Politics
Lesson From The British Elections
Great Britain is an old parliamentary democracy in Europe. It occupies an area of about ninety-four square miles and has a population of about fifty-eight million. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Island, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. As already stated, it is’ a parliamentary democracy with a central and local governments. It is not a federal system but a unitary system of government. It is one of the most advanced countries of the world having some of the oldest universities on earth. These include Oxford, Cambridge and St. Anclrew’s universities. The country is also known as the United Kingdom. It is a welfare state where citizens enjoy a social security scheme to stave off abject poverty.
However, on May 6, 2010, the British people went to the polls to elect a new government. The main contending parties were the Labour Party led by Gordon Brown, the conservative party led by David Cameron and the Liberal Democratic Party led by Nicholas Clegg. At the end of the polls, the elections produced a hung parliament. Which means no party was able to win majority seats in parliament to form the government. For instance, the conservative party got three hundred and five seats, the Labour Party scored two hundred and eighty-seven seats while the Liberal Democratic Party won fifty-eight seats. To be able to form the government a party must win three hundred and twenty-six seats. Altogether the parliament has six hundred and fifty seats. In any case, because of the hung parliament a coalition government was formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. The Conservative Party is the leader in this arrangement because it scored the highest number seats in the parliament. The two parties won three hundred and sixty-three seats in the six-hundred and fifty seat parliament.
At all events, what should be noted is that the whole process of party selection, campaign, election results and formation of government lasted only one month. It should further be noted that apart from the three leading parties forty other parties including independent candidates contested for the elections. And yet the whole process lasted only one month as already indicated. There was no thuggery, there was no electoral malpractice. No party manipulated electoral register. No party went into the voting arena and seized ballots after elections. No money exchanged hands, no bribery, no corruption, no godfathers, no infringement of the electoral rules, the whole game was played according to the rules. Infact, the whole political parties and the Independent candidates were satisfied with the outcome of the elections. That is how it should be. The political game should be played according to the rules. If the rules are followed in the game there will be no problem whatsoever. In the United Kingdom the rules are followed. That is why they have political stability. When there is political stability there will be economic and social stability and progress.
But the case in Nigeria is different. Elections in Nigeria are seen as a “do or die” affair. Because of this electoral rules are not obeyed. Votes are rigged. Elections are manipulated. Thugs are used to disrupt electoral process. There are bribery and corruption at every level of the process. In some cases offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission are set on fire and razed all in the name of politics. Our most recent general election the 2007 elections were not free and fair. Because of this the electoral tribunals and the courts of the land are still deciding cases brought to them by aggrieved politicians. That is three years after the 2007 elections in Nigeria.
One of the cases just settled in 2010 was that between Chief Alphonsus Igbeke of the All Nigeria People’s Party and Mrs Joy Emodi of the People’s Democratic Party over who will represent Anambra North Senatorial District. Victory was earlier given to Mrs Emodi and since 2007, she was the senator representing the disputed District. Chief Igbeke felt he was cheated because he won the election for the Anambra North Senatorial District. He took the matter to the Appeal Court and the court decided in his favour and ordered that he should be sworn in as the Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District on May 11, 2010. Other candidates who won in the courts included Governors Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.
“ Nonetheless, the lessons to be learnt from the British elections are that we in Nigeria should always obey the electoral rules whenever we are going to the polls to elect our leaders. Our leaders should follow the exempt of the British party leaders and play the electoral game according to that’ rules. Nobody should bribe. Nobody should employ thugs because of elections and manipulate ballots. The British leaders/parties did not do this. We should copy it. Actually, the problem with Nigerian politics and election is not in the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission but in the players of the political game. If we all are honest and follow the rules there will be no electoral malpractice. The lesson is clear: follow the rules and get a free and fair election as it is in Great Britain.
Dr Tolofari, Fellow,
Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria.
Mann Tolofari
The Rivers contest is expected to draw heightened attention in the oil-rich state, as political actors position for influence in a district long regarded as strategic to the balance of power in Rivers State.
INEC disclosed that the by-elections will hold concurrently with the Ekiti State governorship election, underscoring what promises to be a politically charged day across several parts of the country.
Beyond Rivers, the electoral body listed other affected constituencies to include Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, Ondo South Senatorial District, and Enugu North Senatorial District.
The vacancies, according to INEC, arose from a combination of deaths, resignation, and other constitutional developments. In Nasarawa, the demise of Senator Godiya Akwashika has left a gap in a district considered a stronghold of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In Enugu, the passing of Senator Okey Ezea has set the stage for a competitive race in the South-East.
