*Conspiracy against Democracy: INEC REC; Segun Agbaje's Outburst, Other Matters Arising*
By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
Any protest outside of getting the best of INEC for a free and fair election is a wrong step taken too late in the day! The first option for any democrat is to face an election. Re-inventing the Democratic wheel to accommodate any unconstitutional and undemocratic arrangement will be a threat to our nascent democracy!
The fear is rife in Lagos of possibility of a skewed election. The remote control of the 2018 Osun Governorship election is very well positioned to control the outcome of the Lagos State election for hands holding it, the way he did with Osun 2018. One could possibly have overlooked his transfer to Lagos as an internal issue to which the commission has right to, but not after his uncharitable comment about Igbos in Lagos. On moral grounds, Segun Agbaje should by now be on his way out of INEC without a petition or protest. Agbaje is a stigma on the integrity of the Mahmood Yakubu led INEC. INEC Chairman can't keep a tribal bigot and nepotistic personality in his system and keep the integrity of his organization. Agbaje should not have a career with the electoral umpire of a nation of over 300 ethnic nationalities.
Agbaje sat as guest on a national TV, Channels for that matter and said, "the challenge we have is that many people that ought to have done transfer last year did new registration and by the commission's guidelines, anybody with new registration cannot get another PVC because it is assumed he already has one PVC", Agbaje was in order. But he soon went out of order when he said, "the only area with the majority of people in that category is in Oshodi, particularly Okota in Oshodi Local Government Area". What a dare devil boldness! Same Okota where residents weren't allowed to vote by touts and thugs loyal to a particular political party in 2019. Is Agbaje the hired tout paid to stop eligible voters from voting in 2023?
In a reckless political communication known only with thugs, he made it clear that the reason they cannot have their PVC is because many of them are from the South East part of the country, inferring that they are immigrants!
Agbaje had no business resuming back to his office of Friday the 3rd of February after such show of shame on Channels TV on Thursday evening.
On democracy and the need to grow it to the envy of our continent we all must stand. The democratic sophistication of the elite Yoruba people is knowledge driven; of their manipulatable masses is tribal sentiments which has made possible easy plying of the majority by the few to protect their selves' interests! Segun has expressed his bias towards the Igbos, his right to preside on anything involving the Igbos is consequently lost.
Protests used to be an expression of the peoples' dissatisfaction with government and its policies until poverty was weaponized. It is now a "cash and carry" venture run by politicians. The biggest being the "Occupy Nigeria" that held the PDP government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan hostage at Ojota till it was ousted for daring to increase pump price of PMS from 65 naira to 141 naira on January 1, 2015 which was later reviewed downwards to 97 naira on January 12 and further down to 87 naira, same fuel Buhari's tenure has seen an increase from 87 to 145 and N165. We are now buying at the pump between 187 and 300 naira with unending queues!
The wickedness of the wicked is about to find them out!
The manipulations of the Yoruba elites have started again, those who called the military to crush the sincere agitation of the Nigerian youths for a better nation at Lekki Toll Gate and those who switched off the lights are at the receiving end of the Fulani game like recharge cards tightly held within the fist of the Villa seller, they need us to free their neck, and suddenly remembered those who they paid their armies of Area boys to stop so they can perpetuate themselves in power. But nothing, like they say, lasts forever! There is an end, either of tribal jingoism or of nepotism. But the end of the country Nigeria is not in sight because those who wanted Yoruba nation yesterday traded it for their turn. What we are sure to lose is their turn and not Nigeria! Agbaje has voiced the determination of the tribal clique he is representing at INEC to deny the Igbos their rights and turn. Awa lokan is the synopsis of Segun Agbaje's dram on TV, he should have said it for what it is Awa Yoruba lokan; Ko ti kan Igbo!
The only protest acceptable for now is Segun Agbaje must go! Our only hope for a better and greater future is the grand national protest scheduled for the 25th of February 2023! Our placards being our PVCs, anything that will compromise the system to oversee a free and fair election must be gotten rid of. Agbaje has done it before and by his comment on the Igbos, the signs are obvious of what he is capable of. If Igbo will votes in Lagos, and their votes will count like that of every other tribe, then Agbaje must not remain INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos state.
All LAGOSIANS, Leaders After God's Own Spirit Initiating A New State, irrespective of tribes and religion, time is now to rise for justice, injustice to one is to all! The Yorubas, Igbos, Hausas and other tribes in Lagos who believes in a free state for all, lets come out and demand that Segun Agbaje must be relieved of his job.
Our enduring approach to the complications of the season over fuel and new naira note scarcity is appreciated. But we need to carry it through. Receiving our PVC and everything relating to ensuring free and fair elections are more important for the investment of our energies than the 3k we queue in our banks and at the ATM to collect after 5 hours! Our PVC collected and rightly used, will end the queues and make your banks serve you better! It is late in the day to protest fuel scarcity under a government that shared NNPC under our nose and we did nothing! The only protest we must pour out for is the need to buy back Nigeria and our right to hire and fire leaders which we must never allow any institution to compromise. That's the only way to save enterprises like NNPC and Institutions like CBN!
Be prepared for pay back with figures beyond their manipulations and if in conspiracy with INEC, they serve the BVAS breakfast after the people's victory as they did in Osun recently, then the mother of all protests can follow but till then, Segun Agbaje must go! We will cast our votes, ensure it is counted and our elected President announced, inaugurated and running the country!
In peace we should live with each other. If there is any attempt to subjugate the will of the people, then there should be no peace for the wicked!
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. President Voice Of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.
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