Atiku can, INEC cannot

INEC - Not smart at all

Even a half-wit, crippled dog blinded in one eye and oozing with sores could have predicted without the need for a bark that the Independent National Electoral Commission was on to a loser by politicking instead of ensuring that elections in Nigeria were conducted freely and fairly.

The Supreme Court and there is no higher body of justice in Nigeria has reaffirmed the ruling the lower court that INEC does not have the power to disqualify candidates. - BBC

The ruling was unanimous and it would put INEC in a scurry to ensure that the Vice President is duly presented to the electorate in all regions of Nigeria on Saturday.

Basically, Atiku Abubakar can run and INEC cannot stop him, somehow, INEC had confused the job of vetting for eligibility with assessing for disqualification, the former being their role and the latter completely out of their remit and realm of influence.

Like I have said before, INEC has no logistical preparedness to serve the nation in a just poll; the weekend showed late openings, usurped ballot boxes that then were returned and still ended up being counted, poor security amongst other failings.

The fear is, by Saturday, Atiku Abubakar would not be on the ballot papers in some nether regions, causing confusion, exacerbating chaos and creating unrest.

A reckless risk taker

Now, the Professor of Pharmacognosy deigned to suggest that the conduct of the elections was a success and this is where I have a serious problem with his credibility.

Professor Iwu shows himself to be a man who takes reckless risks regardless of the consequences and contrary outcomes. As a pharmacist, one begins to wonder how many risks he has taken in drug research and the possible exposure of humans to dangerous, harmful or deadly substances in the name of medical research.

Any other smart person would have erred on the side of caution seeking the widest breath of legal advise when skirt the limits of the remit of an executing entity, but Professor Iwu threw caution to the winds to risk the democratic stability of his fatherland and deny his fellow countrymen due diligence in the discharge of his duties.

A fall so great looms

In the end, I would cast Professor Iwu as an archetypal Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, a senior Catholic Archbishop of England when Henry VIII was king. He promised to seek the dissolution of the king's first marriage from the pope and failed. It lead to the English Reformation, the persecution of Catholics and the execution of a few of the king's wives.

Professor Iwu, we can plainly say under the orders of the executive has failed to conclusively exclude the Vice President from the elections, if a fate worse than his archetype befalls him, it would have been as a result of his scant regard for the responsibility he holds.

To paraphrase the final words of a remorseful Cardinal Wolsey - "If Professor had served his country as diligently as he has done the wicked will of the President, we would have commended him a man of honour to be celebrated amongst the great men of Nigeria".

Alas! The man would leave a legacy befitting a thief.

PS: Meanwhile back to the INEC website, the piece of news has not yet been posted and I note that the part for election observers contains nothing though he did address election observers with the view to challenge their status rather than offer transparency - this a charade and it must not continue any longer.

References

The INEC Blogs