Every passing day tells the deliberate stubbornness and unwillingness of the present State Operators to heed the signs of the time. They enjoy the devious lines of courtjesters, they can’t listen. They dance to the beats of wicked cheerleaders, they can’t hear. They are made arrogant with the vile words and praises of sycophants, they ignore the ‘Ides of March’. They are drawn to their lusts by wanderlust, they see themselves as Emperors. And they ‘say nothing dey happen’, like we are a conquered people. I pity them so much, I cry Mayday!

I see before us a terrible tapestry and an unhinged slide to the abyss; I see poverty, penury and pain on the faces of our people; I see anger and angst everywhere; and the nation is in trouble on all sides, whereas those who should fix the problems are yet politicking dangerously. They can’t see how much of a collosal failure they have become, as they continue to endanger our democracy, capturing States against the popular will of the people, subverting the electoral process, and stifling the freedoms of democratic choice. Under the Present watch out democracy stutters dangerously. Sad.

EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION AS THE SHAME OF A NATION.

The criminal theft of the Peoples Mandate in Edo State is one sore thumb too many. The APC is apparently enjoying a vicious run to destroy and undermine our democracy. They are singing and dancing ‘alanta’ on a sharp knife, they have found solace under an unmanned Guillotine. They are power drunk so much so an underperforming President says the badly and poorly rigged Edo State Governorship election is validation of his performance, perhaps it is the evidence of how badly his government has weaponized poverty such that corruption of the democratic process, Vote Buying and manipulation of figures are possible and plausible; and the shameless wholesale compromise of the Collation Process is witness of the despoliation of our collective values and decency under the present Government.

The outcome of the Edo State Guber Polls is a shame on all the Institutions that were involved, it is a terrible score on an INEC that is deliberately criminal, corrupt and conceited, and a bad vote on the soulless partisans who defend the substerfuge and larceny that happened in Edo on the 21/22 of September, 2024. It is democracy on trial, and our electoral process on the guillotine. That Edo State election is definitely a questionmark on our collective conscience, and shall soon become a prick on the soul of the Judiciary.

Seeing electoral thieves and criminals singing gospel songs and praising ‘God’ for helping them subvert the will of the people tells how degenerate our people have become. Tells the emptiness of religion. Underscores the predilection of Nigerians to Godism without Godliness. And tells how the Church in Nigeria has become Trading Places rather than Changing Places. I’m sure that Monday Okpebholo and his fellow travelers in the path of electoral infamy shall soon hold a Thanksgiving Service with Pastors and Bishops in tow. I won’t be surprised.

Like the Grab it, Snatch it and Run with it President has put another nail in the heart of our democracy through the monstrous substerfuge of INEC in Edo State; like he proudly calls the electoral larceny that happened in Edo a plus for his govenment and a validation of his rudderless watch; like he sees the call for free, fair and transparent elections as anathema and illogical; like the APC has consistently ensured that there is increasing voter apathy since the people no longer believe their votes will count; like conquerors of medieval kingdoms and space they continue to run roughshod on our democratic amphitheatre seeing no wrong in the massively rigged 2023 General elections and setting out even more deviously to rig more off-season elections; like a people obsessed with power they negatively impact the electoral space and fuel electoral apathy, see the Edo State elections for instance, from 27% Voter turn out 4 years ago it came down to 22%; and like souls messed by evil spirits they violently violate our democracy. Indeed, no government has raped and endangered our democracy since 1999 like the present Government in power. And this is my worry.

The Tinubu Presidency has lowered all known values. Broken in the breach all known moral margins. Destroyed our collective ethical bars. Messed up our cultural morals and mores. And as pseudo progressives and devious and nebulous ‘democrats’ they seek to bury our hard-won democracy. We must therefore collectively rise to the challenge, we must stand up to them, we must speak out and speak up before our nation and democracy is destroyed. And we MUST now heed the Mayday Call.

Compatriots, it is time to congregate at the parlour where no one sees the call for Thinkers and Fixers as parlous and nebulous. The times are dicey, and Redemption Is Needed Urgently.

In the sequel to this patriotic effort, I shall address other serious issues of State. Until then, I still believe in Nigeria, for over my head, I see a New Nigeria in the Air.

I’m CHUKWUDUMEBI.

Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.
Convener COUNTRYFIRST MOVEMENT. A Good Governance Advocacy Group.

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