Opinion
By Steve Nwabuko
THE verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court affirming President Bola Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 polls hinges on submissions made by INEC in full reliance of election results collated and presented to it by various university Vice Chancellors acting as State’s Collation Officer of Presidential Election (SCOPE).
Nigeria’s elections from 1999 to 2023 have been superintended by academic Professors as umpires of the Electoral body (INEC) and Professors of various universities as leaders of the respective States INEC election results reporting agents in their capacity as SCOPE.
It was only Professor Nnenna Oti as SCOPE of Abia state that stood her ground to foil election malfeasance in the gubernatorial elections results collation that produced the only winning state for the Labour Party.
We are all witnesses of how the SCOPE of Adamawa state stayed away from performing his duty of declaring the Governorship election results of Adamawa state by allowing the National Electoral Commissioner to usurp his function.
A cursory look at election umpire performance scorecard over time reveals scathing comments from some Presidential gladiators.
In 2007, President Umaru Yar’ Adua said this about a discredited election conducted by Prof Maurice Iwu as then INEC Chairman:
*”It is true that I have been declared winner of the Presidential election by INEC Chairman, Prof Maurice Iwu, but I wish to put it on record that the process that produced such declaration is not too credible.”*
This is a huge indictment on the INEC that Prof Maurice Iwu headed and was thereafter removed from office by public outcry.
President Jonathan said of Professor Attahiru Jega’s declaration of Mohammadu Buhari as President:
*”My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian as I am not going to contest the declaration of the result but Nigerians must be ready to face the choices they have made in due course.”*
By the second term of President Buhari, Prof Jega was in the forefront of Nigerians challenging the inept leadership he installed and that Buhari represented.
The just concluded 2023 elections that Prof Mahmood Yakubu superintended is replete with plethora of collusions, connivance, manipulations and subversion of truth that emboldened him to arrogantly charge unimpressed contestants in a rogue election he ingloriously conducted to:
*”Go to Court.”*
*The disgraceful performances of Prof Maurice Iwu, Prof Attahiru Jega, Prof Mahmood Yakubu and all university Professors of Vice Chancellors cadre as SCOPE from 1999 to 2023 have weaponised the Judicial to deliver contentious judgements on disputed elections conducted by Nigeria’s irreverent Professors without recourse to integrity, values, truth, credibility, justice and sanity that defines the office of an academic Professor.*
*Nigeria is where it is today: poor leadership, poverty capital of the world, mass unemployment, free falling currency, debt overhang, comatose economy, tension and national disquietness as fallouts of Nigeria’s Professors rape of our democracy.*
*The poor educational standards in Nigeria’s universities have been exported to our electoral system by university Vice Chancellors in denying Nigerians the right to elect it’s leaders but foisting bad leadership on Nigeria.*
As Nigeria continues on path of disingenuous existence, we make bold to put Nigeria’s fall at the doorsteps of irritant academia represented by highly politically exposed university Vice Chancellors over a mess of pottage.
Nigerian Professors have found it comfortable to be used by politicians to violate our electoral process without a whimper and paving way for criminals to emerge as national leaders.
Weep for Nigeria’s academia for conspiring against Nigerians in quest for good leadership in Nigeria.
God bless Nigeria.
Aluta Continua.
A.
Tags: INEC President Bola Tinubu. Prof Attahiru Jega Prof Mahmood Yakubu Prof Maurice Iwu Steve Nwabuko.
