This Day (Lagos)
Ndubuisi Ugah
3 May 2004
Lagos — In Nigeria, mass action has remained an alien alternative to seeking political solutions. But General Muhammadu Buhari, change the situation after the announcement of the last April 19, general election which declared President Obasanjo winner.
It was Buhari who shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Obasanjo that called our Nigerians to partake in mass action to register protest over the alleged massive rigging of the election.
Perhaps, because of the public condemnation, tough pronouncements and threat from government and the lack of popular support by the peole, Buhari had to shelve the idea which would stalled Obasanjo's swearing-in.
Determined to make a point, Buhari in conjunction with the Kano State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau pressed ahead with the rally, even with the withdrawal of Sokoto, Jigawa and Yobe.
The result of the mass rally was the suffocation which led to the death of Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.
The insistence by the Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa that today's mass action ostensibly to protest the worsening socio-economic situation in the country, increasing insecurity and sustained assaults on the electoral process must hold, then Nigeria is on the thresh-hold of witnessing yet another violent phase in her almost 44 years of existence as a nation.
This is because the CNPP, a coalition 24 opposition political parties in the country has in the last few weeks been mobilising Nigerians on the need for a mass action to be embarked upon against the irregulaities which characterised the April 12 and 19, 2003 as well the recently conducted March 27 local government elections. The UNPP's argument is that indices point to the fact that the result of general elections. The irregularities so witnessed during the conduct of the elections were contrary to what was expected in a country which lay claims to democratic pretense.
But before the May 3 date of the mass rally which was sheduled to hold at the Eagle Square, the group had earlier on fixed April 19 for the action which ostensibly coincided with the first anniversary date which ushered in the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The group said it was going to call out two million Nigerians to protest against the misrule as well as register its discontentments over the alleged monumental irregularities in the last general elections.
In justifying the need for the action, the CNPP on April 19 in Lagos renewed its threat by asking President Obasanjo to resign his position while advocating for the establishment of a broad based transition government that will depict the features of a democratic set up. The group also said the last local government elections was the last straw that broke the camel's back as states whose party was in power cleared majority of the positions contested for by candidates in the local governments.
Apart from that, the Presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) even explained that there was need for the 36 state governors, members of the state Houses of Assembly as well as the "newly" elected council helmsmen to vacate office too.
Prior to the mass action initiative, most states were inaundated with series of election petitions arising from the alleged perceived irregulaties which characterised some results of the elections. Most recently, the Electition Petition Tribunal set up to investigate some of the alleged irregularities in Adamawa State after looking into the petitions filed against the victory of Governor Boni Haruna nullified the election result, confirming that there were election irregularities in 17 local governments in the state.
Despite the fact that the dust so raised in the wake of the nullification was yet to subside, indications point to the fact that other state Electition Petition Tribunals may have followed suit in equally seeking to investigate the validity or otherwise of the victories of such state chief executives.
Interestingly, while moral suasion is going on, the Federal Government has also moved to infiltrate the rank of the opposition. Reports have it that in the last few days, the political class has been singing discordant tunes on the propriety or otherwise of staging a mass action.
A school of thought held that while it was not against the mass action, dialogue remained the best option in resolving the impasse.
According to the group, the situation has not degenerated to a level where we would dig the early grave for a democracy that is just evolving.
Under the banner of the National Consensus Forum (NCF), the group dissociated itself from the the mass action, saying that exploring dialogue remained the best option.
Led by the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Major Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), the group noted that it was a coalition of 18 political parties.
In wake of the discordant tunes had trailed the mass action, the Federal Government through its spokesperson, Mrs Remi Oyo said that despite government's acknowledgement of the rights of individuals, as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, to freely associate and express themselves, such actions, however, should be carried out withing the confines of the constitution while charging the citizenry to always bear it in mind that the exercise of fundamental rights goes with certain responsibilities, the greatest of which is placing the nation above other considerations. freedom of speech,
Beyond this,however, analysts are of the view that given the fragile nature of the democratic dispensation, engaging in mass action may not after all resolve some of the problems faced in the polity.
Also, some school of thoughts argue that having the mass rally go on as planned, government may have been subjected into looking into some of the pertinent issues so raised by CNPP and other civil and pro-democracy groups in the country.
But in the perception of Balarabe, aside from holding the rally demoratically, it was also going to enter into dialogue with the Federal Government if it so decides depending on if it changes its stance on the conduct of the elections.
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