Prof, it was one of the complaints of Jimi Agbaje and others in the Lagos State gubernatorial election of 2007 that while the pictures of Fashola was on the ballot, their own was left off. INEC's feeble excuse was that they had not received the pictures of those candidates, a claim that was debunked, but at the Election Tribunal, the Court of Appeal held that the omission of some candidates' pictures was not enough to invalidate the election.
Which is to say that both you and IBK have some grounds for the positions you have taken vis-à-vis the relevance of political parties. At present, under the Nigerian constitution, you cannot stand for election unless you are a member of a political party and sponsored by that party. This was the reasoning behind the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Rotimi Amaechi, who was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State on the 25th October 2007 (I know the date cos I was just there) despite the fact that it was Celestine whatsit whose name the PDP had forwarded to INEC at the time of the election. It also explains why some people struggle for the ticket of the 'winning party' in their areas, rather than try to build up their own constituency. Yet in other cases, we do see that a person will succeed irrespective of the party on whose ticket they stand. Politics is, when all is said and done, the art of the possible.
As to the rest, I said that "I know that is not how things are done in Nigeria" and that the system of choosing candidates by primaries is not necessarily democratic in our own context.
Mind you, when I see how money, science, manipulation, propaganda and so on are being deployed in a US election which some warn may turn - not on the popular vote but on the electoral college vote - I'm not sure we have seen the ideal electoral system yet.
Ayo
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama
IBK:Did you really read what I wrote?If you did not, please read it. If you did, please read it again. If you had read it again, please give it to a colleague and discuss its content relative to what you wrote below.And there you have it.Bolaji AlukoShaking his headOn Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 9:53 AM, Ibukunolu Alao Babajide <ibk@usa.net> wrote:
Prof.
You must know that is wrong and palpably so. In the USA where Presidentialism is practiced more than anywhere else can you see the party being voted for? It is Romney or it is Obama.
In a presidential system of government it is the person and not the party. That is why parties must as an imperative have strict internal democracy so that competent and popular candidates can emerge.
Not the IMPOSITION that ACN does and stands the system on its head. So please do not repeat that flawed position again. In a presidential system of government like the one we have in Nigeria we vote for the individual and not the party.
Cheers.
IBKSent from IBKFrom: Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com>Sender: NigerianID@yahoogroups.comDate: Tue, 30 Oct 2012 08:42:27 -0400Cc: NaijaPoliticse-Group<NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; OmoOdua<OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com<nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; naijaintellects<naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; Ra'ayi<Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>Subject: NigerianID | Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: ACN Statement on the Ondo State Gubernatorial ElectionsMadame Ayo:Have you seen ANY candidate's picture on ANY ballot in Nigeria in recent times? Nope - and in any case, our Electoral Law does not REQUIRE mandatorily.That shows that inherently, our electoral process PRESUMES that it is PARTIES that we are voting for, NOT candidates, even if there are "waivers" given to individuals like Fashola, Oshiomhole and Mimiko for individual good performance. Other non-performing candidates expect to use the might of the political party to RIG for them.So until our Electoral Law REQUIRES both Party and Candidate (name, face and symbol) identifications on the ballot, there will be indiscipline about flag bearer choices.Also, are our political parties really MEMBERSHIP parties, in which primaries by verifiable members can be CREDIBLE? I don't believe so in the least, and until then, even I believe that the false primary system should be side-stepped for some kind of almost gerontocratic (or party bosses) electoral system. I once asked why membership cards cannot be used to raise money for the party, and I was laughed at, that it is the CANDIDATES that buy party cards for their supporters if there is any THREAT of primaries being held. That amounts to buying the primaries.So until our Electoral Laws allow fund matching based on funds raised by parties from their REGISTERED members, and until the financial books of political parties are so scrutinized, our political parties will be dominated by money bags.I am always surprised when we are surprised at certain outcomes in Nigeria, when we have not done antecedent matters differently.And there you have it.Bolaji AlukoPS: I am the first to admit that our election campaigns - pre-, during- and post election - are too personal, too school-boyish, or like university students union campaigns, on the whole immature. We make silly allegations about assistance and money spent, about betrayals and "capture" of territory with militaristic terminology etc. and gloat in victory unnecessarily. Too many people are too guilty of all of these things......On Tue, Oct 30, 2012 at 7:27 AM, Ayo Obe <ayo.m.o.obe@gmail.com> wrote:
The statement is mature to an extent, but with all due respect Prof, the maturity would have shone through if the statement had not categorised everybody who has asked them to concede defeat as an enemy of their political party. Congratulating the winner of the election would have been mature and could have been done without prejudice to any right to take action where serious irregularities are exposed. But I know that is not how things are done in Nigeria. Because it is war and battle, it is also 'no quarter'!I don't have a lot of time for those who suggest that if ACN and PDP had conceded defeat, they would have unseated the incumbent, but the ACN shot itself in the foot when their candidate was perceived to have been - not just imposed, but parachuted in. Indeed, they made a gift to Mimiko and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's complaints of ingratitude only underlined the perception that the ACN candidate was expected to be a more controllable puppet.Democracy will be deepened when internal party practices are less opaque and more transparent. I am not one who believes that this is shown merely by having party members vote for candidates in primaries. In our cash and carry system, it can be positively counter-democractic! It is perfectly OK to have a selection panel but its criteria and processes must be clear and transparent. Tinubu is smart. The question in his case is whether he is smart enough to know when to let go. Or to look as if he's letting go, sha ...
