PDP and the Ghost of Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial elections
Nelson Ekujumi
I have always tried to refrain from commenting on the PDP in view of how it managed our affairs in the last 16 years of democratic rule which was despicable in all ramifications and was taken to a dizzying height by the Goodluck Jonathan administration unparalleled conduct in our political life in terms of official irresponsibility, lawlessness, criminality, impunity, pillaging and plundering of our Commonwealth.
With the Kogi state gubernatorial election just some three weeks away, PDP stalwarts are now calling for a level playing field in the conduct of the elections which ought to be the real state of things. You want to ask, where were they when PDP under expired President Goodluck Jonathan, in order to capture the two states of the then opposition party, APC, unleashed terror and brigandage on Ekiti and Osun states electorate in the gubernatorial elections in 2014 ?
But if I may remember, it seems they, PDP are being haunted by the ghost of terror and brigandage which they perpetuated in Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections in 2014 during which Niger Delta criminals, thugs and the compromised, corrupt and unprofessional security agencies were unleashed on the states to create a war like atmosphere so that electoral malpractice can be exercised.
In the two states gubernatorial elections, for Ekiti state, over 33,000 security agents and thugs were deployed by the federal government during the tenure of Goodluck Jonathan to instil a reign of terror through indiscriminate arrest of opposition party officials, sporadic shootings, brutalization, armed robbery, assault on the democratic rights of Nigerians and the result of which produced Ayo Fayose, whose “victory” has and remains tainted by the Ekitigate scandal of which the truth will come out very soon.
In the state of Osun gubernatorial elections, over 73,000 security agents, thugs and militants were deployed to repeat what they did in Ekiti, but to the glory of God, they were repelled by the ever vigilant and conscious electorate of the state of Osun.
It is important to note that, at that point in time when expired President Goodluck Jonathan administration abused our compromised and corrupt security agencies to undermine our democracy by placing under siege, these two states for the gubernatorial elections, the total number of troops deployed to the north east region to combat boko haram was less than 20,000.
The above scenario goes a long way to reveal that the government of expired President Goodluck Jonathan administration had sinister motive with regards to our democracy which was perfectly executed in Ekiti, but failed miserably in Osun state as the people defied the guns, terror and intimidation to vote and make their votes count by keeping vigil over it.
And just as the Kogi and Bayelsa gubernatorial polls are fast approaching, one can only admonish the remnants of the past era of irresponsibility, brigandage, lawlessness, criminality and impunity of Goodluck Jonathan, that we are in a new era of change in which the present occupant in office is very responsible, focused, patriotic and committed to democracy, due process and the rule of law, so they need not lose sleep even though they will forever be haunted by the ghost of their infamy with regards to Ekiti and Osun states gubernatorial elections.
May the ghost of the terror and brigandage perpetuated in Ekiti and Osun states continue to haunt the perpetrators to the glory of God and our democracy.
Ekujumi writes from Ikeja
