Inviolability Of The Vote

The Bolshevik revolutionary and late president of the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Joseph Stalin, once said that: “the people who cast votes decide nothing; the people who count the votes decide everything.”
This statement is a concise yet comprehensive thesis on rigging and its insidious effects on the process of choosing leadership and governance. It clearly states how the voice of a people and their mandate, which is the greatest instrument of participatory democracy, could be completely thwarted by those who are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the process of choosing leadership is carried out judiciously.
Sadly, the statement under reference couldn’t have been more relevant today than it was when Stalin so stated decades ago. This is, more so, given the current situation in Nigeria with special reference to the gubernatorial election in Rivers State. That the election was fraught with intimidating and undermining escapades by men in military uniform (soldiers?) and armed gangs is an unfortunate development in our national life; it indicates many steps backwards from the standard achieved in 2015.
I share Senator Magnus Abe’s averred evaluation of the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State as “a shame [and]…an embarrassment to this country…Even by Nigerian standards, what happened here is unacceptable.” I also align myself with his objective, instructive, cogent and urgent appeal to Rivers people thus: “the future of our state should not be left in the hands of politicians alone. This state belongs to all of us. No one Rivers man [or woman] owns more or deserves more of Rivers State than another person.” The patriotism and objectivity of these statements are made more manifest in view of the fact that Senator Abe spoke from across the party hedgerow. It is, therefore, my considered opinion that more well-meaning Rivers people both in public and private life, from across party lines and the traditional institutions should speak out in same vein.
Truth be told, I heard the name of the AAC gubernatorial candidate only after the election and I never saw his posters anywhere; not in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor where I live and work and not in ONELGA of my nativity either. From the results announced at the local governments, PDP won all the State Assembly seats in seventeen out of 23 local governments (73.9%); this translates to 26 out of the 32 seats of the House (81.25%) and it is indicative of the incontrovertible majority followership the PDP commands in the state. In the classroom, these percentages are in the bracket of “Grade A;” they are not marginal. On the contrary, they speak volubly of the obvious capacity of PDP in the face of interparty rivalry given the propensity of inter arm power play inherent in the concept of checks and balances in presidentialism. In view of the voter behaviour and voting pattern of the people of Rivers State, a natural assumption is that the governorship candidate of PDP is leading with a margin that guarantees indisputable victory.
As a final note, of all systems of governance worldwide, participatory democracy has proven to be the most peaceful process of choosing leadership and decision-making; this is in view of its capacity to accommodate divergent views. The least we should do is keep it peaceful. The inviolability of the vote should never be compromised under any circumstance, irrespective of whose ox is gored. Therefore, let no one, no matter how highly placed, arrogate the voice of Rivers people to himself or herself; let justice be done and let what emanates from the collective voice of Rivers people, through the ballot box, be allowed to prevail; that’s the only way our fledgling democracy can take roots and grow. Incidentally, Abe concluded his speech by emphasizing that “the people of Rivers State have a right to choose who would lead them and nothing can change that.” Amon avis, nothing should change that.
Osai is a lecturer at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.

Jason Osai