Showing posts with label INEC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label INEC. Show all posts

Monday, October 2, 2023

President Tinubu is Not Smiling


President Tinubu is Not Smiling 

 #NFT by @nigeriadaily on @nftmyimage. 

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Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Nigerian Elections 2023: GeoPoll Post-Election Survey

Nigeria Elections: what happened?

Nigeria went into General elections on 25 February 2023. GeoPoll conducted a nationwide survey to assess public perception before the election. After the highly charged election, we followed up with yet another survey to learn about people’s voting experiences on election day, as well as their confidence in the election process and results. 


After four days of vote tallying, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria formally declared Bola Tinubu the winner of the country’s highly contested presidential election. The declaration is not without controversy, however, as multiple opposition parties have disputed the legitimacy of the election and promised to challenge the results in court. For his part, president-elect Tinubu has appealed for reconciliation with his rivals and urged all Nigerians to unite behind his administration when he takes office in May.

GeoPoll conducted a survey prior to the election to gauge public sentiment about the state of the country, people’s trust in the electoral process, and their intention to vote. Now that the presidential election is over, GeoPoll implemented a follow-up study to learn about people’s voting experiences on election day, as well as their confidence in the election process and results.

Findings from the post-election survey are detailed in this post. To view the full results, filterable by question, state, gender, and age group, scroll down to the Interactive Data Dashboard.

Voting Experience

See complete analysis with data of the statistics on 

#Nigeria
#presidentialelection
#nigeriadecides2023 
#elections 
#voters
#INEC
#pollingunits
#ballots
#presidentialcandidates
#Tinubu
#Atiku
#Obi
#APC
#PDP
#LP


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Igbo member of Boko Haram arrested by the SSS in Nigeria

An Igbo member of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic terrorist group was arrested Tuesday by the State Security Services (SSS) in Nigeria.

The Guardian of Nigeria reported that the 31-year-old Igbo man was suspected to be part of the terrorists who carried out the April 8, 2011 bombing of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Suleja, Niger State.

The SSS, which declined to disclose the name of the suspect until it completes ongoing investigation, said the man, whose mother is a Nigerien, is an indigene of Imo State and got converted to Islam in 2003.

Click here to read the details on The Guardian of Wednesday, 07 September 201







Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Real Heroes of the 2011 Elections in Nigeria


The Real Heroes of the 2011 Elections in Nigeria

The incumbent and reelected President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)) have been receiving accolades for the overall conduct of the 2011 elections in spite of the terrifying and horrifying post election violence caused by the allegations of electoral malpractices and recurrent acts of terrorism propelled by Islamic fundamentalism. But those who truly deserve the accolades are not Mr. Jonathan or Prof. Jega, but the patriotic Nigerian voters who thronged the polling booths to cast their votes regardless of the weather, risks of being attacked by unpatriotic political opportunists and their hired thugs. These millions of patriotic Nigerian voters in every state of the federation are the real heroes of the 2011 elections and the standard bearers of democracy and governance in Nigeria.

Ultimately, it was the judgment on the fairness of the election process by the Nigerian people that is most important. The various international observer organizations have pronounced the elections as credible, but it was the words of a driver yesterday that appeared to echo the sentiment of most Nigerians, "We did it this time!"
~ William Strassberger, a Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs of US STATE DEPARTMENT

The President of Nigeria and Chairman of INEC had their glaring shortcomings in the most important challenge of the elections, SECURITY of the lives and properties of Nigerian voters. They both failed even when they were duly warned of the dangers before the elections. If one single Nigerian voter Adamu Bologi who is a devout Muslim could be so brave to dare to risk his precious life by confronting the ruthless marauding lunatics on rampage and using words of persuasion to appeal to them and succeeded in saving the threatened lives of his Christian neighbours in the conflagration of the post presidential election violence, then what stopped the well armed Nigerian police and army from preventing the murder of over 500 innocent Nigerians if they were doing their ultimate duty of policing the streets, guarding voters at the polling booths or polling stations and other places and making sure that there was no breakdown of law and order?




