It’s no longer news but it was a shocking and unexpected news when the sudden news of the new Nigeria political concept broke out about the inconclusive Osun gubernatorial election.
We’ve heard of election annulment, postponement as well as governmental terms such as recession and the recent “INCONCLUSIVE election”
It’s pertinent to give an overview of the election which is set to be re run on the 27th of September.
The results of the just concluded election showed that APC polled 254,345 while PDP polled 254,698. This is so glaring that the candidate of the PDP polled the majority votes. The difference therefore is 353
The election will be re run in 5 local government areas on Osun state. Joseph Afuwape, INEC’s returning officer, had said since the total number of cancelled votes, 3,498 exceeded the difference between the two leading parties (353), it was impossible for any party to be declared as winner.
According to the Electoral Act of 2010 Section 69 reads thus;
“In an election to the office of the President or Governor whether or not contested and in any contested election to the other elective office, the result shall be ascertained by counting the votes cast by each candidate and subject to the provisions of sections 133, 134 and 179 of the Constitution, the candidate that receives the highest number of votes shall be declared elected by the appropriate Returning Officer.”
An inconclusive election is an election where the total number of registered voters in units where the results are cancelled or where the elections are postponed, are sufficient to cause a change in the outcome of the election in the affected constituency.
The decision of INEC to declare the election inconclusive is highly logical from a sociological point of view but to others, they will take it to be highly political. Have read so many articles and read a lot about the “inconclusive election” as some would opine that the concept was due to the fact that the ruling party was defeated and they never wanted the defeat.
However, this write-up is not centered on either the decision was logical or political but instead it’s centred on stating the consequences of the decision by INEC to declare the election inconclusive.
The election is said to be conclusive on the 27th of September 2018 but politically it will come with a lot of drama.
The election conducted in Osun was free and fair according to the local observers and the media, the aspect of vote buying was eradicated to the barest minimum but it wasn’t as if there was no form of electoral fraud but it was all minimized to the barest minimum.
There are a whole lot of outcomes for the re run
The Nation will be very weak politically and Osun state will be the strongest state politically because the political gladiators of both the PDP and the ruling APC will be in the state to oversee the election for the favour of their respective parties. Both parties will tend to use the power they have at the federal legislature and federal executive respectively to have the mandate of leadership of Osun for the next four years
The election will be coupled with a lot of violence as both parties will tend to utilize all available resource for the result to come out on their favour now that it’s glaring both parties knows the stands. The security operatives will have so much to do as the election promises to be very dangerous as both parties won’t mind who’s cattle is lost.
The most expensive ‘commodity in the affected local government in Osun state will be “votes”, both parties will tend to utilize this financial powers for decisions and outcome of the election to come in their favour, even though INEC was succeeded in the fight against vote buying the election on Thursday will bring back the corrupt practice of buying votes.
The decision of INEC to declare the election inconclusive as generated a lot of controversies from several political figures and topic of public national debate since the news broke out as the peoples Democratic party as been the one with most public outcry to denounce the decision of INEC. The party said it rejects in its entirety the declaration made by the electoral body that the Osun election is inconclusive.
The party also urged INEC to declare Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the Osun governorship election. According to PDP, Adeleke has satisfied all the requirements of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The result of the election said to be re run on the 28th will bring a lot of controversies as well as a lot of discussion for public debate
Furthermore, INEC as brought an intending pressure on itself by declaring the election inconclusive because there’s a lot of doubt on the credibility of INEC to deliver a free and fair election in 2019.
The election won’t be free nor fair as both parties are currently strategizing on how they will win and this will include any means of manipulating the election
It’s so glaring that no matter the outcome of the election the other party will result to court inquest for legal fight against the outcome of the election
This decision has dealt a huge blow to INEC because the Osun election ought to serve as a pilot test or litmus test for the general elections in 2019, so for INEC to declare a state election inconclusive then the 2019 elections is subject to be in doubt and the credibility of INEC is totally in doubt as well
The entire world is focusing on INEC to deliver a free and fair election in osun
This might probably be another Mko Abiola saga of the June 12 1993 election.
Written by shokoya olakunle adeboye (social philosopher of Africa) [email protected]
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ADEGBOYEGA LATEEF OLAMILEKAN
