By Nzeh Frankwhite
The title, professor, remains the height of academic attainment and hence the accolades and honor that accompanies it. It is usually not awarded to undeserving candidates. It comes with a whole lot of hard work, sleepless nights, and an enduring process that stands the test of time.
As a young scholar in the university, I admired these exceptional erudite scholars and wondered what stock their brains were made of, especially after seeing what I had to put in to scale through an ordinary first degree. I had so much respect for them, and so were many others who craved academic excellence
Recently, the handlers of our Nigeria’s electoral process had thought it wise to involve these perceived men of honor and integrity, obviously, to bring credibility to the process. Little did we know that our hitherto professors of integrity and honor will fall to the manipulative antics of corrupt politicians by subverting the will of the people
The above is evident from the outcome of the last presidential election. These professors (most of them university Vice Chancellors) were engaged as returning officers from the various states of the federation, where they ended up being used to subvert the process.
Such a shame!
The team lead and dramatis personae in the whole episode is another professor who is leading in this show of shame. Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
During the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, this man, unequivocally, in over 90% of all his public appearances, press conferences, town hall meetings, television apprearances, etc, assured Nigerians and stakeholders that the integrity of the forthcoming elections will be guaranteed through the electronic transmission of results from the various polling units straight to the iREV, from where they would be collated.
These assurances inspired Nigerians to believe that the 2023 elections were going to be their year of achieving a near perfect election, at least where their votes would count. It inspired many young people to collect their PVCs, awaiting the decision day when they hoped to decide their next president and other leaders through the instrumentalities of the ballot.
Little did they know that the politicians had other plans for them, and their darling chief electoral umpire (Prof. Yakubu) was going to offer himself as a willing tool to implement these inglorious plans of subverting the will of the people
The much anticipated February 25th, 2023, date came as expected, Nigerians trooped in their numbers to perform their civic responsibility, and the drama started.
The electronic transmission began to experience glitches, which in most cases happened only to the presidential platform. Meanwhile, the Senate and HoR elections, which were all conducted alongside that of the president, didn’t experience similar glitches.
Why should the glitches affect only the result portal of the president alone? JAMB question, even Prof. Yakubu could not answer that to date. That was the grand sabotage.
In the end, Prof. Yakubu, in cahoots with his gang of ‘Nutty Professors’, adopted an obviously manipulated, handwritten results with which they declared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of 2023 presidential election at 3 am, mid night (first in our history), to the consternation of all.
These gang of hitherto revered academics successfully subverted the will of the people, went home, and had a sound sleep. After trading their integrity in the process. Shocking!
To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, this is obviously in fulfillment of his lifetime ambition of being president of Nigeria, especially when he believed it was his turn “Emi lo kan”
This also supports his political philosophy of acquiring political power” Fight for it, grab it, and run with it.”
The did has been done, especially with another willing alibi in the judiciary.
The president should brace up to the challenges ahead, the expectations of the Nigerians, people are enormous, and Nigerians will no longer listen to the inexcusable excuses of the last 8 years of the previous APC government.
Mr. President should take a cue from late president Umar Musa Yar’adua to admit that the elections that brought him was not credible and relief Prof Yakubu of the responsibilities of INEC Chairman, to give room for a much more credible electoral space.