The Nigerian voters, and the hundreds of innocent citizens who sacrificed their precious lives in the post election violence are the real heroes we should celebrate and remember in the history of Nigeria.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima



Monday, April 18, 2011

The Victory of the PDP is the mirror of Nigeria

My people must be jubilating in the village square. But I do not join in the celebration of hypocrites, sycophants, opportunists and tribal bigots.

I have already congratulated Prof. Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the excellent conduct of the presidential election in Nigeria held on Saturday April 16, 2011. It is the freest and fairest and most credible presidential election in the political history of Nigeria since 1960 to date. And Jega is totally innocent of the outcome of the presidential election. But that does not mean the winner President Goodluck Jonathan is innocent.

The corrupt People's Democratic Party (PDP) has won again and I am not surprised, because the majority of the members and voters are corrupt and narrow minded, and have voted for the perpetuation of corruption, nepotism and tribalism.

They are afraid of being prosecuted for their crimes and being disciplined by an incorruptible and upright leader. They would rather continue their immoral and criminal lifestyles permitted by a complacent and shifty apologist of the kleptomaniacs of the ruling party and his Machiavellian power brokers.

They are addicted to cheating, lying, stealing and other evils they do daily.
Imagine telling Nigerian students not to cheat?
Imagine telling their corrupt parents not to misappropriate public funds?
Imagine telling dogs not to eat rotten meat?
Behaviour change is tough for most people indulging in corrupt practices.

The ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) is the mirror of Nigerians.
They want to retain the status quo.
They have even increased in population as they have recruited more from the corrupt species of their Religion of "If you can't beat them, join them". They want to continue their business as usual. So, I leave them to their fate as dog eat dog in President Goodluck Jonathan's Nigeria.
The Holy Bible said it all in John 3:19.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima



Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Vote to end 12 years of Corruption and Maladministration


A voter casting his vote. Photo Credit. Capacity4Development

Vote to end 12 years of Corruption and Maladministration in Nigeria

Twelve years of the corruption and maladministration of the ruling party have left the majority of the citizens poorer and powerless with the nightmares of incessant political assassinations, extrajudicial killings, ethnic and religious riots, terrorist attacks and systemic collapse of government administration jeopardizing public health care, public education and economic security of the poor majority in Nigeria.

We had botched National Assembly Elections on Saturday April 2, and there were glaring electoral lapses. Then the elections were rescheduled and the first round of the elections was held last Saturday April 9, 2011.

There were critical issues of violence and many cases of malpractices. But before we could read the reports of the total results, the incumbent President of Nigeria, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rushed to claim that he has fulfilled his promise of electoral reforms and allowing free and fair elections. But the most important gubernatorial and presidential elections have not been conducted and the remaining National Assembly elections are still pending.

The political fanatics and sycophants of the president and his shamelessly corrupt ruling party have gone to town to hoodwink the ignorant masses and screaming the same misleading claim of free and fair elections when they have not been concluded. It is like a student claiming that he has already passed his final examinations when he has only done the first examination or claiming success when you have not even completed the assignment. This is the same dishonest way Nigerians engage in the notorious crime of 419 advance fee fraud by claiming that they have some huge loot they would share with their White “mugu” if the “mugu” provided thousands of dollars to process the documents for the collection of the loot. The ruling party has been using the same political 419 to lure and con the millions of ignorant masses who have become their political “mugus” or political zombies.

In a country known for mass failures of the pupils and majority of the students engage in examination malpractices with impunity, it is not unusual for them to accept the political 419 of these desperate and greedy political contractors and their beneficiaries who would prefer a corrupt way of life to an honest way of life. If you are a stranger here, don't panic. If you cannot beat them, you might as well join them and share in the looting of the treasury, pay a fat tithe, give a large offering, contribute to the heavenly purse of their celebrated bishops to buy a new private jet, build a new private university for the children of the rich looters and ask God for forgiveness. It is business as usual in Nigeria and life goes on in the house of dogs. But there are true Nigerian patriots who have resolved to end this corrupt government of kleptomaniacs and sack their kleptocracy and replace it with a new government of an honest and transparent leadership for the reformation and transformation of the country in the nation building of a New Nigeria in the leadership of Africa in the 21st century.



