by Godwin Nwaenang
On the April 13, 2015, ThisDay Newspaper published this headline, “US Alleges Massive Rigging In Rivers, Akwa Ibom”.
This headline came at the same time that Nigerian social media was awash with pictured of underaged voters brandishing permanent voter cards (PVC) and using card readers to vote in the North, while over 6 million adults in the South were denied PVCs by INEC, and card readers sent to the South by Professor Attihru Jega’s INEC refused to work in the South. Surprisingly, the United States Government which claims to be the beacon on democracy failed to comment on these ethnic profiling and injustice.
Why is it that the US decided to comment on the elections in Nigeria, they zeroed in on the oil rich states of Akwa Ibom and Rivers and conveniently kept quiet on the massive irregularities that occurred in the Northern States of Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Zamfara, and others? Your guess is as good as mine… It’s about the crude oil!
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Muhammdu Buhari engaged David Axlerod, US President Barack Obama’s senior advisor’s political strategy and consulting firm who simply handed down Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan, CHANGE to the Buhari campaign. One cannot ignore the glaring connections. Axlerod has left the White House, but his friendship and connection with Obama remains intact. I don’t think Axlerod would fail to discuss the engagement to work for Buhari with his friend and former boss, Obama before accepting it.
Fast forward… dramatic travesty of justice, the elections petition tribunal of Akwa Ibom and Rivers State was singled out and relocated to Abuja, on the flimsy excuse of avoiding violence in Akwa Ibom and Rivers. This concern about violence did not apply to any state in the North East where a war is being waged by Islamist terrorist against the Nigerian people and state.
Gombe which was marred with widespread violence; Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa, Kaduna, etc which were fraught with widespread children voters in the North (Buhari’s constituency), did not have their election tribunals was not transferred to Abuja. What’s the difference between Akwa Ibom and Rivers and the other states? All others are APC states, while Akwa Ibom and Rivers are PDP and oil rich states. All these suspicious actions points to the external meddling in the affairs of the tribunal by President Buhari.
On Saturday, October 24, 2015, Rivers State elections was cancelled by a tribunal sitting in Abuja. On Wednesday, it was Akwa Ibom with elections in 18 LGAs cancelled. Why Akwa Ibom and Rivers State? The answer is simple, because of Obama’s, United States’s, and Buhari’s vested interests in those states and the crude oil deposits.
It has been revealed that the judge who was hurriedly brought in to chair the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for Rivers State, ,Justice Ambrosa is President Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law. The glaring conflict of interest cannot be ignored.
Chris Uche (SAN) counsel to the (Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers State) PDP expressed shock Saturday, that less than 24 hours after lawyers on all sides submitted nine (9) written addresses and documents, the tribunal sent notice that the judgement would be delivered on Saturday morning.
Uche also submits that the tribunal was aware that there is a Supreme Court judgement to be delivered on the issue of relocating an Election Tribunal from the state where the election held was even legal. The Supreme Court judgement would determine if the tribunal was even legal in the first place. So, the question remains, why would Buhari’s in-law, Justice Ambrosa rush to deliver judgement? When he had seven days to do so? Why would he deliver his judgement in 24 hours?
Let it be known today that in case of any breach of order resulting from the upturning of the people’s mandate in Akwa Ibom and Rivers State, Obama, Buhari and the USA Government should be held responsible.
At the announcement of the ruling of Rivers State Election Tribunal, wild jubilation broke out in faraway Kaduna State. The state where Buhari’s, de facto vice president, Nasir El Rufai, is governor and where Justice Ambrosa comes from too.
What is the concern of El-Rufai and the citizens of Kaduna in the affairs of running Rivers State? El Rufai is former Rivers’ Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s friend. Ameachi is Buhari’s by-fore ministerial nominee, he has the most corruption allegations and petitions before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against him. He also single-handedly funded Buhari’s campaign from the oil wealth of Rivers people. So, its all about the oil.
Buhari, El-Rufai, Ameachi – all minions of the United States – are all protecting US diverse interests in Nigeria especially in the crude oil.
The APC and Buhari are working to protect Obama’s interest in Nigeria and to compensate Obama for his support.
For the sake of peace, we urge President Barack Obama to leave Niger-Delta Oil alone.
We will not fold our arms and watch Buhari turn Nigeria into another Iraq and Syria.
We the Niger-Deltans will not allow our mandates to be stolen through the back door.
A word is ENOUGH for the WISE!
Godwin Nwaenang is a political commentator, a businessman and student of Law @NOUN. Reach him on Facebook.
The opinion expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
