–Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA) –By Austen AKHAGBEME:
The riots and mayhem that ensued after the Supreme Court verdict that disqualified the join ticketed mandate of the governor- elect of Bayelsa state, David Lyon threw to the fore the staccato of emotion, avowed determination, desperation and the scarcity of the spirit of sportsmanship in and among our political leaders.
The winner-take–all syndrome, the do-or-die politics, the selfish machinations and the eerie display of Greed is a pointer to the existence of a disproportionate ruling elite on the prowl in our land.
When it was IMO STATE, APC rolled out the drums telling everyone that cares to listen that the Supreme Court decision is sacrosanct. Up until when the Bayelsa verdict was given, PDP goons were still protesting on various local and international fronts, crying for ‘justice’.
As at today, nobody knows where to place accurately, the Supreme Court in all of these. The Apex court seems to be the agent provocateur in this Melo-drama. For example, while would an ‘innocent’DAVID LYON go down with his Deputy and a FALEKE will not go up in the absence of his Principal? Does the shenanigans of a joint ticketed duo mean different thing in Kogi and Bayelsa in the eyes of Justice?
Why won’t the Supreme Court save herself from international infamy and national embarrassment by reverting to how it use to be when Election cases ends at the Appeal court? How on earth will SC be able to convince us that the judgements being dispensed in recent times are apolitical as they should be?
Why I am at cross-road with these potpourri of decisions and position of our apex court, it matters to note, too, that Adams Oshiomhole’s self apportioned responsibility to explain or interpret the verdict of the SC on Bayelsa to mean that no one will be sworn in as governor is seriously helping to fuel the already combustible tempers of the majority of Bayelsa people who had long been seething with discontent. It wasn’t a good one from the erstwhile Comrade governor. The consequences of our emotional display must always be weighed against the well-being and security of life of the generality of the people.
All said and done, the die is cast. The decision has been taken. Tempers must be frayed and pampered. Nigeria must move on. It may be a bad one for David Lyon and his party but it’s a good one for us all. Why? Learning to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship will do us alot of good and help us to curb electoral violence in no small measure. While the Supreme Court should go back to its drawing board, tempers should remain calm and let Diri ascend the throne that providence has thrown at him in peace. As it is in IMO, so it is in Bayelsa.
- Austen Akhagbeme is a Columnist with Blank NEWS Online
