Dr. Doyin Okupe, Former-aide to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday said that elections in Nigeria from 1959 to 2015 were rigged by all the political parties involved. He disclosed this via his official facebook handle @ Doyin Okupe. The Jonathan’s ex-aide said that anybody who tries to deny it will be called an enemy of progress in Nigeria. Doyin Okupe Recall that Sen.
Ibrahim Mantu , Ex-Deputy Senate President while playing host at the channels television last week confessed how he contributed to rig elections for his party. Comments, arguments and denial trailed the media over his confession. His former party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, through its statement by its secretary denied having asked Sen. Mantu to rig elections for the party. On the other hand the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, has in its own statement lauded the courage of Sen. Mantu and asked other members of the opposition party to confess too. In view of the above criticisms, mockery and denial, Dr. Doyin Okupe opined that elections have always been rigged from 1959 till date and ask for a change in the system. In his words, “Democracy is mocked if people have the right to vote but their votes do not count. it is a societal abomination, a desecration of our core values, and a shameful disgrace on us as aconfession
“True modernity and civilization will elude us if we cannot by adult suffrage elect credible candidates, stop or remove non performing elected officials simply because they already occupy elective posts or belong to an entrenched party”, he said. Read his full statement below: “It may be difficult for us to make serious progress as a Nation. Most of us leaders and followers are Hypocrites, and dishonest individuals. Very few think about the interest of the country and we play politics with everything. “Mantu spoke as a true patriot who desired true and genuine change.. The media is suddenly awashed with a cacaphony of misrepresentations and distortions on what he said. Suddenly the substance of his honest disposition is lost to partisan blame game that has not advanced our course of history in anyway. “For the avoidance of doubt ALL elections were RIGGED in Nigeria from 1959 to date, without ANY exceptions. “This rigging is all encompassing and involved all political parties from action group, Ncnc, Npc to Nrc,Sdp and pdp, ad, acn, cpc, apc etc. “If anyone says anything to the contrary such persons are wilfully perjured individuals and the true enemies of progress in Nigeria. “People like Ibrahim Mantu and late President Yaradua who even openly admitted that the election that brought him to power was faulty, are heroes of this country. “Parties in Nigeria rig both intra and inter party elections from wards through local governments all the way to National elections from time immemorial. “For a truth it is only in the southwest and a few other zones that a modicum resemblance to an election actually do take place. in most other parts of the country Nothing like elections take place or better still the charade of people lining up and casting their votes is just a mere ritual that has nothing to do with the results announced.
“Perhaps the most crooked of all electoral umpires we have had so far is Attahiru Jega who cynically brought in Professors to glorify the electoral Fraud supretended by him throughout his tenure.
“INEC participates and drives tbe rigging process from the ward to national. Police , DSS and all other agencies involved in our elections are accomplices. How can anybody claim that only PDP rigs elections in Nigeria.
“Are we not witnesses to the undeniable fact that in all state elections, no matter how civilized , innocuous or God fearing the state governors pretend to be, all state elections, irrespective of the political party involved, are won by the ruling party in the state 100%. “It is in our overall interest that we take what Mantu said seriously and for posterity’s sake, let us sit down and plan how to conduct proper free and fair elections in our country.
“Democracy is mocked if people have the right to vote but their votes do not count. it is a societal abomination, a desecration of our core values, and a shameful disgrace on us as a nation. True modernity and civilization will elude us if we cannot by adult suffrage elect credible candidates, stop or remove non performing elected officials simply because they already occupy elective posts or belong to an entrenched party .
“The only recourse the citizens have is the power of the ballot and if it is rendered ineffective by gross electoral fraud and widespread malpractices then our Nation will be nothing but a grand Animal kingdom to borrow Nnamdi Kanu’s words.”
Source: Vanguard
