An argument yesterday allegedly broke out at the Jimeta market, following the announcement of electoral results for Adamawa State, apparently PDP supporters regarded CPC supporters as sore losers when they wouldn’t stop booing as results came in not favoring them, CPC supporters became more irate as their non violent exchange got heated, and so the confrontation took the turn of bon fires, full protest, stone throwing and eventually the characteristic “Nigerian” Follow up, Violence.
If my dear CPC youths had been honorable students of history, their reflex, we could dismiss as tantrum hinged on disappointment, possibly youthful exuberance.
Because their reaction mutated eventually to unreasonable violence, it is safe to infer that rather than tantrum or reflex, their surprise was framed with unenlightenment and unfamiliarity. If most of them were under the age of 21, their incomprehension may be excused to age.
Even though Buhari was not my candidate, I would not have lost any sleep to a Buhari Presidency, I have always held as sacrosanct, secularism, s ability to be tolerant of non secularist’s in pluralistic societies, this has always been non negotiable, a non starter.
My suspicion had prevented me to drink the proverbial Buhari Cool Aid. Despite this, I suspected he had other ample attributes to be a commander in chief and that was enough to spawn acknowledgement in case he won without my vote. This election confirmed that I was not detached in this qualm, neither was I capricious in my misgiving, not even the “Fiery” Pentecostal Pastor from Latter Rain could pacify my dread.
To my foes, traders in elementary xenophobia, tardiness hinged on unscholarliness, there is enough in the chart (see chart) to be open to various interpretations and the same applies to those looking for a manifestation that we are not as distrustful of each other as we always think.
The 2003 and 2007 elections were considered extremely flawed, by omitting them, I may be claiming liberty right, and if so the general consensus that both 2003 and 2007 were gravely glitched should be my adequate refuge. For this reason and this alone, we will omit them; at any rate if they were included they will do nothing but concur to my various detections.
In 1993, Abiola (A Yoruba Muslim) together with Kingibe (A Kanuri) defeated (see chart) Tofa and Ugoh (A South-Eastern former Biafran Official) in Anambra and were very competitive in Enugu and Imo. You don’t get any more authentic than serving as an official in the former Biafran government.
In the same election, Tofa destroyed Abiola in Rivers State (Imagine that), so much for predictability. Moving further up, Abiola together with the Kanuri destroyed Tofa in Kano, Jigawa, Borno (Oh my God) and Yobe. Still on this exalted June, Abiola defeated Tofa (A Hausa) in Kaduna.
Fast forward to 1999, a restitution for Maradona’s deceitfulness, albeit contested by 2 engineered candidates, presented with 2 choices we were, Obasanjo/Atiku versus Falae/Shikafi, predictable? , so you think everybody just hates everybody? 1999 was not perfect, we know. Here we go, Falae defeats Obasanjo in Sokoto, defeats him in Yobe.
Going by the malevolence spewed by ethnic uppity know it all, this will surely tickle, the “conqueror of Biafra?” takes Abia by 67 %, takes Enugu by 76%, takes Ebonyi by 72.6%, takes (are you ready for this) Anambra by 76%. That would have been a whole lot of rigging, don’t you think?
Fast forward (we sure are doing a lot of this), a Hausa man referees, those NORTHERNERS, they always Lock Stock and Barrel, don’t they? This brings us to my Buhari discourse; all he had to do was win the middle belt. Nassarawa was competitive for CPC with Solomon Ewuga winning in Nassarawa North, after all miracles started happening, Edo state with 2 ACN Senators and other unusualness. All Jonathan had to do was confirm South-South suspicion of Yoruba’s hegemony, arrogance and backstabbing? Maybe, maybe not.
A Niger Delta Minority together with a Kaduna (that troublesome state) Muslim versus a Fulani Muslim together with converted Yoruba Christian versus a fearful Ex Cop (A North-easterner together with a Southwest (Ahem: YORUBA) former banker.
Salivating? Me too
Predictable? PACK YOUR BAGS AND HIDE IN SHAME!
This was Buhari, s race to lose and he lost woefully. In his case, my subliminal was expecting a rarity. Jonathan (a minority from a minority area) takes my very own Ogun State by 58 %, takes Ondo State by 80%, takes Edo State (Haaaaa !!!!!!!) by 88%, takes Ekiti (those troublesome people) by 52%, defeats Ribadu in Lagos State, by 67%, Lagos the bastion of everything CAN.
Surprise number thirty, takes Adamawa by 57%, takes Benue by 67%, takes Kogi by 72%, takes Plateau by 73%, I will not touch that one with a 10 feet pole, no one will accuse me of inciting. I’m sorry I can’t resist PLATAEU STATE! Ebele from the tribe that fears the Igbo clears ABIA 99.2% (possible but suspicious), ENUGU by 99.2%, IMO by 98.2, Anambra by 99.3%.
I will let the experts make their intuitive deductions, I am only an observer, its tough enough being one. I sure can’t get over BUHARI winning only the 12 SHARIA STATES and that’s saying a lot about his appeal.
If my Adamawa brethren knew a little something about HISTORY, about predictability, they would know that in 1993, Adamawa went to Tofa, in 1999, OBJ together with Turaki won by 78%, predictable? No because in the same year Falae lost Edo state to Obasanjo by 76%, but won Ondo by 85%.
And so I will wet the appetite of the resilient contrarians,
What if Ribadu had chosen a Igbo Vice?
What if Buhari had chosen a Igbo Vice?
Bakare had no effect on Buhari, not even with the potential religious doctrinal multitudes. What if Buhari had chosen a Middle Belt Vice?
What if Buhari had combined with Nuhu?
What if Atiku had won the PDP nomination?
What if Maradona was able to graft his way to the PDP nomination?
To the experts, handle your business; let’s see how good you really are
This much I know, candidates matter, fear of other groups matter, our democracy is evolving, Nigerian electorates are evolving, nothing is predictable except the predictors, a northerner can be a good referee, Ribadu did not win his own state, Fola Adeola did not win his own state, party affinity does not automatically translate (as in Nuhu losing Lagos), Bakare did not win his own state.
The formerly regarded LOCK, STEP AND BARREL YORUBA, rejected 2 Yoruba Vice presidential candidates, should I say that again, REJECTED, for a Minority and a Hausa.
This was Buhari, s election to lose, and he couldn’t convince the “Middle Belt” much less the southwest or the South-East?challenge me on that.
Oh, in closing, you could be an illiterate, literate, teacher, trader, informed, uninformed, writer, reader, professor, uniter, separatist, tribalist, non tribalist and the list goes on, YOU ONLY GET ONE VOTE
THANK YOU ATHENS
