Integrity: The true loser of the 2019 Presidential polls (Opinion)

By: DR AHMAD ABUBAKAR MAHMUD GUMI

Even before the polls were counted, president Muhammadu Buhari was 100% confident he was going to win. From where will that confidence be in a nation hardly thriving from division, disunity and economic woes?

It’s definitely not from his performance and competency. The Economy, security and corruption in the nation have been worst in relative terms and places. The nation is plagued with more youth unemployment, more ethnic killings, more kidnappings nationwide, more poverty and widespread corruption in every small corner.

The only source of his assurance therefore remains the INCUMBENCY FACTOR or precisely the offical corruption.

From TraderMoni implemented in few months to election, to EFCC harassment of opposition finances, vote buying, use of public funds in mobilization for campaigns, posters and the monopoly of national TV and radio for ruling party campaigns. The deliberate use of religion as a campaign strategy in mosques. Use of armed forces to harass voters in some place and opposition in others, etc.

The 2019 presidential polls were manipulated from inception to collation. Don’t mention the card reader ruse. This no two honest people argue about that. The only argument is that both sides did it.

Therefore, without denial of doing it, I conclude that the true looser is integrity and respect. It has finally sealed the tortuous history of Gen. Muhammad Buhari political career with the stain of embracing everything corruption if he’s able to clinch to power after a full term of exercising power with the slogan of fighting corruption. The real winner is thus the true diagnosis of the real corruption that has damped the soul of the nation. Share hypocrisy in every quarter.

We Muslim are obliged to be honest to the core. “O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah should be more preferred than both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well- acquainted with all that ye do.” Q4/135.

2019 presidential polls have exposed the deep rot in the seemingly conservative northern Muslim society. I was shocked seeing poor village women lined up receiving N500 note each with instructions to vote the ruling party. Under-aged voters. Using the minbar as a partisan political pulpit. Name it, it all happened and widely. Zamfara’s case is the most pathetic.

The president, INEC chairman, the security chiefs are all muslims. This is disgusting that such a colossal rigging and incompetency will happened with their apparent collaboration or silence. Islam remain free of any obligation to all human malevolence.

The true winner in this poll, is the opposition that was for long suppressed with the stigma of ‘looters’ and corruption. No healthy governance develops without good effective opposition. Otherwise the nation was truly drifting to a one state party authoritarian dictatorship. We can see what is happening at present in Algeria, Sudan and our neighbors the Cameron . Therefore, the reemergence of the opposition back in full force to the extent that the ruling party has to embrace full blown corruption and rigging to retain power struggling with few millions of rigged votes is absolutely amazing and a good prognosis of a better nation.

Truly Atiku Abubakar should be saluted for his dogged stand against authoritarian leadership tendencies. He has saved the nation is a way only history will vindicate him. I therefore urged him to reject the fake results, no credit should be given to falsehood and seek redress in the court of law, the same way, the president did in his previous attempts, he knows better when injustice is served.

I call on every citizen to conduct themselves with decorum and peaceful dialogue and follow the laws to its reasonable conclusion.

One thing -for sure- is that this nation needs urgent restructuring. INEC needs an overhaul. And like in some countries, the chairman should be elected by members of the state assemblies. All political prisoners should be released.