Elections in Abia State have never been for the faint-hearted:
The south-east state devolves into a theater of war and the absurd during electioneering season.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which has governed the state since 1999, often pulls out all illicit stops, in order not to cede the reins of power to any new comer.
Returning Officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are held hostage, coerced or offered huge sums of money to call the election for the PDP.
Sometimes, thugs are unleashed on vote counting centers to create chaos and confusion, in a bid to force the umpire to call the election for the incumbent or his lackey.
Electoral heist has become synonymous with Abia.
This was the task before Prof Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti, 65, who was appointed Returning Officer for the Abia Governorship election.
It was a tall order. An uphill task even for her.
Nnenna was up against the Abia political cabal–The Orji Kalus, the Theodore Orjis and the Okezie Ikpeazus, who have shared state power among themselves in Abia for all of 24 years, with no visible development on the ground.
Nnenna had been called upon to ride the tiger or end up in its belly.
Chinedu Ekeke, who was once beaten to a pulp and had one of his eyes hurt by the notorious political thugs and brigands of Abia, says the modus operandi of the Abia political cabal was to write and allocate election figures to themselves in a particular local government called Obingwa.
“They thumbprint ballot boxes, allocate figures and force the Returning Officer to declare the results and declare them winner,” says Ekeke with a shrug. “No matter where you’re from, pray to never experience anything in your state like Abia PDP. It is simply an organised criminal group whose only objective is the state’s treasury. They also do not appear intelligent. They just steal and steal and steal,” he adds.
Tolu Ogunlesi, the digital media aide to President Buhari, enumerates just how humongous the election heist in Abia have been in recent times.
“Obingwa LGA was the last-to-be-declared LGA in Abia, the one they say PDP was trying to inflate.
“Look at this: In 2023: PDP got 9,962 votes, of 20,510 votes cast, of 27,664 accredited voters, of 157,390 total registered voters.
“2019, PDP: 78,803.
“2015, PDP: 82,240.
“When we say that the 2023 Elections, with all their imperfections, are an IMPROVEMENT over everything that has come before, E GET WHY!!!
“You need a sense of HISTORY to appreciate this. You need to see the results from previous elections, esp. 2003 and 2007.
“E GET WHY!!!!,” Ogunlesi tweeted.
For three days, Prof Nnenna couldn’t declare a winner for the governorship election in Abia State, as she tried to wrap her head around the enormity of the task before her.
Result sheets from Obingwa had been mutilated as they always have been. The thugs had been imported and had arrived the collation center, cudgels in hand and baying for blood.
“In Obingwa collation centre, PDP thugs attacked Labour Party agents and chased them away. LP collation agent, Dr George, is lying critically in the hospital. Yesterday, the failed Gov Okezie Ikpeazu stampeded the collation centre to enforce results manipulation,” Ekeke alleged.
Time stood still in Abia as other states settled for their Governors-elect.
On March 20, two days after the election, a scared INEC suspended announcement of election results in Abia.
“Our office in Obingwa Local Government was invaded by thugs on Sunday 19th March and our officials held hostage in relation to the collation of results from the local government. Consequently, the commission hereby suspends the collation of results in Obingwa Local Government,” INEC declared in a terse press statement.
“This is an open declaration of war on the Labour Party. This is wild!,” tweeted Radio Personality, Kiibati Bankole, afterwards.
The choices before Prof Nnenna were grim: bow to the thugs and political cabal of Abia and have her reputation sullied forever, or do the right thing by upholding the authentic election results as verified by BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System), incur the wrath of the powerful in Abia and become a heroine forever.
Under pressure and with government backed thugs nestling in every corner of the room, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), chose the latter, with all the risks to her existence staring her smack in the face.
She was staring down the barrels of gun, figuratively.
On Wednesday, March 22, with the rest of the nation following events in Abia keenly, Prof Nnenna resolved to bite the bullet, damn the consequences and declare Alex Otti of the Labour Party, rightful winner of the election.
“The people’s vote and mandate will stand,” Prof Nnenna bellowed belligerently before a packed hall and right into television cameras. “The Pastor and mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children,” she warned the baying mob and the state’s political cabal.
There was more from the iron lady. First of all, introduction. “I am Professor, Mrs Nnenna N-Oti from Afikpo, Ebonyi State. I am the current Vice Chancellor of FUTO.
“Democracy remains the best form of government,” she continued, every word emphasized for impact. “And democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people,” she lectured.
“I have spent the better part of my adult life in pursuit of high ideals of good governance which includes the rule of law, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness etc. I shall stand squarely, unapologetically on these principles,” she pronounced defiantly to applause from the audience. “The people’s voice shall stand! I shall do right by God and by man.”
And she did.
The eruption of jubilation and dance on the streets of Abia after Otti was declared winner of the election by Prof Nnenna, is testament to the fact that she did right by the people.
Nnenna, who is also the first female Vice Chancellor of FUTO, has doubtless etched her name in gold in the annals of Nigeria’s electoral voyage.
She is a rare breed in a nation where the souls of many are often up for sale to the highest bidders. A bright spot in a general election season tainted with irregularities.