AyoI invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijamaDear All:This is a mature statement below, methinks, that can only help to "deepen democracy" - as the saying goes in Nigeria...But I may be wrong...I have been known to be wrong episodically.And there you have it.Bolaji Aluko__________________ACN STATEMENT ON THE ONDO STATE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONSStatement by Party Chairman Chief Bisi Akande1. Last week I issued a temporary statement on the reaction of my party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, to the outcome of the Ondo State election. Then I promised that the party will come back with a more detailed position after a careful interim review of the conduct and outcome of the October 20, election in Ondo State by the party leadership.2. The Governorship election in Ondo State is over and the ballots received by INEC have been tallied. Some people have urged us to reject the INEC results outright because they do not favor my party. This we shall not do. We refuse to cynically treat our democracy as a thing to be discarded when its processes do not favor us. We believe in the long-run, the genuine processes of a genuine democracy shall favor all of us, even the loser of an election. We are prepared to lose elections if the contest is free and the process is fair and transparent. We know that in this manner our democracy is strengthened. No one race or political contest is worth damaging our democracy. We would rather lose the race and gain democracy than win the race and lose democracy in the process.3. On the opposite side of the spectrum, other people are trying to pressure us to concede defeat as if all was perfect with the election. They do so not because they love democracy but because they are the political opponents of our progressive party. Their interests are not in justice but in appearing to be concerned about justice. They have never exercised any degree of political conciliation or bipartisanship in their exercise of public affairs. It stands as exceedingly hypocritical that they seek from us a gift they would never give. Thus, we see no reason to entertain their counterfeit expressions and the motives behind them.4. This is our position. We believe in the right of the people of Ondo State to determine who leads them. For us in the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Ondo State election is a battle in a larger war; the war of deepening democracy and ensuring accountability in our country. We are therefore resolved to put the elections behind us whilst pursuing the task of providing leadership to our people effectively.5. However, we have started an accurate but swift assessment of the entire election, from the vote count to the many and several irregularities and instances of thuggery and violence that occurred. Should we find ultimately that the misconduct and lapses were not sufficiently material to alter the outcome, we shall do the honorable thing and respect what has been announced. Should we find ultimately that the irregularities and wrongful actions materially altered the result, we shall contest the transgression as is our right and duty in a democracy. As leaders of a party and of people who trust the democratic process, we have a solemn obligation not to be swayed by emotion on one side or by intimidation on the other. We owe a duty to ourselves, to the people of Ondo State, and to this nation to vigorously protect the integrity of the process both during and immediately after an election.6. We wish to state categorically that we would protect and defend members of our party from the unconscionable harassment and intimidation currently going on in Ondo State against our party members and communities that voted against the Labour Party.We take this opportunity to thank our candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and the entire party for a valiant, dedicated and inspiring effort. We have nothing but accolades for what they did in Ondo State. They fought a good fight. As a party, we shall remain true to our pledge to resist any attempt to thwart the democratic process in Ondo State or any other part of Nigeria.END_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC)
ONDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION, 2012
RESULT SUMMARY
S/N
CONTESTANT
GENDER
PARTY
VOTES RECIEVED
% SCORE
REMARKS
1
OLUWAROTIMI ODUNAYO AKEREDOLU ESQ
M
ACN
143,512
22.97%
2
ADEUTI STEPHEN TAIYE
M
ACPN
1,806
0.29%
3
HON. ADEYEMI BOLARINWA
M
ANPP
1,461
0.23%
4
COMRADE OLADIMEJI TOKUMBOH ADEGOROYE
M
APS
751
0.12%
5
OLASEGIRI GBENGA FESTUS
M
BNPP
2,949
0.47%
6
BUILDER OMOYELE AFOLABI OLORUNWA
M
CAP
735
0.12%
7
EHINLANWO OLUSOJI
M
CPC
1,931
0.31%
8
DR. RAHMAN OLUSEGUN MIMIKO
M
LP
260,199
41.65%
ELECTED
9
OLADIPO BOLADE LAWRENCE
M
NCP
823
0.13%
10
ABIKANLU JAMES OLUSOLA
M
NSDP
1,103
0.18%
11
VICTOR OLUWAFEMI ADETUSIN
M
PDC
21,361
3.42%
12
CHIEF ALEX OLUSOLA OKE
M
PDP
155,961
24.97%
13
OMOREGGHA OLATUNJI KRIS (OTUMBA)
M
PPA
1,625
0.26%
TOTAL NUMBER OF VALID VOTES
594,244
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