John Okiyi-Kalu
By John Okiyi Kalu
During the build up to Anambra elections, about 181 thugs from Osun state were arrested by Imo state police command with weapons and charms at Disney Hotel Owerri. Many of us were worried about their presence in APC controlled Imo instead of Anambra or the closer Asaba.
But the next day supporters of APC and their media arm released statements claiming that they were dully accredited election observers undergoing training at a (sic) “cheap hotel” in Owerri before traveling to Anambra. We later read from APC goons that they were later released to “observe” the election.
Those of us who know Owerri questioned the reference to Disney Hotel along Owerri-Onitsha highway as a “cheap hotel” and also raised issues on the choice of Owerri as against Asaba where the APC deputy governorship candidate even owns a massive hotel. Asaba is just 5 minutes drive from Onitsha.
Now read this report in Vanguard newspapers and contrast with the lies churned out by APC and their supporters:
Meantime, the party (APC Osun State Chapter) has expressed fears as to the whereabouts of 181 Osun Electoral Monitors who were arrested in Owerri, weekend, on trumped up charges of heading to Anambra State to disrupt the governorship election of Saturday, now stalemated.
According to Oyatomi; “When police brought a number of them to the court, yesterday, before a magistrate, he adjourned the case for two hours with the instruction that the police should bring everybody arrested and were on the charge sheet before he would hear the case.
“The police reportedly left the court premises, stayed away for a while and then stormed the court premises, corked their guns and in a terrorist-like operation, carted away the people they had brought originally to an unknown destination.
“Defence lawyers who were in shock at the action of the police had no explanation for the police action.
“As at the time of going to press, they were still trying to trace where the police took the 181 citizens of Osun State to.”
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If they were released and monitored the election in Anambra, what are they doing in a court in Imo state?
And now the big one.
Remember the story of Nasir El-Rufai at Anambra State as election monitor? APC goons claimed he was accredited by INEC to observe the election and he also carried documents from APC national leadership showing his official deployment to Anambra to monitor elections on behalf of the party.
Guess what? The only document El Rufai carried was his driving license (which rumors say is even expired). He had no accreditation document from INEC or APC.
APC supporters also refused to inform you that even the movement of governor Peter Obi was restricted. Obviously the restriction of movement torpedoed APC’s plans to use imported mercenaries to rig the elections and cause chaos at Oma Mbala State. Remember that the party hierarrchy complained bitterly when INEC announced the movement restrictions.
Liars and propagandists per excellence
I woke up this morning and saw this BBM broadcast from a friend who supports APC: “Arrested INEC Official implicates Peter Obi – stay tuned for more details…. Name of arrested INEC official is Chukwujekwu Okeke. He has been transferred to Abuja along with another INEC accomplice.”
I replied the individual with this:
“At first, he was trying to rationalise his action in that local government area when he was verbally quizzed before the intervention of the police; but, after some time, especially at the point of his detention, he started to cooperate but the cooperation is loaded because he has mentioned some top officials of INEC, especially directors and a PDP chieftain, as those who ‘put him in trouble’.
http://leadership.ng/news/
He is yet to respond to that but I suspect he will not. Most things you have read from APC and their supporters about Anambra election are lies and propaganda. I give it to them that they are good at it. The near total control of the media and syndication of the publication of lies can deceive the untrained and uninitiated.
Simple truth is that APGA won Anambra election and all the APC is doing is to attempt to discredit the election because they lost woefully, contrary to the impression they created before the election. I can bet you that if INEC announce a cancellation and repeat election today, APC will find a reason to either complain or reject it outright. They know Anambra is their waterloo that will define future electoral disasters, especially in the South East.
Some of us knew their candidate was not anywhere near as popular as trumpeted. In the last Anambra Central Senatorial Election he only managed to beat Dora Akunyili with ill-gotten 489 votes in a contest involving his home zone of 7 LGAs. For a contest that involved a supposed popular ex-governor and an obvious political neophyte, that said a lot. Expecting him to win a governorship election at a time his political stock has even depreciated as a result of the deportations and non-performance at the Senate is a tall dream. Not discounting the fact that of his abandonment by his former Campaign Chief, Annie Okonkwo, who allegedly asked his supporters to vote for PDP. How on earth was he expected to win more than 2 LGAs? And now the big one.
