Am also instructed that 10 stands for completeness of divine order, while number 12 stands for perfection of divine government. Number 11 which is November, and comes after the completeness of 10 or before the perfection of 12, stands for disintegration. For example, the wicked engine of World War1 disintegrated on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Therefore the month of November which is the 11th month, signify the disintegration of the wicked engine of oppression in Kwara State which continuously comes up on the 17th; a day of victory. The meaning of November 17 is the disintegration of wicked engine of oppression in Kwara, and it heralds of our freedom.
We should watch this date in the affairs of Kwara State. On the 17th of November 2017, the then APC government in Kwara State under the ‘’Leader’’, Senator Bukola Saraki and the governorship of Alhaji Fatah Ahmed organized a local government election by their own State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC). The Chairman of that commission was Alhaji (Dr) Othman Ajidagba. Our then political, PDP contested in eleven local government areas and won. The gate of payment of nomination fees for our candidates to the KWASIEC was shut against us by Dr Ajidagba led electoral body.
That was an election where result sheets, where made available, were not respected by the electoral body. It was an election where though we won at the polling booths, collation officers generated their own results and declared as winners their preferred candidates. It was an election where the ‘’Leader’’ was humbled by humiliating defeats at his own polling booth and electoral wards.
It was an election where the turn out for voting was massive with the determination by the then PDP to prove to the whole world that Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, two terms governor of Kwara State, former Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, current Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly of Nigeria was even by 17th of November 2017 defeatable in an election organized literarily by himself. If there is any lesson learnt from that election, it was a lesson of how not to organize an election even in a primitive society. It was an election that flagrantly abused its own rules.
Party members and leaders were deployed to their various voting centres with instruction to come back to their Party State office with winning figures ‘’at all cost’’. Political Party thugs were on rampage: shooting, causing mayhem, snatching ballot boxes and stuffing the boxes with ballot papers got from God knew where. Outcome of Gubernatorial elections conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) usually in this country, are usually determined within twenty four hours. KWASIEC could not announce the result of 17th of November 2017 until 21st day of November, four days after the conduct of the election. The result needed to be further doctored in the closet of the KWASIEC office.
Even until today there are no polling booths and ward by ward results made available to the agents of the contestants, contestants and the general public. It was an election whose infamy at electoral manipulations and fraud really need to enter the Guinness world of records. We won on the 17th of November 2017, but we were denied the trophy.
But God came for another judgment on the same date of the same month in 2018. The unexhausted tenure of a departed compatriot must be filled through a bye election in the Federal Constituency of Ekiti/ Oke-Ero/ Irepodun/ Isin Federal constituency. This time 90% of the former APC had become the present PDP, while 80% of the former PDP is now in APC.
The stage was set for another political duel that now proves historical. Another unbiased umpire now come to judgment. Everything that was wrong with November 17th, 2017 election were corrected in the election of November the 17th of 2018. Card reader machine were appropriately and efficiently deployed and used. The electoral officers simply did their jobs and they did it well.
The security officers were not only adequately deployed for the elections, their conduct was to say the least, highly civilized. They did not only refuse to permit the snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes with unauthorized ballot papers, they infact did not help any of the parties in the election. They simply did their jobs more in line with their training and the ethics and rules of their engagement.
That was an election that fell an Iroko tree.But why the joy in this election that only took place in one of the Six Federal Constituencies of Kwara State? Since 2003, through manipulations, nobody had taken the seat away from the grip of Bukola Saraki. And in fact since 2007, the Six Federal Constituencies in Kwara State have always been in the firm grip of a man adept at political manipulations.
This is a man whose electoral victory could never depend on the voting strength of the people. Winning elections to him has nothing to do with good governance, evidence of which are in good educational and health standards, excellent infrastructures, gainful employment etc. To him, to win elections, take care of the security agencies, INEC, Traditional rulers, ‘’good boys’’ etc. Even if you misgovern your people in Saraki’s School of politics, you can continue to win elections. His, is a democracy that does not need the people, the electorates.
And they are complaining! Both the Senate President and the Governor of Kwara State are of the view that APC rigged the election as they had to neatly kiss the ground after their sixteen years of direct undeserved dominance of Kwara politics.
A fraudlent category that is not accustomed to free and fair election may not acknowledge a free and fair election one if they see it. The election of the 17th of November 2018 in credibility and fairness, is in the category of the historic June 12 election of 1993. Technology even make that of the 17th November 2018, better than that of 1993. In the election under reference, card reader was used and this time mostly efficiently and effectively.
The turnout was low as out of about 168,707 registered voters only about 41,185 people decided to exercise their franchise. This is less than 36% of the registered voters. Manipulated elections do not have a feature of low turnout as thugs usually snatch and stuff ballot boxes. In the election of the 17th November there was no incidences of ballot snatching and stuffing. There is still no case of change of figures at various collation centres. Yes, there was the presence of security people in all voting communities. The behavior of the security operatives conferred much honour on them as professionals. They remained throughout, impartial and did not help any of the contestants to have advantages over one another. Perhaps, the sinking leaders are complaining because it was not business as usual.
And what are the scores of the two contending parties in that election? At the end of polling about 41,185 people voted. APC has 21,236, while PDP has 18,095. If the security people helped APC, will the margin be that close? Will the security cover that could be provided to make stealing of votes possible, by the security be so miserly as to give the victor, their alleged friend; just three thousand votes over the PDP in an elections where unused ballot papers were more than 127,522 ballot papers?
Furthermore, to those who may want to buy the lies of the leaders of PDP, election took place in four Local Government Areas, PDP won in Ekiti LGA, both Parties tied up in Oke-Ero LGA and APC won in both Irepodun and Isin LGAs. So the security that helped APC to win in both Isin and Irepodun LGAs could not help APC to win in Oke-Ero and Ekiti LGAs. Could it therefore mean that it is the security then that decided to help PDP to win the election in Ekiti LGA?
Senate President, Bukola Saraki just need to come to terms with reality, that the time is up and that his sun must set at noon.Let nobody deceive the unwary public whether within or outside Kwara State or even outside Nigeria, Saraki can no more win elections in Kwara State. I continue to pity those that put so much value on his dwindling political clout by admitting him into their Party. We told them but they said they must do it.
Kwara will be APC State as from 29th day of May 2019. Let it be known by all and sundry that whatever has a beginning must have an end. One can only be in charge for a season and nobody can be in charge of the political affairs of the State of Kwara forever.
In Ilorin political history, before the advent of Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki there were Buhari Edun, Saidu Alanamu, Yahaya Madawaki, Sule Maito and others. Dr Abubakar Olusola Saraki came to replace them. In Kwara South of Kwara State, many of the names we used to know were those of Chief J S Olawoyin, Chief G. Ekunrin, Dr P.O.A. Dada etc, Chief C. O. Adebayo took over. In the North, the most outstanding name in the first republic politics was that of Alhaji Ahman Patigi; politicians like Alhaji Sheu Usman replaced him. Even before the demise of his father, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki supplanted his father by forcing him into political retirement that did not quite please the old man who was the strong man of Kwara politics.
From the Olympian height, where he had catapulted himself, ‘’the leader’’ must now descend. I have said it severally that in 2019 something newsy will come out of Kwara State.
This defeat of Dr Bukola Saraki at Federal Constituency election on the 17th of November 2018 is an appetizer for the sweet aroma of the total defeat and political disintegration of an expired political machine that has in anyway outlived its usefulness. Time will tell, 2019 will tell.```
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