Monday, April 11, 2011

These uncivilized Nigerians are not ready to practice democracy


INEC Polling Centre in Nigeria

From field reports all over Nigeria, the National Assembly Elections of last Saturday April 9, 2011, have not been really free and fair.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has shown that he has been overwhelmed by the herculean task of conducting free and fair elections in a nation that is ruled by corruption at all levels of public administration and the unscrupulous citizens prefer ignominious ways of life to honourable and noble values and virtues of a civilized society and they would rather practice kleptocracy instead of democracy.

One of the shocking cases of corruption is the current political drama in Anambra State over the polls in the Anambra Central Senatorial District where Mr. Alex Anene, the returning officer/collation officer of INEC alleged that his life has been threatened by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the state government, because he refused the offer of N10million, a duplex and a car to falsify the result in favour of APGA's candidate Prof. Dora Akunyili and deny the actual winner Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

These are the agonies and ironies of President Goodluck Jonathan's Nigeria as vividly captured in Jekwu Ozoemene's The Anger of Unfulfillment: Three Plays Out of Nigeria as he aptly addressed the dreams and nightmares of Nigerians confronting the contemporary challenges of life in the most populous country in Africa. A nation so well endowed with great human and mineral resources, but abused and misused by corrupt rulers.

In civilized nations, the omissions of the names or logos of any duly registered political party on the ballot are enough to cancel the entire election. Therefore, let us stop all these mischievous gerrymandering of electoral fraud and do the right thing or annul the whole April elections until further notice.

I will not join in the bandwagon of political sycophants and opportunists to flatter the so called winners or pat Professor Attahiru Jega on the back until I see political equity and electoral justice in every state in Nigeria.
Whatever is worth doing at all, should be done well.


These uncivilized Nigerians are not ready to practice democracy.

This is my final verdict on the NASS polls.


~ Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima









Sunday, April 3, 2011

Jega, Show Your Best Crisis Management Skills within 24 Hours


Prof Attahiru Jega

Prof Attahiru Jega, Show Your Best Crisis Management Skills in the Next 24 Hours


As Nigerians, we must face the reality that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega has spoken and it matters not whether his reasons for postponing the April 2nd parliamentary election to Monday are realistic or not. Why, because we are in a crisis now.

What is clear is that we need an environment where this crisis could be managed effectively. There is no doubt that on a psychological and spiritual level, this sudden occurrence is a major event that threatens to harm the faith we have in the system.

INEC, on behalf of the general public should effectively manage the threatposed by this huge matter as it relates to the element of surprise, and we all expect a short decision time for this to be done.

Jega has told us that he saw what was happening in the last few hours as a crisiswhich needed to be quenched, that is a process of transformation that needed to climb above existing failures. As for the chairman, this issue need not be maintained but corrected immediately for change sake.
According to Jega, if the change is not proceeded with the episode could become more of a national humiliation and fiasco—no one wants such doom.

To the credit of President Jonathan, instead of remaining outside the nation’s capital(as he was reportedly in his home town), mistakes we have seen before, even among leaders in the western world;he returned to the capital immediately, and took the first instant step required in risk management, which involves assessing would-be threats and discovering for the people the best ways to avoid further complications to this threat.
In the broader context of managing this political crisis every INEC worker and those involve in executing the elections must immediately be trained in crisis management skills in addition to other skills and techniques required to pinpoint, assess, understand, and cope with any serious situation, especially from the moment it first occurs to the point of when the regaining procedures start.

According to the Nigeria’s electoral commission, some States have already began voting, therefore the sacredness of those completed ballot papers in today’s parliamentary vote, must be protected.
This is not the time for casting blames or passing emotions across personnel or stakeholders at this time. There will be time for that! Because the conduct of elections falls through the 4th, the 9th and the 16th of this month, Jega must show not through apology, but through competence that within this short period of time, that all regional constituents, INEC facilities, finances and above all its reputation does not remain in crisis.

Jega must realize that good crisis management is an art in decision making required to reduce or mitigate the effects of this current episode, something needed now while the incident itself is unfolding.

