Dr Sandy Onor, A Labour Party (LP) Candidate For The Senate In March 28, 2015 Elections At the Level Of Cross River Central Senatorial District, had been a Commissioner, Chairman Etung Local Government, Chairman of Chairmen and Deputy National President Of ALGON in His Time, Taught For Eight years In The University of Calabar, A Patriot Who Believes In Democracy, Grassroots Politician And Optimist In The Fact That As Nigeria Is Gradually Moving Towards Democratic Sanity There Will Be No Reason To Stop The Most Populous Black Race From Making That Progress, Speaks With The Media On His Attitude To The Outcome Of Last Saturday’s Election In Cross River. Our Regional Correspondent, Diana Okon-Effiong Was in attendance. Excerpts: You Participated In The March 28, 2015 Presidential and NASS Polls As LP Candidate For the Cross River Central Senatorial District, Are You Comfortable With The Outcome Of That Election As Announced By INEC In The State?
Onor: I am most uncomfortable and to say the least, every known rule of the electoral process was breached brazenly and every conduct deserving of dignity completely discarded. If we had known that that there was even a degenerative vis-a-vis of what we have known before of the electoral process, there was nowhere we would have participated.
But we cultivated optimism in the spirit of statements of assurances and reassurances from Prof Attahiru Jega and his INEC only to find out that within Cross River State you had persons who were completely resolute in the task of dragging the good image of the Commission to the mud. It (March 28 elections in Cross River) was a sham, to say the least!
Apart from my constituency, my colleagues, Sen. Bassey Otu (LP, South) and Mr. Julius Okputu (LP, North). Otu was clearly the most popular candidate in the Southern Senatorial District and Okputu ran against somebody who (laughter) is still out there! The complaints still run through the state but for purposes of details I can speak more about my senatorial zone.
But If One Should Say That PDP Was A Sweep Stake Winner In That Election In Cross River, Is That Really Real Or True?
Onor: That is purportedly. But the reality is far from that boast. They (PDP) knew that they were not popular with the people anymore. There has been a distance arising from non-performance; salaries and even pension are not paid; the town is getting dirtier and dirtier and projects are uncompleted; so people generally don’t feel the flavour of government around them and they were ready to say `goodnight to PDP’!
And conscious of that the Gov. Liyel Imoke then robustly put together a bright team that completely compromised INEC. And INEC did the unpardonable, you know, withdrew results sheets. Even in my ward, they had the temerity to attempt it until the people protested heavily and they brought the result sheets at about 7 pm after so much disorganisation about the process which must have been very deliberate.
We had cases of brigandage, where security forces were used to hijack materials and take them to remote places where they were thumb printed by party agents or privies of the PDP. We had situations where in a polling unit, for instance, where you had up to 500 votes, they gave you ballot papers for 100 and kept the rest which they also thumb printed and stuffed in.
We had all manner of lapses, tactics that we thought have been washed away with previous elections or INEC regimes resurfacing in proportions that were even more brutal and ruthless that we saw before, all in the name of government power. And we consider that shameful.
The Police In Cross River State Said Elections Were Peaceful In Cross River And INEC Said Results As Announced Were Authentic, Gospel Truth, What Is Your Attitude To Such Statements?
Onor: From what we saw in Cross River not the peace keepers they were supposed to be. That is not what we found in the field. They were in many cases a suppressive agent. I know that a few of them did what they were supposed to do in few places. But in the main they were used by the State Government to oppress other political parties and perpetrate the anomaly that was found on the ground. So when they speak of peace, I am sure they are misreading the morbid quietude of the Cross River community and considering that that is peace; it is akin to peace at a burial, grave yard. The people are very unhappy and disappointed at the misconduct of their state government.
Given This Scenario Will You Suggest A Re-Run?
Onor: We are asking for a complete cancellation of the results. Card readers were used. Listening to Jega he never at any point included Cross River State as one of the states where card readers should be discarded. But they discarded the card reader here. It was the only window they had to dive into the hall of infamy to perpetrate the heinous act that they perpetrated. Everyone knows that nothing that was done that was real here. Everything was a sham. Results were concocted and distorted all in favour of the PDP
At your Level Were You Able To Make A Formal Complaint To INEC On Your Observations And Objections?
Onor: Yes, I have written a formal compliant to INEC in Abuja through INEC in Calabar and I am sure they have sent a copy it to Abuja.
Next step?
Onor: My next step is to meet with my supporters and begin to articulate the next step forward. The tribunal option is one of the options being contemplated and then we look at other options too.
But we are happy that we ran this election. We are happy that our people clearly stood by us. Everyone knows that the Labour Party had overtaken the PDP in Cross River I terms of popularity; that is the reality.
Advice to Supporters?
We want our supporters to stay calm. I don’t like violence because it is not an option in a civilised democracy. Let the ballot always speak. We believe that the courts exist. If we have to challenge we will challenge democratically and legally. Once we have another opportunity to prove what we are saying we will so prove.
Views On President Goodluck Jonathan And President-Elect, Muhamadu Buhari?
First I must congratulate President Jonathan. Not many people will give him credit for the seamless transition that we have had or we are going to have. But I will give him credit. From the very beginning I have always said that Jonathan is one person who has done something that is constructively unusual.
The fact that he decided to appoint an INEC Chairman that is not his crony just in the interest of sanitising Nigerian democracy is uniquely exemplary and even when he is consumed by that example, he still had the courage to say `look I give in to the verdict’.
Whether anybody likes it or not it is the real genuine beginning of real democracy in Nigeria. And in the next couple of years Jonathan for me should be clearly seen as the father of real, genuine democracy in Nigeria; a great man.
For Buhari I wish him well. Not many people will imagine that he may have something to offer rather than his honesty. But I believe that honesty is the fulcrum around which real development in Nigeria will revolve. For Buhari, a man of proven integrity and honesty to emerge as president is assign of good things.
Buhari should be able, straight as he is to in place in perspective a lot of the missing links in Nigerian political economy. I am hopeful that under him, the progress which Jonathan had started democratically will be consolidated upon and that we will begin to see real growth and genuine respect for Nigeria internationally.
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