Nigerian elections: the cool, the bad, the funny

Professor Jega

Elections in Nigeria are never devoid of drama. In the 2015 presidential elections, some noteworthy events took place.

The Cool: In spite of unprovoked attacks on his person and office throughout the exercise, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, remained the epitome of calmness.

Jega, who as president of the Academic Staff union of Universities (ASUU) in the 1990s, was regarded as a troublemaker by the Babangida administration, has metamorphosed into the ultimate picture of cool. When he was placed under enormous pressure to conduct a credible presidential election, he delivered – and became an instant hero.

The way he handled Godsday Orubebe’s infantile disruption of proceedings was the ultimate cool. Immediately, Nigerians exploded on social media and the drama, which was beamed live by several TV stations, picked up a life of its own. Jega became a symbol of coolness in Nigeria. Several memes about him were created and they spread like wildfire on the internet. An example: a new word has been added to the dictionary. JEGA – adj. calm and peaceful state. Able to think and talk calmly even under provocation.

President Goodluck Jonathan became the first Nigerian president to lose an election in the country’s chequered history. But his conduct when it was clear he had lost endeared him to many. Even before the results from all the states had been released, Jonathan called the APC’s Gen. Buhari to congratulate him thereby ending whatever fight was left in the PDP.

It was a show of sportsmanship never before seen in the history of elections in the country where the loser always evokes fire and brimstone, rejecting the results as fraudulent.

The Bad: An agent of the PDP, Godsday Orubebe disrupted the reading of election results for almost 30 minutes, trying to draw everyone’s attention to what he claimed were discrepancies in the results of six states in the North.

Orubebe, a former governorship aspirant in Delta State and a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, threw decorum to the wind and engaged in a one-man show of shame. Screaming at the top of his voice, he called Jega “tribalistic, selective and partial.” But he inadvertently added to Jega’s growing superman status.

The INEC boss remained unruffled. His response: Mr Orubebe, you are a former minister of the Federal Republic. You are a statesman in your own right. You should be careful about what you say or what allegations you make. Certainly you should be careful about your public conduct.”

The Funny: a round of comedy ensued when the returning officer for Rivers State, Prof. John Etu-Efeotor found it difficult to read out the results he brought to the collation centre. Instead of reading from the official result sheet, he preferred to read the one he had typed himself.

First, Etu-Efeotor the vice chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Warri, Delta State, said the lighting was poor and he could not see well. When Jega asked that studio light should be provided for him, he claimed he could only read typed texts not handwritten ones.

As the audience burst out in laughter, the professor cautioned that the issue was not a joking matter, drawing out another series of guffaws. Jega, who was trying to stifle a smile, wondered how the distinguished scholar could not read his own handwriting.

Finally, Jega had to direct someone else to reel out the results when it became obvious that the eminent scholar was having difficulty with the simple task.

It was a bizarre but welcome comic relief that reduced a great deal of tension in the hall and across the country. Instantly, the incident became another source of jokes that swept across social media.

Nigeria is a country where the winner of an election usually takes all, leaving nothing, not even scraps, for the loser. But this time, it is the Nigerian people who won.