Jega should realize right now, while corrective decisions are being made workers and management as well as the INEC institutions are under stress, therefore there is need to watch out for more mistakes such as missing key pieces of information that are needed now.

Essential planning is needed now in order to best position INEC for the coming elections beginning April 4th.so as to reduce further chaos and doubts over what could happen next in terms of maintaining proper logistics.

Jega must help the workers or those involve in the electoral work engage in a series of positive behaviors (e.g.Restful sleep, take a break, support personnel, releasing muscle tension, good food habits, sit in a comfortable chair, etc.).

These tips are important to enhance better time management as they relate to quick manning of the polling units, focused entering of the results in the sheets, upholding the integrity of the ballots as well as preserving the effective overall control of the voting process.

This is a very critical and sensitive time for all of us and we must avoid planting into the consciousness of some people words of apprehension, upheaval, manipulation, or division.

What Jega needs now in this short period is an unwavering support from all Nigerians as we join together to fight this sudden uproar, and if the transmission of free, fair and credible elections is what we yearn for let’s take Jega for his stressful words, and with this little delay the credibility of the elections will be fully or almost ensured. God bless Nigeria.



~ By John EgbeazienOshodi, Ph.D., DABPS; FACFE; is a Licensed Clinical/Forensic Psychologist; Diplomate of American Board of Psychological Specialties; Fellow of American College of Forensic Examiners (For Psy); Former Interim Associate Dean and an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Broward College - North Campus, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu



Wednesday, February 9, 2011

It Matters That Nigeria Conducts Credible Elections - Commonwealth


A Nigerian voter. Photo Credit: Daily Mail, UK.

9 Feb 2011 18:16 Africa/Lagos

It Matters That Nigeria Conducts Credible Elections - Commonwealth

ABUJA, Nigeria, February 9, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth is at an advanced stage of preparations for the monitoring of elections in Nigeria, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba said on Wednesday at the end of a four-day visit to the West African country.

During her visit, Ms Masire-Mwamba and her delegation engaged key actors and stakeholders involved in the forthcoming elections, and re-affirmed the Commonwealth's support and expectations for a peaceful and credible process.

She spoke at a news conference in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

"The Commonwealth takes a keen interest in elections across its membership. Nigeria is a valued member with whom we have a strong and mutual beneficial engagement. It is also a key member of the association which contributes and participates actively in Commonwealth activities - including hosting CHOGM in 2003, and producing a Secretary-General of the Commonwealth," Ms Masire-Mwamba said.

"Nigeria is a leader on the continent, playing a significant role in promoting peace, and in regional economic growth and development.

"It matters to the Commonwealth, Africa and the world that Nigeria and other member states conduct credible elections.

"Since arriving in Abuja on Sunday, I have met with leaders of political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society representatives and the international community. I have listened to their views on how the process is going, and discussed the progress as well as the challenges. In all our meetings, we have had candid and open discussions.

"Stakeholders have noted positive steps in the preparations so far. I am hopeful that if all actors - politicians, civil society, the public, and you, members of the media continue to play your expected roles, there can be an outcome that reflects the will and aspirations of the people.

"Any election is a complex and challenging undertaking and requires the cooperation and support of all stakeholders. Political leaders and parties must display political will to ensure a credible process. The people need to show faith in the democratic process and participate in it. It is crucial that violence is avoided by all means, and the rule of law must be allowed to prevail. All must ensure that both the process and outcome meet Commonwealth values as well as international and regional electoral benchmarks to which Nigeria has committed itself.

"On our part, we will remain engaged and offer support and assistance as requested.

"We wish the people of Nigeria a most successful, peaceful and credible election," Ms Masire-Mwamba concluded.

For media enquiries, please contact Julius Mucunguzi, Media Officer, on +234-7063597240 or +44-7894-593-517, email: j.mucunguzi@commonwealth.int

Source: The Commonwealth Secretariat

For media enquiries, please contact Julius Mucunguzi, Media Officer, on +234-7063597240 or +44-7894-593-517, email: j.mucunguzi@commonwealth.int



Monday, January 10, 2011

Guns and Bombs Defining Nigerian Elections


President Goodluck Jonathan

Jonathan: No one wished this will be the case, Guns and Bombs Defining Nigerian Elections, so get outside help now

Sir, as a Philosopher first and a politician second, it must cause some suffering in your mind as to how the first week of 2011 elections has become marked with hate and violence at this initial stage. It is not April yet?

