I listened with a lot of consternation to Dr. Doyin Okupe call Ibrahim Mantu a hero for confessing to rigging elections for his party. The interview was done by Faith Dafe Joseph on LagosTalks913 a Lagos based talk radio station. According to Dr. Okupe, "everyone is involved in rigging" and it takes a lot for someone of Mantu's stature to come out in the open and confess to such activities.
Mantu made the confession on national television and since then reactions have ranged from "crucify him" to "what a man of courage". One strange thing that arises from the analysis from Dr. Okupe is that no election in Nigeria has been credible since democracy begun. That all elections have been rigged!
Many people believe that Mantu's confession and Dr. Okupe's hero endorsement are signs of the dire circumstances of our democracy.
Rigging appears to be the norm rather than an exception. The politicians of today it seems would stop at nothing to win elections, even if it means cheating at the polls and feigning victory.
So far the law enforcement agencies, INEC and the government have been silent over Mantu's comments. IT appears that we suffer from gross despondency and perhaps a touch of voter apathy which could characterize the next elections. This, it appears, is exactly what a lot of politicians who cant win a fair election are banking on to get back into office.
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