polls capturing 36 out of the 44 councils. Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to the state Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), only won three councils, while elections in five other councils were cancelled as a result of violence that trailed the polls and were placed under caretakers.
Announcements were made by both state and private radio stations that PDP had won Nassarawa, Shekarau’s local government area, and people were happy, praising Shekarau as man of God and a man of his words that Kano will now be a centre for learning democracy. But to the dismay of many people the announcement was later changed. I remember vividly that while the announcements of the elections were made, all won by ANPP, our reporters were still at various election venues informing us that the election was still on or late, they were all surprised when we told them that the results had already been announced.
One of the electoral officers, Suleiman Ramat, who was in charge of Tarauni LG told us that he was with an official who was locked up in an election centre together with the counted ballot boxes, results, agents, observers and security. A friend’s wife was among the officials who were awaiting the security to take them to the announcement centre. But unknown to them even before they started counting, the results had already been announced.
Following Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s defection to APC, political observers predicted that APC would at the close of day emerge victorious at the polls. But as soon as Shekarau defected to the PDP, some people who do not understand Kano politics believed that Shekarau will emerge victorious in ensuring that the PDP carried the day in both Kano State and at the Presidential level, thinking all his cabinet members, party elders and supporters will join him. The prediction and political implication changed when majority of those who were behind him in 2007 election refused to follow him including some of his powerful commissioners and party elders as well as thousands of his supporters.
Today a new page of politics has been turned in Kano. A popular Hausa musician, late Mamman Shata, once said “idan zaka gina ramin mugunta ka ginashi gajere. mayuwa kai zaka fada ciki”. Today, APC did not only win the 44 LGs but also won all the 484 councillorship positions in the state as declared by the returning officers at their various levels.
Very funny, my humble Sardauna has described the exercise as the biggest democratic fraud in history, calling on right thinking Nigerians to disassociate themselves from the results of the exercise. He imploring the national leadership of APC to immediately disassociate itself from the mockery of democracy that was conducted in Kano under its name, saying the poll is a big disgrace to a party which aspires to rule Nigeria.
Does that mean my humble Malam doesn’t know this election is what he sowed and it is time for him to reap it? He was the only person believed to have the power to deliver the state to PDP because most of the boys who helped him rig are still in charge and many top PDP members were at the election venues. Is my humble Malam aware that PDP agents were not even given a kobo by APC and majority of those who were denied chairmanship and councillors are the same people that re-contested and won? Indeed, it is a great lesson. Nobody in Kano is surprised at the election results, repeating it hundred times will only yield the same result. That is why the election was concluded peacefully. Observers testified that it was a free and fair election, but Shekarau will always have his doubts because the boys he used in 2007 are still in position.