Rivers state: Missing the Easter lesson

I am a very sad Nigerian today. This is because my study of Newspapers on a daily basis is beginning to depress me. The many incidences of the Rivers State re-run election completely fly against the Easter lesson and make nonsense of the entire Lenten season. There are many individual, collective and institutional actions that have done same. For example rape cases, particularly incest, decapitation of fellow students by cultists at a University in the eastern part of Nigeria, sordid and depressing tales of Boko haram victims who managed to escape and the tearful stories of parents of the Chibok girls. I would like to narrow my treatise today to the Rivers state re-run election.

The reports by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published by the Vanguard Newspapers on March 21, 2016, on the suspension of the Rivers re-run election by the Director Voter Education and Publicity reads like something from an action horror movie.

“Rather unfortunately, some of these elections witnessed the disruption of the process, including the barricading of some of the INEC Local Government offices and Registration Area Centres(RACs) used for the distribution of Electoral materials which led to the late commencement of the exercise in some places and consequently, its smooth take off. Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some areas. There were reports of numerous attacks resulting in fatalities, kidnappings, ballot snatching, diversion of officials and materials, amongst others, which necessitated its suspension in 8 Local Government Areas. Regrettably, such deviant behaviour has continued today. Several permanent and ad hoc staff engaged have been attacked, again resulting in fatalities, while some have been forcibly abducted and taken to presently unknown destinations. Under such difficult circumstance, the Returning Officers were only able to collate and declare results in 1 Federal and 9 State constituencies where the disruption and malpractices were not so widespread. Having reviewed the situation, the Commission is compelled to suspend all further action concerning the exercise in all the other constituencies in the State pending the receipt of a comprehensive report from its Field Officials and Monitors.”

It is sad that a nation like Nigeria is still witnessing primordial behaviour by her politicians at election periods. While this is not restricted to Rivers state, the damning stories emanating from there does not a good Easter message send.

The death of NYSC member, Samuel Dumebi Okonta is most harrowing. As an assistant presiding officer APO11 for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he had gone to the INEC collation centre to submit the results. His colleague Anana Aniekan Udoetor takes up the story from there.

“I was the APO I, while Okonta was the APO II at the Ukpeliede town hall, Ward 6, Unit 5, we had conducted the elections peacefully without even the presence of security agents.

“We proceeded to the INEC collation centre to submit our results, on reaching there, the environment was tense and supporters of both APC and PDP were charged. We managed to submit our results, but while we were submitting them, there was an alarm of skirmishes, forcing the collation officers to hide under the table,” he disclosed.

“…so we then made our way to Ndiama junction and took a taxi to Okode junction. We were supposed to board a (commercial) motorcycle, but we couldn’t get one, so we decided to trek down to Ukpeliede.

“Shortly after, we saw a vehicle coming and we noticed that the head lamps of the vehicle was not on and someone in the vehicle was pointing a torchlight at us.

“We suddenly realised that the vehicle was coming directly towards us and before we knew what was happening, we started hearing gunshots. I ran inside the bush but they kept on shooting. Okonta was killed in the process.

“I stayed in the bush for some minutes and later ran into an uncompleted building which is used as a church,”

Murdered in cold blood for doing your job! Those who killed him obviously believe they would never die. They cut the young man down in his prime, a graduate of Political Science from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, described by his younger brother Uche as God-fearing, often referred to by his friends as a pastor.

The lessons of lent are lost in this Rivers re-run election where many people were killed and several others were injured. In some other news, a woman died in the crossfire. In the lenten season we are admonished to be charitable, prayerful, selfless and kind to others. How can the description of these happenstances translate to any of these qualities?  As the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports has opined,no political position is worth the blood of another.

As this Easter period approaches let us remember that everyone will be held accountable. Let us also remember that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. May we rise in kindness and charity with the crucified Christ Amen.

Eugenia Abu