The convener of the Big Tent for Obi/Datti Movement, Prof. Pat Utomi, has raised the alarm that Nigeria was descending into a fascist state, following the outcome of the just-concluded 2023 presidential/National Assembly, and governorship/State House of Assembly elections held on February 25 and March 18 respectively.
He noted that unless those who commit electoral fraud were jailed in Nigeria, the phrase ‘go to court’ would continue to be a regular line among election riggers in Nigeria.
He stressed that the judiciary needed to be reformed as the phrase ‘go to court’ has become a mockery of the institution.
He also said the Big Tent was putting finishing touches to its plans in partner with other well-meaning organisations in order to prosecute election riggers, not only in Nigeria but also at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague, to serve as deterrence to others who may want to go that route in future.
He said: “Governors, politicians and other public officials, who undermined the 2023 elections, should be dragged to the ICC. The only reason impunity thrives is because yesterday’s offenders were not punished. Electoral offenders must be punished and we are determined to do that. We are compiling their names and very soon, we will take action on that.”
Professor Utomi, however, warned that if those behind the flagrant electoral frauds across the country were not punished, it would amount to kissing democracy a goodbye in Nigeria.
He spoke on Monday in Lagos at a press conference, where the Big Tent took a close assessment of the events that followed the electoral journey from February 25, 2023.
The assessment, which included the post-mortem of what has happened and the possible future consequences for the country became necessary, according to Utomi as he borrowed the popular phrase from St. Augustine that an un-examined life is not worth living, to support what the group was doing.
He lamented that heightened euphoria among Nigerians, particularly the youths across the country, cutting from Sokoto to Sagbama, Lagos to Borno, which led to gyration that they were about to elect the president they needed, was cut short by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which ghe alleged failed to do the simple thing it promised Nigeria, which is delivering free, fair and credible elections through the use of technology, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“We were finally close to the words of our first national anthem, ‘though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand,’ but sadly, INEC dashed that lofty hope,” he stated.
Professor Utomi described the period up to February 20, as a moment when the Big Tent nearly saved and changed Nigeria, but lamented that from that moment to March 18, things had deteriorated so badly in some states, especially in Lagos, Rivers and Kano, that the country had traveled so quickly from the great hope to the gates of hell or what he called gates of ‘Hotel Rwanda’.
“In three weeks, we have gone from the vision of a united and hopeful country,looking at avenues of a demographic dividend to the gates of Hell. To understand what happened in those three weeks is to understand why nations fail and others succeed. Throughout history, a number of fascists, demagogues or extremely ambitious people have pursued self-interest in a way that reduce the vision of others through the emotions the political actors played up, and turned those ordinary decent people to the conduct they could not believe they were part of.
“Hitler’s Germany remains a classic example. The one thing that has restrained buckling under to such political actors has been strong institutions. Former US President, Barack Obama, put it starkly in his remarks in Accra Ghana. What Africa needs is strong institutions, not strong men. Our strong men are here now, but our weak institutions are exposing us to their wrath,” he said.
Utomi also called for the immediate release of some members of the Obidient Movement, who were arrested during the last general elections and who are still in detention, saying their continued detention was against every tenet of the law.
He also called for the entrenchment of strong institutions in Nigeria, noting that only institutions and culture could determine the direction of any society, Nigeria inclusive. He lamented that institutions and culture have been captured in Nigeria by demagogues and that is why even the educated class could no longer reason properly.
“Only one institution, INEC, failed to do what it is supposed to do, and that has brought Nigeria very close to the gate of hell. The first among all the institutions is the rule of law. Sadly, the rule of law is challenged in Nigeria because Nigeria is a country of big men,” he stated.
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