No one will deny the possibility that the pockets of violence opened across the country could be a metaphor of what is to come, in a few months. Sir, this is the truth and of course it hurts to see how things could turn out moving forward. Sir the news is not good to your ears—a stabbing, a near lynching, home-based killing, a bomb here and there, and individuals openly parading the voting areas with guns, shooting at random, leaving the election and law enforcement workers to run for their lives.

Sir, this ominous atmosphere is certainly not what you wished as a philosopher, as a lecturer, and certainly not in your capacity as a President. Sir, for many observers including this writer, a Clinical psychologist of the human mind, the guess is that you are not a politician in the cut-throat Nigerian or “Niger” sense, but as fate, destiny or accident would have it, you in IT and so it is.

Sir, time is short. It is your obligation to do something now. Thank God for the security outfit around you and that is how it should be as the leader of society in political and social distress, at least for now.

The recent words from the nation’s election chief, Attahiru Jega must trouble your soul, your mind and possibly give you chills; it certainly could especially for a man like you with a face known for its ‘heavy’ look. Here are some of the terrifying Jega-ian words—ballot box snatching by way of violence occurred in some areas. Sir think of that market woman, that young man or elderly and aging male voting for the first time , only to be scared off by the sounds of gun shots, who will he report to?. Even if he or she goes into a police station where the station officer is sitting and writing with the aid of a lamp, a touch light or candle, what will come out of such report is at best nothing—this much you must admit is the reality.

Sir, certainly you have made it clear you want to rule the country in the next four years and like other presidential, gubernatorial and other political contestants would like to win in any way you can, but you are currently the Nation’s ruler, so that average voter needs you now more than ever!

Here is what you could do right away but you should do it differently, not with the country’s law enforcement workers as a number of them are psychically or materially unable to resist bribery, at least by your own admission.
To fully provide a sense of safety and security for the average voters in the next few months, outsource a certain quantity of the security body to foreigners, as it is proper under international law for you to protect the voting citizenry from a society fraught with violence from armed thugs, gun gang affiliates and corrupt armed officials.

A quick way to bring security to a supposed free state like Nigeria is bring in private security firms from the western world and many of these armed and highly professional and no nonsense agencies are owned by Diaporan Nigerians who also has cultural awareness of their native society. This will be the logical strategy and if you can get extra security forces from President Obama who also knows of the African reality and the deteriorating security atmosphere all the better.

Sir, this move is only to oppose and prevent a wider degree of victimization in the next few months, and thereafter end the contract. Sir, you are an Executive President and in cases like this where the county is almost facing constitutional crisis—political assassinations, beating or killing of election officers, and the destruction of election boxes as well as an all-out open terror on the average citizen then the use of your executive order superimposes every other authority. Good luck.

~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D , DABPS, FACFE, is a Forensic/Clinical
Psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Behavioral
Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida.
joshodi@broward.edu



Related Links:

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Barack Obama

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega



Tuesday, January 4, 2011

On Uduaghan : The Appellate Court Uses Poor Judgment and a disorienting strategy


Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan

On Uduaghan : The Appellate Court Uses Poor Judgment and a disorienting strategy

No one knows how the hurriedly imposed January election would turnout in a society that faces grave challenges in election infrastructure. Nor should any one blame the Petitioner for rightly exercising his legal rights to fight a case in court.

The cause of any alarm now or in the coming months, at least till April of this year is the judiciary that showed lack of strategic judgment on this case as it relates the understanding of time management, separation of power, the value of a lower court and the importance of clear-cut, and sound judicial pronouncement on societal matters like the current legal development.