Remember the story of Nasir El-Rufai at Anambra State as election monitor? APC goons claimed he was accredited by INEC to observe the election and he also carried documents from APC national leadership showing his official deployment to Anambra to monitor elections on behalf of the party.
Guess what? The only document El Rufai carried was his driving license (which rumors say is even expired). He had no accreditation document from INEC or APC.
APC supporters also refused to inform you that even the movement of governor Peter Obi was restricted. Obviously the restriction of movement torpedoed APC’s plans to use imported mercenaries to rig the elections and cause chaos at Oma Mbala State. Remember that the party hierarrchy complained bitterly when INEC announced the movement restrictions.
Liars and propagandists per excellence
I woke up this morning and saw this BBM broadcast from a friend who supports APC: “Arrested INEC Official implicates Peter Obi – stay tuned for more details…. Name of arrested INEC official is Chukwujekwu Okeke. He has been transferred to Abuja along with another INEC accomplice.”
I replied the individual with this:
“At first, he was trying to rationalise his action in that local government area when he was verbally quizzed before the intervention of the police; but, after some time, especially at the point of his detention, he started to cooperate but the cooperation is loaded because he has mentioned some top officials of INEC, especially directors and a PDP chieftain, as those who ‘put him in trouble’.
http://leadership.ng/news/
He is yet to respond to that but I suspect he will not. Most things you have read from APC and their supporters about Anambra election are lies and propaganda. I give it to them that they are good at it. The near total control of the media and syndication of the publication of lies can deceive the untrained and uninitiated.
Simple truth is that APGA won Anambra election and all the APC is doing is to attempt to discredit the election because they lost woefully, contrary to the impression they created before the election. I can bet you that if INEC announce a cancellation and repeat election today, APC will find a reason to either complain or reject it outright. They know Anambra is their waterloo that will define future electoral disasters, especially in the South East.
Some of us knew their candidate was not anywhere near as popular as trumpeted. In the last Anambra Central Senatorial Election he only managed to beat Dora Akunyili with ill-gotten 489 votes in a contest involving his home zone of 7 LGAs. For a contest that involved a supposed popular ex-governor and an obvious political neophyte, that said a lot. Expecting him to win a governorship election at a time his political stock has even depreciated as a result of the deportations and non-performance at the Senate is a tall dream. Not discounting the fact that of his abandonment by his former Campaign Chief, Annie Okonkwo, who allegedly asked his supporters to vote for PDP. How on earth was he expected to win more than 2 LGAs?
Surely there are many things PDP is not getting right. But the fact that PDP decampees or would-be decampees are hailed by APC chieftains as “performing progressives” is enough to tell Nigerians that APC has NOTHING to offer.
You don’t need lies and propaganda to sell a good “market” anywhere in the world.
Nigerians say Babu APC!
In the build up to Anambra 2013 Election most of my friends especially on Facebook knew I was not comfortable with APC winning Anambra Governorship. I gave reasons bothering on their candidate and the party itself. But that was mostly private conversations.
1. Would it have been morally right for me to register with INEC and be accredited as “independent observer” to Anambra November 16th election? Wouldn’t that make me a dishonest person and possibly an overtly corrupt man?
2. Will it be right for APGA led Anambra state Government to send 181 MASSOB members as “NGO” and “independent observers” to Osun 2015 governorship election and quarter them in Ondo state 2 days before the election?
3. Will it be right for Ralph Uwazulike to show up in Kaduna to monitor an election being contested by Chairman of Igbo traders Association in Kaduna?
I have long reached the conclusion that Nigerians are Nigeria’s problem not necessarily their leaders. If you will take money from a party to an election to go and “independently observe” an election you are as corrupt as politicians who loots N5b. Difference is that you are yet to get the opportunity to lay hands on N5b.
The precedence we set usually come back to haunt us tomorrow.
Same people keeping quiet about Osun’s “observers” will lose the moral right to complain tomorrow when Massob observes elections in Osun or Ogun State. When it happens, someone like me will remind you of the precedence and refuse to accept that we should be talking about present and future. The past normally shape the present and future of a nation/people.
That is why it is important to condemn evil whenever it crops up without considering if your partisan interest is affected or not.
That is why I am hard on people who will jump up and condemn one alleged corrupt official while turning the other way when others committed same offense.
The greatest problem most of us have is short memory tinged with hypocrisy. I dislike hypocrites and if I have ever followed your comments with “Hypocrites Nigeria Limited” it means I think you are a hypocrite.
Sorry Nigeria!
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