IS PROF JOASH AMUPITAN BEING BLACKMAILED TO QUIT INEC?
By PASCAL ONONYE
It appears that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2007 seed of political thuggery has now germinated and fruiting is imminent.
Early in January 2000, Obasanjo had threatened to impose a state of emergency in Lagos due to ethnic violence involving the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), but Tinubu responded by blaming federal security failures.
In 2007 or thereabouts, as Obasanjo bared his fangs regrading the rigging of the elections to favour his political party, the PDP, the then Governor Tinubu retorted to Pres. Obasanjo that Area boys in Lagos had been equipped with petrol, to burn down Lagos, should the election be rigged.
It appears that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2007 seed of political thuggery has now germinated and fruiting is imminent.
I would have condemned in its entirety, the impending violence that comes as a prelude to threaten the peaceful conduct of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria. But over the last few months, rumours and suggestions that President Tinubu is bent on rigging the 2027 General elections, are rife. Rumours of outright writing of election results in 2027, are everywhere.
An impeccable and reliable insider, told us of a meeting where the INEC chairman was coerced into writing his resignation letter, after he refused further bending of the rules for APC. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Bayo Onanuga and Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi the current Director General (DG) of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), were at the meeting with the INEC chairmen, Prof. Joash Amupitan.
Amupitan, in no clear terms told them that he would not interfere with the ADC as the case was still in court. However, a few hours later, an unnamed INEC Commissioner was arm-twisted to expunge the names of ADC leaders from the INEC website.
It is now time to borrow a leaf from Tinubu and buy petrol for area boys, who would give Tinubu a dose of his own medicine. Of what use is Nigeria if opposition cannot thrive? Where is democracy if only one party exists? Where is freedom if opposition member are arbitrarily locked away?
Has a Commissioner the constitutional rights to unilaterally remove the names of the leadership of ADC drom the INEC portal? The answer is NO!
Nigerians must rise up and defend democracy. Nigerians must unite to rescue their nation from hoodlums and hooligans in agbada. Enough is enough.
Barr. Pascal Ononye
Writes from the Netherlands
Disclaimer: Note that all opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the author and not of The DEFENDER
