Putrid Lessons from Kogi Governorship Election Petitions S’Court Verdict

By Ogunyomi Joan

The recent Supreme Court judgement on the November 11, 2023 off-cycle Kogi State Governorship election, will for years to come serve as a stark reminder of the depth to which Nigeria’s electoral system had sunk. It appears that the mantra ‘win by any means necessary’ may have become the guiding principle for politicians, no matter the costs to dignity and democratic values.

The meaning of the August 23 Supreme Court judgment which authenticated the last Kogi gubernatorial election, is very clear: Just win and come to the court to “defend your mandate”.

Kogi’s what thought of as a black and white case. Somehow, the weighty evidence of violence, over voting, and outright rigging, which occurred in Kogi last November, was all lost to the revered panel of the apex court justices. The fact that the supreme court upheld the “victory” of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Ododo in spite of the vivid demystification of the functionality and foolproof efficacy of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS), as orchestrated by Ododo’s fugitive godfather, Yahaya Bello, despite the established widespread irregularities, raises serious concerns about the integrity of our electoral process.

What makes a pain is not totally about the decision to affirm Ododo’s victory, after all things considered; the pain rather is allowing the open incidences of overvoting. It is a slap in the face of democracy when the judiciary, the last hope of the common man, seems to condone such blatant disregard for the electoral law. The message from the verdicts from the lower courts to the apex is simple: might makes right, and those with power and resources to manipulate the system will always emerge victorious.

The putrid reputation of Nigeria’s judiciary, which has forced the common man to have the inclination that court judgments, especially on electoral matters, are not normally based on justice but rather transactional, is an anathema. Unfortunately, today, we live in a country where the critical mass view judgments on election matters (when based on justice), as a mistake; and to some‐‐‐a disappointment.

The people of Kogi state, and indeed Nigeria, deserve better. We deserve free, fair, and credible elections, where the will of the people is respected and upheld. Anything less is a betrayal of the trust placed in our leaders and institutions.

Let us not forget the blood of innocent citizens shed during these charades called elections and the burdens of the families whose hopes were torn by the needless losses of their bread winners. Let us not forget the cries of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised.

We must demand more from our leaders, from our institutions, and from ourselves. We must stand up against electoral impunity and fight for a system that truly represents the people, not just the interests of the privileged few.

●Ogunyomi Joan writes from Abuja