What was clear in this matter was that there was no sign of constitutional or regional crisis that warranted the Court to put a major burden on the Delta people, by issuing an impulsive like order for an election within three months. Ms. Monica Mensah and members of her panel could have remanded the case back to the Election Tribunal which on the October 9th, 2010 had heard the same case.

The Appeal Court in its mode of “too quick” judgment could have asked the Delta State Election Board or a national watch dog to set the stage for the expected gubernatorial April election, at a time when the Delta People would generally be more energized and in the mood to come out and vote in a more somewhat secure atmosphere.

It appears that Court of Appeal was not only acting as if it is the Nation’s Supreme Court, a Court of last say on interpretative matters in the nation. Justice Mensah and her regiment acted as a State election body, a Police force and even in a legislative kind of role.

The Appeal Court should be reminded that the present Constitution of Nigeria is Democratic-Presidential in whole, rather than that which functions as a document of authoritarianism, barbarianism and oligarchy. Here is a puzzling note.

What if Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan captures the hurriedly imposed election coming up in a few hours, would the Appeal court then physically use its hands and legs to show its power?

The Appeal Court would have shown more constrain in its judicial temperament, conduct and behavior by keeping its self-way from any act or image of judicial activism or political impulsiveness, as this is clearly the case when it imposed an election timeline, called for a hasty election for a governorship that not only end in a few months but open to a general election in a few weeks.

While the Appeal court should not be judged for using the same reported evidence to dismiss the case of irregularities previously brought on by an A.C.N gubernatorial candidate, this particular Court needs to the tell scholars and students of judicial or psycho-legal studies why it should not be accused of error in judgment, in the area of separation of power specially?

~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D , DABPS, FACFE, is a Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu

Related Reports:

DELTA GUBER RE-RUN: My achievements speak for me, says Uduaghan


... November was missing on the face of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan on New Year day when he spoke in an exclusive interview with Vanguard at his Warri residence. ...

'Uduaghan will make a bold comeback'
Jonathan arrives Delta Wednesday to boost Uduaghan's
Delta elders insist Uduaghan should return to power
Nigerian Observer - Nigerian Compass (blog)

EFCC Set to Try Emmanuel Uduaghan And Former Deputy Governor, Prof ...

Witness Statements Reveal Uduaghan's Central Role In The Looting ...



Monday, August 16, 2010

If The 2011 Presidency Requires Bold Mixing Then Let In Oshiomhole

IF THE 2011 PRESIDENCY REQUIRES BOLD MIXING THEN LET IN OSHIOMHOLE

In essence, Nigeria functions primarily as a society of labor. The spirit of labor does not embed itself in any political house as in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) or any other national party.

The Nigerian people both in spirit and in body love to labor and therefore they appear to be divinely, subjectively and objectively drawn to a leader who in spite of his or her political affiliation or membership sees the subjects of human struggle, daily toil, and manual effort as beyond religious, ethnic and political boundaries.

If the Nigerian society has a personality it may be colored with qualities and characteristics in the likes of passion, enterprising, collaboration, appreciation, fashionable, patronage, pride, toughness, favoritism, idiosyncrasy, respectability, tribalism, slow change and trustworthiness.

In the face of the complex nature of the nation, a leadership style that crosses these diverse characters is what the country requires at this time. It is possible that one of those individuals is the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adam Oshiomhole. He sees the people’s issues and struggles as worth fighting for and defending even if it affects his own person in terms of leaning from personal and leadership shortcomings.

In the face of a constructive criticism from a national, traditional and corporate leader like Chief Peter Ojemen with regard to poor infrastructures in Edo State, he is not the type to take a personal or emotional response to correctional critique.

Instead he builds on open and good critique and strategically reconstructs special suggestions into meaningful works for the benefit of the people.

The current general belief is that Governor Oshiomhole, is a man of all flexible political and strategic sides who appears ready to boldly mix with anything or person as long it is all about the public good. In this regard he is a person that could be a part of the presidency and of importance, strictly on national grounds

He has shown the need for independent political thought as evidenced in his public actions that if ideas are of benefit to a group of people he is willing to listen irrespective of whether the ideas emanate from an oppositional or one’s own party. As such he is not the type to dismiss any leader simply on the basis of ethnic or political membership.

