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4 – 3 – 2019

This is Zikoko’s Game of Votes Weekly Dispatch. We share the most important things leading up to the 2019 General Elections, and why they matter. 5pm. Every Monday. Stay woke. 

IT’S 5 DAYS TO THE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS
And I hope Oluchi Njere has only good days until then (and after too) 😊

IF YOU’RE UNHAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT, RAISE YOUR PETITION.

A few people aren’t too happy with the results of February 23rd’s elections. And by few, I mean a ton of people.
Leading the charge is Atiku Abubakar, who feels Buhari’s collective 15 million votes and ensuing victory, are more than a little sketchy. His suspicions aren’t owed to his being a sore loser however, far from it — Atiku  alleges he had agents with body cameras monitor the elections throughout the country, and they have a lot of electoral malpractice tea to spill.
Juicy.
He has since kicked off Election Petition Szn, taking his grievances to court.
Equally unhappy with the election results is the Coalition of United Political Parties, which described February 23rd’s exercise as “the robbery of the nation”.
Kingsley Moghalu also doubts the veracity of the figures from the election, believing the 21 886 votes he received did not truly reflect the electoral strength of his party.
Ohaneze, Afenifere and PANDEF were also vocal in their rejection of the election results.
While Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto State was so upset, Nigerian borders couldn’t contain his fury. He reported his grievances to the United States government, appealing that they intervene to stop electorate harassment.

Amosun and Okorocha Have Allegedly Been Up To No Good.

And for their supposed efforts, both governors were on March first, suspended by the National Working Committee of the APC, headed by its chairman — Adams Oshiomole, for allegedly instigating anti-party activities.
Rochas’ suspension is in relation to alleged sneaky efforts to get his son-in-law — Uche Nwosu, to win the Imo State governorship election.While Amosun is suspected of having released thugs on party chieftains at the presidential rally held in Abeokuta. Messy!
Both parties aren’t taking it lying down though — Amosun all but teleported to Abuja on March 3rd, to drop the mother of all photo-ops with his friend — the President, whose victory in the elections he helped contribute 281,762 votes to. Just in case the NWC forgot who he had in his corner.
Okorocha on his part, is showing an unprecedented amount of Big D energy, passing off his suspension as a joke for failing to follow due process and equally suspending Adams Oshiomole from the APC, for ‘destroying’ the party. I love a good kpa du kpa.

THE DARK DAYS ARE COMING.

Pulling a favourite from his bag of ominous sayings, our now two-time president — Muhammadu Buhari, has warned Nigerians of the tough times ahead for his tenure as the number one Nigerian citizen.
This is in reference to his administration’s plans towards tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and creating jobs for the youth.
And boy does he have his work cut out for him! Since his first term merely blew a little breeze in the general direction of these matters, he now has four years to somehow take Nigeria’s worrying security challenges, pilfering politicians and 23.1% unemployment rate by result-producing storm. Presidenting is hard guys.

We’re Getting New Ministers?

Oh yah.
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the president, hinted that the current cabinet might face dissolution before May 29th,
Bubu himself confirmed this at a victory dinner on March 2nd, where he proudly proclaimed his new cabinet would be more inclusive of women and the youth.
Now, you might be bumping your head to this, because it slaps like an all too familiar song.
So familiar, it takes you back to 2015 when the Bubs promised a 35% affirmative action for women in his appointed and elected cabinet. His cabinet currently boasts about 19% female participation; with this guy serving as youth minister.
If you didn’t know, cabinet re-shuffling is quite commonplace. Obasanjo made a card game of his cabinet, ditto Buhari’s predecessor — Jonathan who dissolved the Yar’adua appointed cabinet, back in 2010.
Anyhoo, here’s hoping no one enters their third trimester waiting for the new ministers like that last time.

FORGET THE PCP, THE REAL 3RD PLACE WINNER WERE THE VOID VOTES?

While the PCP won a finessed 110,196 votes, an unsuspecting third place winner could very easily have taken its place. With 1,289,697 votes declared invalid, void votes were the real third place winner in the elections.
No pricey nomination form purchased, no ring-kissing to gain party support and no campaigning either. All that was needed was the disenfranchisement of a million Nigerians who took time out of their chill Saturday, to vote.
This energy has been consistent, with April 2011’s elections recording 1 259 506 void votes and April 2015 recording a smaller, yet sizeable 844 519 rejected votes.


The cause of so many votes being voided can be linked to poor voter education, where voters place their ballots in the wrong boxes intended. Or the elfin-sized spaces alloted for prints, which often times cause spillage into other party boxes. And that genius idea to fold the ballot paper? Pretty much begging to have ink smeared all over the sheet, voiding votes. It’s 2019 and Nigeria is turning a whole 59 years old, can INEC please have a solution to these problems before 2023? Please and thanks.

OF RICE AND MEN.

Babajide Sanwo-olu has braided hair, fixed phone screens and donned a mechanic’s get-up to canvass for votes. On Thursday, February 28th, he took things a step further by making a mosh pit of the Lagos State secretariat.
Following a meeting with hundreds of members of the Lagos State civil service, Sanwo-Olu proceeded to give the workers present, a little ‘thanks for coming’ in the form of 30 000 bags of rice. Things got rowdy fast and at least one person got injured.
But perhaps what’s most interesting isn’t the fact that the civil service paused activity on a work day to hustle for rice, but the fact that, by so doing, they may have thrown caution to the wind regarding the ethics of their profession.
As seen where The Constitution in Part 1 of the 5th Schedule, enshrines their political neutrality and prohibits the asking for or reception of gifts for carrying out their duties.
There has been some public anger towards this act, most vocal of which is from his opponent- Jimi Agbaje.
But then again, ethics might be important, but bags of rice? Importanter.

 

WETIN GOVERNMENT DEY DO?

With the governorship elections holding in just 5 days, here’s a quick glance of a governor’s expected functions, so you know whose shirt to hold when these are lacking:
1. Securing lives and property.
2.Provision of basic amenities.
3. Establishing educational institutions.
4. Establishing healthcare facilities.
5. Generating revenue for the running of the state.
6. Exercising a prerogative of mercy on convicted citizens.

 

Whet! It’s the end already?

Time flies when you’re trying to make sense of Nigerian politics. 
Remember to share! 
 
Boyin
Z!KOKO

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