The lawmaker representing Igboeze South State Constituency in Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon Harrison Ogara, Monday, urged Nigerian voters to make their votes count during the 2027 general elections. Ogara said they should do this by voting and ensuring internal vigilance to avoid manipulation.
Ogara spoke with THE WHISTLER in Enugu while reacting to the outcome of the Osun State governorship election where incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party was re-elected.
He said, “Votes can count indeed, but the priority is that the people must stand up for their rights. Internal vigilance is the key to success in elections. You don’t allow anything to chance. If the electoral umpire becomes ‘mad’, including the police, the people should as well be ‘mad’. Osun people braced for this challenge. If the forces against Gov Adeleke had their way, they would have rigged him out. It is not yet over.”
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the transmission of election results real time to Irev, adding, however, that “I can assure you that if you subject the results to forensic examination, you still discover that a lot of votes were suppressed against the Accord Party. It is just that the manipulators could not go further from what they had done. But INEC’s ability to transmit the result to Irev real time is commendable. Nonetheless, that should not be a chance for us to lose our guards. If we lose our guards, they may come up with the thinkable tomorrow.”
He expressed surprise that the people who were threatening the governor and his supporters were not arrested. In his words, “These people were threatening to smoke the governor and his supporters out. And the policemen were watching them! Some people were saying: if you see anybody putting on Accord Party’s caps, kill him; and by now they are still working free! This country is getting down the drain.”
The lawmaker maintained that the power lies with the electorate, and not those seeking elective office.
According to him, “The power of those who are not in power is stronger than those in power. What percentage do people in power have? Insignificant compared to those who are not in power. I want Nigerians to demonstrate this authority come 2027. It will usher in a Nigeria where leaders would become accountable to the people, and not the other way around.”
(The Whistler)
