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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
In this interview, the Cross River publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Mike Ojisi, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of sabotaging the Nigerian electorate, especially in the state, saying “we didn’t prepare to context election against INEC as the supposed-unbiased umpire was tied to the apron-string of the government of the day.”
Ojisi admitted that they had high expectations of reclaiming the state, but again blamed the Commission’s inability to upload results from the polling units using BVAS machines and other bare-faced irregularities noticed in the field for their failure, adding that the party is out to seek redress to reclaim their mandate. He berated those calling on the party to accept defeat as anti-democratic elements, who are beneficiaries of illegalities, insisting that it is high time right thinking people stood up against shenanigans that took place in the name of election.
Before the general elections, there were high expectations from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their supporters across the country but the turn out was very disappointing especially in Cross River State regarded as a PDP state? What happened that the party performed woefully?
Yes, we had high expectations that the PDP was going to win the election, especially in Cross River State considering the amount of work and efforts we put in during electioneering. We had vigorous and intensive campaigns across the length and breadth of the state. We reached out to critical stakeholders and dotted the “ts” and the “I’s.” Besides, our candidates were favourites because we had quality persons who are experienced and have capacity to deliver at the polls. But you know this is an election and you are dealing with human element factor and anything can happen. Again, we did not prepare for the riotous violence and absolute disregard to constitutional provisions that characterise the conduct of elections. We had believed INEC in toto and that BVAS would be deployed to checkmate electoral fraud and add credibility to the processes. We least expected the abracadabra witnessed in the state in the name of election. So, if you look at the alleged illegalities and sharp practices went on and were allegedly perpetrated by agents of government in collaboration with security agents, you would understand why we lost out and very obvious that the PDP did not perform woefully like you said.
But before the elections, we had an inkling to what APC and its supporters were up to. A few days to the elections, there were multiple attacks and destruction of property worth several millions of Naira belonging to PDP members in Akpabuyo local government area. We reported to security agents and nothing happened. But it didn’t deter us but rather emboldened us to campaign more. So, the whole Cross Riverians who already know that they were fighting for their freedom and for their future well-being. If INEC have done at least one of the simplest thing they promised Nigerians like uploading results into the BVAS and the respective polling units across the state, you would have seen how determined the people were to bring back the good governance of PDP.
However, in the northern senatorial zone of the state, PDP is sill in charge because we won the senate seat and four out of six assembly seats there. I commend our supporters and the incumbent Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe for holding forth in the zone. Well, we would not want to delve into those issues of irregularities at the moment because as the party is seeking redress at the election tribunal. These things would all play-out for the public to understand. I can only appeal to our members and teeming supporters to calm down and wait for the outcome of the election tribunal, which is part of election process.
Political observers have attributed the crack within the party at the national level as partly responsible for the poor performance of the PDP. What is your reaction with regard to the elections in the state?
There is no doubt that a house that is divided can hardly perform optimally when faced with a critical challenge such as an election. However, we believe that if INEC observed its own rules and guidelines, the PDP would have still performed well in spite of the issues in the party. Fact is there is no party in Nigeria that does not have their own internal wrangling. If you check the antecedents of the PDP, you will realise that the party has very good conflict mitigation mechanism and very strong resilience in going into elections. We usually win and return back as one big united family. This time around, we had our opponents partnering with the umpire to put more pressure on the voters against our party.
Many believed that the PDP is a bad loser and should just accept defeat this time and help in moving the state forward rather than heading for the tribunal to challenge the outcome.
I disagree completely that PDP is a bad loser in these elections that have been described by observers and even International Community as fraudulent. How can elections that were characterised by intimidation of political opponents, outright hijack of sensitive materials, brutality and all forms of criminality be allowed to go unchallenged in this technological era? Definitely not possible! Those aggrieved persons and parties would have to deploy technological evidences available to find out what happened, why, how and those behind it ought to be punished if found guilty to put a further stop to such electoral theft. This arrogant display of bare-faced brigandage during elections has to stop to safeguard our electoral system in this 21st century. Nigeria as a whole cannot continue in this method of electioneering as if we are in banana republic. How can the country budget several billions of Naira to get our electoral system and then some group of persons, whose penchant for power are unprecedented, would just sit back and circumvent the entire system, then somebody would say please accept defeat. It sounds nonsensical and unacceptable to majority of Nigerians who are the tax payers.
