By Abubakar Usman
The political history of the
People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) will never be complete
without the mention of the
party’s rigging machinery.
The grassroots structure of
PDP is one, built on the
fulcrum of well-oiled rigging
machinery. For many, it
started sixteen years ago
but for those who follow
political history of this nation
closely, it was a pattern
structured by the founders
of the party well before then.
The last general elections
reaffirmed the stand that PDP
is incapable of succeeding as
a political party in an
environment where the
electoral system is
transparent, free and fair,
especially if, such electoral
system is dependent on
technology which makes
processes scientifically easy
compared to manual
processes. If one takes a
little trip back into Nigeria’s
political history, it will be
clear that all along, the
ideology of the PDP is
winning by all means. They
care less about the means,
the end goal is what propels
them and they can do
everything even though
wrong to achieve it.
Evidently, nothing explains
PDP’s underlining principles
as a political party more than
constant internal party
bickering, use of ethnic and
religious narrative to divide
voters; use of force by
deploying military might;
massive rigging; use of
thugs to compel voters;
bribery; etc. Overtime, the
party succeeded through
wielding power at the centre,
to shape the cognition of
many Nigerians to accept
their brand of politics. The
progressive retrograde of
political morality in Nigeria
political system, explains
further the decline from
sanity to insanity that has
characterised this nation’s
politics in the last sixteen
years. It got to a time when
killing political opponents was
seen as a given and
gradually it became an
acceptable pattern, one
which clearly shows a total
disregard for human lives
and a lack of respect for rule
of law. Certainly, many will
agree that the last sixteen
years has been nothing but
a dark moment in our political
history and it makes it very
difficult to look back and
point to a single moment of
gargantuan achievement.
The last governorship
election in Taraba state was
earlier this month, subjected
to tribunal examination over
allegation of electoral
irregularities reported by the
All Progressive Party (APC)
candidate, Senator Aisha
Jummai Alhassan. The result
of that examination, is the
election tribunal sacking
governor Darius Ishaku and
declaring Senator Aisha
Jummai Alhassan winner of
the elections held in April this
year. There is a pattern to
this and that is the PDP’s
love for winning elections
through means they cannot
justify in court.
In 1999, mysterious
circumstances surrounded
the emergence of Jolly
Nyame as governor of
Taraba under the flagship of
PDP. The winner of the party
primaries, Usman Bibinu was
involved in a ghastly car
accident just few days to the
state election and Nyame
who was brought in at the
last minute by a certain
powerful power broker in the
state won the election. In the
same vein, Jolly Nyame in
2007 imposed his crony
Danladi Baido on his party
men. Even though the young
man did win the primary
election, he was disqualified
by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC)
from contesting the election
because of some corrupt
cases in his name. The same
scenario led to the
emergence of Danbaba Suntai
as the governor before the
unfortunate jet crash that
left him incapacitated.
Despite the clamour for
change before the last
election, the PDP could not
resist the urge to rig
elections once again. In
Taraba, a Premium Times
report found out that,
soldiers were deployed to
frighten and intimate voters.
The report found out that,
rather than make the
electoral system safe, free
and fair, the soldiers were
used to rig in favour of the
ruling People’s Democratic
Party. In communities like
Wukari and Takum, villagers
complained of widespread
rigging and falsification of
election results. In southern
Taraba for example,
electoral officials complained
of being forced by PDP hired
thugs to do away with the
card readers, thereby
enabling their supporters to
vote without going through
the process of proper
accreditation.
In addition, the same Premium
Times report cited a
community leader named Bello
Kwararrafa as saying, there
were instances where agents
of rival political parties
abducted, manhandled and
forced soldiers acting on the
orders of federal
government to lie prostrate
on the ground. Also, in many
Local governments in
Northern Taraba, like Karim
Lamido, Lau and Ardo
collation of results didn’t
take place. Soldiers carrying
guns were used as aides to
collation officers to prevent
people from demanding for
the collation of their results.
The Social Democratic Party
candidate in the state, David
Kente named Wukari, Takum
and other places as the
worst zones of electoral
fraud. Consequently, the rife
electoral fraud in many
wards, polling units or local
government, led to the
cancellation of results and
the extension of the election
after it was declared
inconclusive by the electoral
empire.
Little wonder, the decision of
the Taraba State
Governorship Election
Petition Tribunal nullifying
the election of Governor
Danbaba Suntai did not come
as a surprise to many. With
that decision, it is hoped that
the rigging machinery of the
PDP would have been
destroyed so that the will of
the people will henceforth
prevail.