If truth be told he does not appear as one that is inherently tied to the doctrines of a political party, therefore making him fully ripe to run with any one with different party label and work across political lines. He has always being daring and loves to take on risky courses.

The long standing disruptive fight between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) saw some degree of understanding when he boldly involved himself, all for the sake of introducing a win-win atmosphere between all involve—faculty, students, parents and the government.

As we know there is the historical bitterness that marks partisan behaviors as in the case of the political climate that sometimes surround relationship between a President from a particular party and leaders from another party. Such is the case of the U.S. President Barak Obama, a Democrat and some heads in the Republican oppositional party where political divide sometimes become so wide that it affect national work.

As it has been known, Oshiomhole has shown that political divide must never be allowed to slow down State or national functioning. He is remains a model and a symbol of cross- political harmony as evidenced by his flexible relationship to members of various political parties across the nation.

He seems from time to time to show an act of flexibility with his apparent positive interaction with President Goodluck Jonathan, of the PDP, an oppositional party to the Governor’s party-ACN.

It was not long ago that the Governor would show to the Nigerian people that when a leader champions any good course for the betterment of a needy area as with the underprivileged populations, that individual deserves the collective praise and respect irrespective of that person’s political party and aaffiliation. Such was the case of the Edo North Senator, Engineer Yisa Braimoh who single handedly financed a special school for persons with physical limitations. The Governor in spite of differences in political affiliation between both of them, saw the benevolence of Senator Braimoh as what is of importance to the people and reasoned that he is a man that deserves to remain the senate. Why? Because the Senator’s work goes beyond political affiliation, and like the Governor the Senator has also shown by his good deeds that what is important is not what party one belongs to but how one uses their individuality, and leadership and blessings to bring to bear worthy outcomes for the people.

As always the Governor has shown his distinctiveness in his deeds and works. This leads to the question of how often does a Nigerian leader engage in various manual or altruistic service without the limelight of the media?

This he often engages in as it was the case of helpless victims in a ghastly automobile accident that he personally took to a local hospital when he came upon them on the highway.

He has shown that if Nigeria is to move towards open democracy, the psychology of “godfatherism” or subjective command of power and influence by a single or a few persons’ on a whole state or nation must be reconditioned and replaced with equal access and opportunity irrespective of one’s state in life.

His far reaching work in various international and national bodies as they relate to labor wages, the role of privatization, the role of functional insurance system, the fight against AIDS and the need for progressive constitution uniquely make him a wanted man who deserves to be helping on a national level for the good of the people.

He has shown that higher humane standards should be pursued at all time as was revealed in his constant labor battle with the post military government of Olusegun Obasanjo .

He believes in the power of the rule of law as he demonstrated in his gubernatorial war of 19 months until his resumption into office in November of 2008. In spite of the struggles he endured which included arrest, he believes that the matter of unity is far beyond political, religious and tribal lines, and that progressive unity is the ultimate end of a good struggle.

He believes the nation will be well served with leaders who are confrontational and sacrificial, at least when in comes to matters of adequately executing public serves.

He has shown time and time again that those huge Corporations that show insensitivity to the people’s heath and safety must be confronted. And such was the case of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation whom he legally threatened for their contaminated kerosene that resulted in loss of lives and destruction of properties some years ago. He believes the victims or their families should be compensated for the sake of justice.

Recently he openly corrected some personnel in his Executive council and even corrected his Commissioner of Health over the slow execution of a health-related project while at the same time same time ushering praises to the Commissioner in areas of the State projects were good performances are observed.

In other words, Oshiomhole always find it commanding to speak out only when it is about magnifying things that are of significance to the peoples’ overall progress.

If the Nigerian people are about pure development, growth, reform and progress, they should find a national place and mat for Oshiomhole to stand on and work.

He appears as a man who is idealistic, practical, simple, down to earth, and understands the psychological importance of risk taking, of constructive propaganda, of political maneuvering, and of shared politics as long as all these tactics lead to a better living, a better way and a better road to a great nation.


~ By John Oshodi

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D , DABPS, FACFE, is a Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and the Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs--Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu