BY G9IJA
Comrade Ayoyinka Peter Oni, the incumbent chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Lagos State, is a core activist who has contributed immensely to the emancipation of the Nigerian youths and their involvement in politics. With the controversial conclusion of the Presidential and National Assembly elections and as Nigerians await the results of the nationwide Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election held yesterday, Comrade Oni who believes strongly in the liberation of the citizens from the clutches of the oppressors and the ruling elite, aired his view on the current state of Nigeria’s electoral system and the nation’s democratic journey. Excerpt
How would you react to the result of the Presidential election as announced by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman?
What took place was not a presidential election. It was a sham and a disgrace. In a normal country, he would have been asked to resign or sacked by the president. But, obviously, we do not have a president. Nigerians were robbed of free and fair elections.
Would you say that with the alleged inability of the electoral officers to transmit the results from the polling units immediately after the election, the BVAS could still be trusted for Future elections?
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sent out numerous videos and did press conferences that BVAS would work. And yet, it did not work, for reasons they could not explain. No one should trust them any longer.
How do you see the performance of your party vis a vis the level of its campaigns across the country?
Elections are not really about the performance of political parties, but the will of the people. The African Action Congress (AAC) did well selling its ideas to the people, but so many things prevented them from going all out for our great party. They were robbed by the press. They were robbed by poverty and they were robbed by the tribal and religious campaign done by the ruling parties. This has further polarised an already divided country. We are happy that our party was not involved in such a division, but our ideas have united Nigerians in so many ways. What we should be talking about is the failure of the ruling parties and their terrible style of campaign which have further divided the country. Also, the ruling class took advantage of the poverty level in the country, to rob us of victory. We are proud of our campaign and it continues immediately after the elections. It is a liberation campaign, and liberation happens not just at the ballot, but also through the barricades.
One would have expected your party to make an impact on the National Assembly (NASS) election even if it could not go far in the presidential election. What accounted for the failure of your legislative candidates?