Similarly, the Ondo South seat became vacant following the resignation of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who now serves as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa seat in Kano opened up after the death of Hon. Muhammad Danjuma Hassan.
Analysts say the Rivers South-East by-election, in particular, could reshape political alignments in the state, as parties jostle to fill the void left by Sen. Mpigi and consolidate their foothold ahead of future electoral contests.
Stakeholder from Bayelsa East Senatorial District, on Monday, endorsed the incumbent Senator representing them to run for a second term.
Leading the stakeholders, the former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism and Special Adviser to Governor Douye Diri on Political Affairs (iii), Dr Iti Orugbani, said the reason for the endorsement was based on the federal lawmaker’s trajectory of good deeds and massive execution of projects across communities of the Senatorial district.
Dr Orugbani highlighted some of the projects to include landing jetties, telecommunication masts and town halls amongst others, noting that Sen. Agadaga’s performance has exceeded those of others who hitherto represented the oil rich area.
Bayelsa East Senatorial District comprises Ogbia, Brass and Nembe Local Government Areas of the State.
The Governor’s aide who called on the State’s Eastern political enclave to respect the 2022 new zoning agreement, which guaranteed second term for Senators from the District, stressed the need for political tolerance and peace in the forthcoming 2027 polls.
“In 2022 the leaders and stakeholders across party lines from Bayelsa East held a meeting and altered the old single term for Senators from the district’s agreement and signed that begining from 2023 any Senator emerging from the district must serve for a minimum of two terms.
“In 2023, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, then an incumbent Senator representing the Senatorial district under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was given a second term ticket by the party. Though he lost to the PDP.
“Now that the entire state is now APC and the District has an APC Senator in the person of Benson Agadaga from Ogbia LGA, why not also give him a second tenure?
“The stakeholders in 2022 changed the old political agreement because they saw that it wasn’t beneficial to the district any longer. And so, because it was Ogbia Local Government Area that started the old zoning arrangement by producing the first Senator in 1999, I want to plead that let Ogbia also begin the new two terms zoning agreement”, he said.
Also speaking, the duo of woman leader of a support group, ‘Agadema Women’, Mrs. Owadaba Jokori and the Information Officer of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Central Zone, Comrade Ikio, stated that the incumbent Senator has done well for the district in the past three years that he has been in office.
They lauded the federal lawmaker for his infrastructure projects, especially the construction of landing jetties in select communities of the three local government areas of the district, commending stakeholders for supporting the lawmaker in his second term bid.
In his remarks, Senator Agadaga thanked the stakeholders for the confidence reposed in him and the endorsements he has received lately from constituents and admirers across political parties.
The lawmaker noted that within the past three years that he has been Senator, he has delivered dividends of democracy to his constituents across the Senatorial District, emphasizing that the call for him to be senator from the Brass Senatorial District came to him as a surprise, noting that he accepted the clarion call when the clamour became so loud.
“I was Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, when various groups from the zone came calling on me to contest the 2023 Senatorial polls.
“Ever since winning the elections as a senator, I’ve continued to deliver on my mandate in both representation, lawmaking, oversight, project execution and support for constituents when called upon. And I shall continue to do more if elected for a second term”, the Senator said.
By Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set May 15 as deadline for definite hearing in a suit filed by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election.
The judge on Monday shifted the hearing date following the absence of the plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, and his lawyer in court without any information.
Apart from the absence of the plaintiff, who is a legal practitioner, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, who are 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter, were also not in court.
Following the absence of the plaintiff and the two defendants, Chris Uche, SAN, representing Dr Jonathan, applied to the court to strike out the suit for lack of diligent prosecution.
Having joined issues with each other, Mr Uche said, the suit is liable for dismissal with a N5 million cost to be awarded against the plaintiff and payable to Dr Jonathan.
He argued that from all indications, the plaintiff has abandoned the suit and ran away upon sighting the preliminary objections raised against the suit, adding that the court is a busy place and not for unserious matters.
Justice Lifu, however, noted that there was no evidence of service of hearing notice on INEC and AGF to appear in court for the suit, adding that lack of service of hearing notice is fundamental.
The judge said rather than striking out the suit, he prefers to bend backward to accommodate the plaintiff and the two defendants for the last time.
While adjourning the matter to May 15, Justice Lifu ordered that hearing notice be served on the plaintiff and the 2nd and 3rd defendants who were not in court on Monday.
The plaintiff, Mr Jideobi, had filed the case seeking an order to restrain Dr Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party as an aspirant for the 2027 election.
He is also asking the court to stop INEC from accepting, processing or publishing Dr Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.
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