When pro-democracy activists and well-meaning Nigerians agitated for the return of the Nigerian nation from military to civilian government, thuggery, maiming, imposition of candidate, and the do or die syndrome were not part of the reason, perhaps why they did so. The clamour was to entrench civility into governance and allow the people to choose their own leaders through democratic means. This probably might explain why Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief with measurable exhilaration when democracy finally arrived in 1999. The reason was clear, the era of a proper state of affair where things would be done normally in line with democratic norms and traditions has finally come, and by that make them stakeholders’ in governance, if nothing else but to at least have an opportunity in determining who should govern them, and hold them accountable to deliver democracy dividends to the citizenry.
Antithetically, the Nigerian home-grown democracy has since 2003 negated this practice and has suddenly infused force into the processes of elections. The usurpation of citizens' civic responsibility has become a norm, with the majority of them either maimed or killed by thugs because of an inordinate desire to have their way. Since 2003, it has been one case of thumb printing in the house and premises of one big man or the other at the glare of security agents whose conscience and mind have been bought with money.
The Ekiti re-run election, characterized by a very bizarre tale of woe, is one example. The election, which was at the instance of the Appeal Court ruling on February 17, 2009, came with violence, thuggery, and antagonism. Before the re-run election, there were premonitions that it would be bloody consequent upon accusations and counter accusations by the contending political parties, of either recruiting thugs or soldiers to help hatch their plans of rigging and hijacking of ballot boxes. All of these fears did not take time to come to pass.
On April 25, 2009, hell was let loose. It was Election Day. The civil war experience was small. The Civil Society Monitoring Group went out in droves to monitor and observe the elections, having been accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 10 Local Government Areas and the over 800 wards where elections have been slated to be held. They had, before the re-run day, conscientized all stakeholders on the need to play by the rules, and so expected adherence. Early in the day, all accredited observers assembled at their chosen venue and set out to their different local governments and wards to monitor the election.
By 10.00 am, no fewer than six observers have been reportedly beaten at Igbemo in Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA at the polling unit beside Our Lady of Help Catholic Church, at Ifaki, 7 were beaten, at Igede, almost all the observers had a fair dose of punches from political thugs. The scenario was not different at Kota 2 Ward 5. There were pockets of violence at Oye LGA, which led to the postponement of the exercise till April 26, 2009, which also did not hold as the violence snowballed into a real crisis. The majority of the observers scampered to Ado Ekiti town for safety as the violence became more intense in the evening when the results were being collated and counted at the different venues.
At about 5.00 pm, when all observers were supposed to have returned to town, seven of them were missing. There was a hush in the hall where they gathered. Everyone of them was left guessing, with so much apprehension written on their faces. Where could they have gone? The question was rhetorical. Nobody could offer a suggestion. In the morning, I saw them at Ifaki road, which was the only hint one of them gave. Every member of the Civil Society Monitoring Group (CSMG) stood stupefied. They tried calling their numbers, but it would ring and ring without response. News thereafter came that one notable man (name withheld) was kidnapping people at Igede. There was utter confusion. Calls were made to the police to report the happenings, but for about two hours, there was no clue of any sort.
It was about 6:00 pm that a text message came from one of the observers that they had been arrested. Nobody else has the power to arrest other than the police, they reasoned. So three CSMG members hastened to the Police Headquarters at Ado Ekiti, lo and behold, they were there. Narrating their ordeal, they said the police rescued them from the hands of thugs, explaining that before the policemen came, the political thugs had dealt them a great blow.
As is customary with police arrests, they were granted bail and sent to the hospital for medical treatment, particularly for some of them that have been severely wounded in the course of the attack. While basking in the euphoria that they have been found, men of the police force suddenly surfaced at the hospital were all seven were re-arrested on the order of a former governor in the state, who had accused them of sending prepared results to the United State of America (USA) through the Laptop they found on them.
How did the ex-Governor know that they were sending a report to the USA? I have found this allegation too crude to believe. Email addresses, if at all, do not show the country where the mail is sent. It only shows the would-be recipient’s ID, and so to conclude that they were sending an email to the USA is something I find very difficult to believe. Again, for the police to act based on such a frivolous allegation also shows the level of crudity of our police men when it comes to information technology.
Efforts made to bail them were rebuffed by the Police, saying the case as it is presently is beyond them, as the presidency is already involved, stressing that the next thing to do was to transfer them to Abuja the following morning. Early the next morning, precisely Sunday, April 27, 2009, a select few of the CSMG team were at the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti. Their mission was ostensibly to ensure that the police live up to their threat of transferring those arrested to Abuja. But all of this was a hoax. After waiting from morning till evening, the police boss suddenly said that it is no longer possible to transfer them to Abuja today. If we are transferring at all, it will be tomorrow.
The CSMG team was disappointed. At this time, tension within the town has become so high. The only option available to the CSMG team was to plan a way of exiting the town. However, because all were strangers in Ado-Ekiti, a guide was needed. The major road from the town was not passable as irate youths had taken over. Bonfires were everywhere, which of course explains the level of tension. The exit route was lonely. Even when it was part of the town, the whole place was deserted, but God in his mercy saw them through.
As the journey proceeded, information came that the police boss is on air, saying that the arrested observers have been transferred to Abuja when they are still at Ado-Ekiti. What agenda must have led to this deceit? They queried. Whatever that is, the safety of the observers was paramount to the CSMG team. So in Abuja, having arrived at about 11.00 p.m. the previous day, efforts to release them were intensified. This eventually yielded fruit on the evening of Monday, April 27, when they were released on bail.
As it is, the stance of the police in this whole thing is difficult to explain. For genuinely accredited observers to be molested by political thugs and the police is helping to compound their ordeal; leaving the thugs to walk about freely is incomprehensible. The earlier we correct all of these, the better for us all as a nation. The police force constitutionally is a democratic institution, and for it to deliver on its mandate it must be seen to play by the rules.
From the Ekiti experience, it is clear that the values and ethos of democracy have not been imbibed by politicians, which, of course, underscores the need for genuine electoral reforms and total rebranding of the political class.
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