Front Pix
Nigeria We Hail Thee …For That Ruling On Uduaghan
In rallying Compatriots to Arise, and heed the call to serve the fatherland, our founding greats mooted a Nigeria where every citizen would have a sense of belonging, self-esteem and patriotism. They dreamt of a Nigeria that all citizens would be proud of, would stand in defence of, would be proud of and above all else, one that one and all would see as a priceless treasure to behold, nurture and protect as would a lion, his cob.
Such a Nigeria should be one in which the people determine who governs them, where, the Rule of Law is adjudged most sacrosanct, where aggrieved citizens and even foreigners would find relief in the judiciary, in a manner that such makes meaning and sets plausible standards.
With these ideals either never ever met or met half-way, the only wrongs, I find in the old national anthem are merely that it was donated to Nigeria by a foreigner, thus, the ‘agbero’-type greeting, ‘I Hail-O, and the colloquial, even biblical absurdity of the pronoun ‘Thee”.
But even in those ‘half wrongs’ can one find no serious offence of disastrous kind, because only in Nigeria does one find some of the political and only recently judicial wonders, that should naturally attract ‘We Hail Thee’ from other less endowed nations.
It is indeed only in Nigeria, for instance, where, election results are known before the contest. I once heard a local comedian joke of conversation among three nationals, an American, a Briton and a Nigerian of Hausa-Fulani extraction, where, the proud American boasted about how free and fair elections are in his country, and how results are declared within a few days, while the Briton boasted that theirs could even be ready in jut a day after. To attract the much deserved, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ accolade, the Nigerian, according to the comedian, also told his listeners, “Haba, that’s too late. In Nigeria, we have the results even before the elections.’
It is only in Nigeria that it will also take a court of competent jurisdiction nearly a full political tenure of four years, to resolve that the elections in Delta State which outcome led to the swearing-in of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan as Governor on May 29, 2007 were flawed. And in fact, that, that state should not have had a governor in the first place because neither the petitioner, Mr. Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party nor the now deposed Gov. Uduaghan won the elections.
Why shouldn’t other similar agbero nations screem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’? A good judicial pronouncement should apart from being based on facts and the law, naturally consider the magnitude of the displacement of the status quo and weigh the same against the threat to public peace, economic cost on the nation and state, the magnitude of injury to be suffered by litigants and also importantly, the dislocating effect such ruling could possibly have on existing laws, conventions, National programmes and projects and indeed the collective aspirations of the nation-state such law or laws are meant. Simply, weigh the consequences of such ruling.
The Court of Appeal, Benin, last Tuesday voided Uduaghan’s elections and ordered a fresh polls within 90 days (three months) following Ogboru’s petition which had dragged on since 2007 to that day. By that judgement, Delta State which had been governed by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with near absolute control of all political structures, the state Assembly and even the local government councils will now be subjected to another round of elections, different from the one all Nigerians are eagerly awaiting, which without the complaints of time by the Independent National Electoral Commission would have held in January, next year, about the same period Uduaghan should have been seeking a second term.
Going by the Nigerian’s take on elections, in his conversation with the American and the Briton, no intentional pre-emption meant, shouldn’t we know that Uduaghan has already won the re-run? That the nearly four years he spent superintending affairs of that state amount to a Christmas gift never to be counted among his constitutionally provided years as governor? That if he wins this one, and seeks re-election for four years hence, he could still enjoy another four and the total number of years would still be eight instead of 13 and half?
Why shouldn’t others scream, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’? As I write, the ruling PDP’s political machine is soon to move to Delta State, where, led by Mr. President, aggressive campaigns will start, in order to accept and nurture the judicial gift of 13 or so years now in the cards.
Sadly, even if Uduaghan and his party lose the elections, the former governor would gladly walk back home, happy with the gratia of the past three or so years when virtually all of his personal needs, shelter, feeding, medicals, children’s education, in the best of schools abroad and even garments were responsibilities of the state.
During the same period he also superintended over life and death. If even he had signed execution order, resulting in the official killing of death-row convicts, he goes home guiltless with not even a cock to pay in fines.
In Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, did not buy nomination form to contest the 2006 governorship primaries of his party, the PDP. Others did, among them serving Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who eventually won the intra-party polls but was denied the party’s flag.
For that reason, and the fact that there was not time enough to organise fresh primaries, then incumbent Governor Peter Odili was empowered to handpick another candidate, who became Omehia. With awesome control of the party in Rivers, even a goat would have won the election, but it was made even easier when Omehia, Amaechi’s kinsman and a lawyer was fielded.
Considered duly elected by INEC, Omehia governed Rivers State, awarded multi-billion naira contracts, some of which he paid 100 per cent upfront, enjoyed fabulous take-home pay and other freebies that go with the high office of governor and within that short period erected an architectural master-piece of a personal home at the choice GRA, in Port Harcourt.
It was only about five months later in October 2007 that the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that the posters of Omehia which the PDP used to win the elections were indeed Amaechi’s. That the name Omehia could not and should not have been a mile close to Brick House as governor. Yes, Omehia worked away, richer, a palatial home and an appendage of former governor which even the Supreme Court cannot wash away from the history books, least of all, in the hearts and minds of those who saw it all.
That was only less than a year, later the Ekiti example, earlier this year, a judicial sweep that wrested power from PDP, at least for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but that in Delta is like the peace of God which passeth all understanding.
My Agony is that with all these, many still think that Nigeria was not unfair to our former national anthem, which inspires other countries to scream, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ at moments like this when we achieve the unimaginable, unthinkable and the horrible.