—Warns against inconclusive polls in Edo
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
A member of the House of Representatives, Teejay Yusuf, has appealed to the European Union, EU and the United Kingdom, UK to emulate the United States and place visa ban to those who manipulate the electoral process against the choice of the majority.
Honorable Yusuf, who represents Kabba–Bunu/Ijumu Federal constituency of Kogi state, also warned the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of conducting inconclusive elections in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.
The federal lawmaker said it was regrettable that those who came to power professing positive change and progressive democracy have instead brought unprecedented nepotism, worsened insecurity, economic misery, high unemployment and grand schemes to thwart democracy through various means, including ‘inconclusive election’.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, legislator said that history will applaud the United States’ visa ban on “the ruling APC’s vicious manipulators” and urged the EU, UK and other developed nations to also consider following suit immediately to save democracy in the country.
He lamented that “while the PDP’s 16 years’ leadership produced only one inconclusive election, the supposedly pro-people APC has produced 22 inconclusive elections within five years.
“PDP members are joining Edo State people and all true democrats across Nigeria to call upon the United States, the EU, UK and all other countries to insist that there must be no repeat of the APC’s trick in Osun state where they casually engineered an ‘inconclusive election’ to manipulate and win through the back door.
“We shall continue to commend the USA for wielding the big stick against those who played inglorious, despicable roles in the violent rape of democracy during Kogi state’s last governorship elections; replication of such visa ban by the EU, UK and other developed countries will tame APC leaders’ penchant for foreign trips and further reassure Nigerian democrats.
“It is curious and alarming to hear that this government consistently rewards those who unashamedly subvert the people’s will during the electioneering process; for instance, a top INEC official who perpetrated ungodly roles in the 2019 Kano state elections was rewarded with more sensitive responsibilities, posted to Kogi state where further compromise was glaring and now, this same person has been posted to Edo state for next Saturday’s governorship election!
“It is historically regrettable for the nation that those who came to power professing positive change and progressive democracy have instead brought unprecedented nepotism, worsened insecurity, economic misery, high unemployment and grand schemes to thwart democracy through various means, including ‘inconclusive election’.
“All through the PDP years from May 1999 to May 2015, only one inconclusive election was recorded but sadly just between May 2015 and now, the APC leadership has given Nigeria twenty-two inconclusive elections, with clear suspicions of its inclination towards having more of such anti-democratic accomplishments.”
Honorable Yusuf, who is a ranking member of the House of Representatives, expressed sadness that those who rose to power while spreading propagandist illusion of being populists have now disconnected themselves from citizens.
He urged the judiciary to rise to the historical occasion, adding that official deafness to voices of reason has inspired worsening mass resentment and a widening call for regionalism and even, dismemberment of the nation.
He said, “We pray they begin to learn to listen instead of insulting eminent voices and threatening others; Nigerians are being annihilated by economic misery, bandits and herdsmen from Mali, Niger and elsewhere wantonly murder people in farms and appointees of government routinely disparage constructive criticism as if the people have now forfeited all democratic rights.”
