Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, (REC) Obo Effanga, has urged the Nigerian politicians to learn to accept election failures and successes in good faith so as to grow the nation’s democracy.
He gave the task while meeting with newsmen in Benin with a view of appreciating them and building on the successes recorded by the Commission in the state.
Effanga said, politicians, when they lost elections in certain quarters, they begin to rejoice and when they lost in other quarters, they begin to complain rather than blaming themselves.
“It was interesting that at some point, when some of the elections were concluded, we had a few protest and interestingly the three political parties that won various seats in the state at had different times complained where they didn’t win.
“I have found it interesting that where they won, they were happy about it, where they didn’t win, in some instances they raised issue about it and I think it is part of the game politicians play that whenever they win it was victory for democracy, it was a reflection of how the people loved and voted for them.
“And when they didn’t win, they would always try to find reasons to excuse themselves and blame everyone apart from themselves. We gave everybody the opportunity to protest at our offices.
“We listened to them, we received their complaints and there was little we could do about the complaints”, Effanga said.
The REC, while decrying the act of violence in our elections, said the country belongs to everyone and must not be burnt down through actions, adding that all must join hands to do the right thing.
“The quality of what we do is a reflection of us as a people because all the people who were involved in the elections were Nigerians.
“The people who conducted the elections were Nigerians, the people who contested the election, the people who disrupted the elections were Nigerians, the people who shot people during elections, the people who reported the elections were Nigerians.
“So, it is for us as Nigerians to decide and act the right way at all times.
“If people disrupt elections, they didn’t just stand on their own, somebody recruited them to do that.
“Who are the people recruiting them to do that? The same people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of the process, the politicians”, Effanga said.