From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo.
Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamldi Olayiwola Adeyemi, has said
that illiteracy and poverty remain twin major problems that must be given utmost attention by the in-coming administration if the country is to be salvaged from violent militancy.
Oba Adeyemi stated this when thousands of residents, including the Hausa community besieged the palace to jubilate the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi who was re-elected into the office for a second term.
According to him, “High poverty rate makes it easy for politicians to buy their way into public offices. Someone who finds it extremely hard to afford a good meal per day would find it very easy to sell his right of franchise and would even go to any length by serving as a political thug, causing violence and general disruption of the peace and credibility of an election just to earn himself a little naira. And not helping the situation is the high level of joblessness and youth restiveness in the country, numerous graduates are released
year in, year out into the labour market without any glimmer of hope of getting a job. An idle hand they say is the devil’s workshop.
“So is a foolproof election impossible to achieve in
Nigeria. There is nothing that stops us from achieving this feat if everyone and all of us will arise to our responsibility as Nigerians and contribute our quota to the success of forthcoming elections. The 2011 general elections show us that we are close, it is a joint responsibility for us all to find a lasting solution to the cause of the flaws associated with our election; we must all stand for change, we must learn to say no to powers that would want things to stay the way they
are, let us all wash the real dirt from our polity. God bless
Nigeria.’’
Most educated Nigerians, Alaafin asserted, are also ignorant of the electoral process, adding that this development results to a flock of electorates who are unaware of their rights and privileges and this makes them easy target of politicians’ manoeuvres.
“They can be easily cajoled, threatened and bribed into the wrong exercise of their franchise, and some will even aid these politicians in ballot stuffing, election thuggery and general disruption of the electoral process.’’
While stating that Nigeria is a country with diverse ethnic groups and different political motives ranging from the individual perspective to the political parties, Alaafin pointed out that “a free and fair election should be simple, transparent, respect the secrecy of the ballot, it must also be based on good, acceptable and enforceable law, must respect human rights, respect the right of appeal, encourage the existence of genuine opposition parties, recognise the social and political circumstances of the people it serves, and its outcome must be acceptable to the people.
“Although the issue of flawed election is not peculiar to Nigeria, an acclaimed giant of Africa is expected to be an epitome of democratic values by conducting its elections in a free and fair manner. Free and fair elections entail adherence to electoral laws such as the Constitution and the Electoral Act. It also must be in conformity with universal laid down rules and regulations guiding the conduct of elections’’.