Abubakar Usman sent
this piece via abu_
sidiq2000@yahoo.com

By Abubakar Usman
The political history of the
People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) will never be complete
without the mention of the
party’s rigging machinery.
The grassroots structure of
PDP is one, built on the
fulcrum of well-oiled rigging
machinery. For many, it
started sixteen years ago
but for those who follow
political history of this nation
closely, it was a pattern
structured by the founders
of the party well before then.
The last general elections
reaffirmed the stand that PDP
is incapable of succeeding as
a political party in an
environment where the
electoral system is
transparent, free and fair,
especially if, such electoral
system is dependent on
technology which makes
processes scientifically easy
compared to manual
processes. If one takes a
little trip back into Nigeria’s
political history, it will be
clear that all along, the
ideology of the PDP is
winning by all means. They
care less about the means,
the end goal is what propels
them and they can do
everything even though
wrong to achieve it.
Evidently, nothing explains
PDP’s underlining principles
as a political party more than
constant internal party
bickering, use of ethnic and
religious narrative to divide
voters; use of force by
deploying military might;
massive rigging; use of
thugs to compel voters;
bribery; etc. Overtime, the
party succeeded through
wielding power at the centre,
to shape the cognition of
many Nigerians to accept
their brand of politics. The
progressive retrograde of
political morality in Nigeria
political system, explains
further the decline from
sanity to insanity that has
characterised this nation’s
politics in the last sixteen
years. It got to a time when
killing political opponents was
seen as a given and
gradually it became an
acceptable pattern, one
which clearly shows a total
disregard for human lives
and a lack of respect for rule
of law. Certainly, many will
agree that the last sixteen
years has been nothing but
a dark moment in our political
history and it makes it very
difficult to look back and
point to a single moment of
gargantuan achievement.
The last governorship
election in Taraba state was
earlier this month, subjected
to tribunal examination over
allegation of electoral
irregularities reported by the
All Progressive Party (APC)
candidate, Senator Aisha
Jummai Alhassan. The result
of that examination, is the
election tribunal sacking
governor Darius Ishaku and
declaring Senator Aisha
Jummai Alhassan winner of
the elections held in April this
year. There is a pattern to
this and that is the PDP’s
love for winning elections
through means they cannot
justify in court.
In 1999, mysterious
circumstances surrounded
the emergence of Jolly
Nyame as governor of
Taraba under the flagship of
PDP. The winner of the party
primaries, Usman Bibinu was
involved in a ghastly car
accident just few days to the
state election and Nyame
who was brought in at the
last minute by a certain
powerful power broker in the
state won the election. In the
same vein, Jolly Nyame in
2007 imposed his crony
Danladi Baido on his party
men. Even though the young
man did win the primary
election, he was disqualified
by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC)
from contesting the election
because of some corrupt
cases in his name. The same
scenario led to the
emergence of Danbaba Suntai
as the governor before the
unfortunate jet crash that
left him incapacitated.
Despite the clamour for
change before the last
election, the PDP could not
resist the urge to rig
elections once again. In
Taraba, a Premium Times
report found out that,
soldiers were deployed to
frighten and intimate voters.
The report found out that,
rather than make the
electoral system safe, free
and fair, the soldiers were
used to rig in favour of the
ruling People’s Democratic
Party. In communities like
Wukari and Takum, villagers
complained of widespread
rigging and falsification of
election results. In southern
Taraba for example,
electoral officials complained
of being forced by PDP hired
thugs to do away with the
card readers, thereby
enabling their supporters to
vote without going through
the process of proper
accreditation.
In addition, the same Premium
Times report cited a
community leader named Bello
Kwararrafa as saying, there
were instances where agents
of rival political parties
abducted, manhandled and
forced soldiers acting on the
orders of federal
government to lie prostrate
on the ground. Also, in many
Local governments in
Northern Taraba, like Karim
Lamido, Lau and Ardo
collation of results didn’t
take place. Soldiers carrying
guns were used as aides to
collation officers to prevent
people from demanding for
the collation of their results.
The Social Democratic Party
candidate in the state, David
Kente named Wukari, Takum
and other places as the
worst zones of electoral
fraud. Consequently, the rife
electoral fraud in many
wards, polling units or local
government, led to the
cancellation of results and
the extension of the election
after it was declared
inconclusive by the electoral
empire.
Little wonder, the decision of
the Taraba State
Governorship Election
Petition Tribunal nullifying
the election of Governor
Danbaba Suntai did not come
as a surprise to many. With
that decision, it is hoped that
the rigging machinery of the
PDP would have been
destroyed so that the will of
the people will henceforth
prevail.
Abubakar Usman sent
this piece via abu_
sidiq2000@yahoo.com