Honestly, even in the context of the so called ‘Nigeria factor’, you cannot ascribe what just happened as smartness. Except smartness is now being defined in the context of criminality, lawlessness, abuse of power, maiming and killing. Do not forget that even when we were in elementary school, it is the dull pupils and the ones we call coconut head that you find perpetrating all sorts of atrocities in the class to evade tests or examinations. You cannot ignore guidelines and take the law into your hands and call that smartness as well as tell me that PDP is a bad loser. Rather, it is obsessed criminality. Even at that, did APC not challenge Governor Ben Ayade’s election in 2019 when he was still PDP governor? Did APC governorship candidates in 2019 election then in the persons of Sen. John Owan Eno and Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, not challenge themselves in court over who is the authentic candidate of the APC even after the general elections? So, what are they talking about? Again, the tribunal is part of electoral process and anybody who feels aggrieved has a right to seek redress just as Governor Ben Ayade and other APC candidates have gone to Court. While Ayade is challenging the re-election of Sen. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as Senator representing Cross River North district, other House of Assembly candidates in the North are also in court. Does it also mean that they are bad losers too?
But INEC has come out to say the elections were free and credible. So, how can you assess the performance of INEC in the last election with specific regards to Cross River?
INEC performance was nothing to write home about. As far as the last elections are concerned and based on what we witnessed in Cross River, it clearly showed that INEC was a department of the ruling party and was therefore totally dependent on their pay master. So the criteria we would have used to assess their performance as set by the Constitution and INEC guidelines for the conduct of elections were replaced by what only INEC and its paymaster know. Again, what we witnessed at various collation between INEC and its ad hoc staff were alleged monumental collaboration to shortchange voters. For instance, in my local government area (Etung), elections were outrightly canceled in some polling units by the REC on trumped allegations of violence even when there was none. There are other areas that were affected like that and we shall prove it in the court as we proceed. But all I can say is that this is the worst election ever conducted by INEC because the deceit and manipulations were just glaring for all to see. The Cross River experience was mind-bungling. For me, we didn’t have electoral umpire in Cross River. We had a totally biased umpire that were tied to the apron-string of the government of the day. A few days to the election, our party raised the alarm when INEC electoral officers (EOs) and Supervisory Polling officers (SPOs) who are solely responsible for the conduct of the elections at various units were said to have had meeting with the state government and nothing was done about it by the REC. We issued a press statement on that alerting the world that the supposed umpire in INEC has entered the arena with PDP. Yet, the Commission claimed to be independent. So, we did not prepare to contest election against INEC and some agencies of government. We pray not to have this kind of Commission in our political history where people’s votes were not counted as they promised.
Political observers have attributed the crack within the party at the national level as partly responsible for the poor performance of the PDP. What is your reaction with regard to the elections in the state?
There is no doubt that a house that is divided can hardly perform optimally when faced with a critical challenge such as an election. However, we believe that if INEC observed its own rules and guidelines, the PDP would have still performed well in spite of the issues in the party. Fact is there is no party in Nigeria that does not have their own internal wrangling.
If you check the antecedents of the PDP, you will realise that the party has very good conflict mitigation mechanism and very strong resilience in going into elections. We usually win and return as one big united family. This time around, we had our opponents partnering with the umpire to put more pressure on the voters against our party.
What is the way forward for the PDP in Cross River?
For now, we have rejected the outcome of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections results as declared by INEC and we shall pursue the matter up to Supreme Court. No party would take what happened in the state as an election; even APC would not accept it if it was the other way. The way forward is to look up to the judiciary since INEC is now a primary associate of the ruling party while we continue to look inward on the next line of action as a party.
