Iwu Should Cover His Face In Shame —Omoyinmi

The chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu, has been asked to cover his face in shame over the recent success of the presidential election in the United States of America, which led to the victory of Senator Barack Obama as the President-elect of that country.

Giving the advice in Lagos, a former All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) House of Representatives candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency in Lagos State, Barrister Abayomi Akin Omoyinmi, said the success of the US election which has been hailed the world over, has clearly shown that Iwu is a monumental failure, who ought to cover his face in shame.

Describing the INEC boss as a big disgrace to Nigeria, Omoyinmi noted that the general elections conducted Iwu last year and which was been condemned all over the world, has made the country to become a laughing stock among the comity of nations.

“Iwu, through his action of conducting an election which was nothing but selection and characterised by such malpractices as thuggery, open rigging and manipulation of figures, made Nigeria to become an object of mockery worldwide. In more decent climes, people like Iwu would have been rotting away in jail,” he declared.

Citing the recent declaration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the duly elected governor of Edo State by the Court of Appeal, Omoyinmi said it was another proof of Iwu’s failure.

“The declaration of Oshiomhole as governor by the court and series of other annulment of elections conducted by Iwu by the courts, have clearly shown that he is an embarrassment to this nation,” he said.

The lawyer-politician further took a swipe at the INEC boss over his recent comment that the United States should learn one or two lessons from Nigeria’s electoral system.

“I think Iwu must have been misquoted. I don’t want to believe that he actually made such statement. But if he insists he was quoted right, then I would say that he is a jester. If he does not know, he conducted one of the worst elections in the history of this country. Again what does Iwu want United States to learn from our electoral system? Is it manipulation, thuggery and violence or open rigging? Iwu must be a big joker indeed,” he stated.

Speaking on the emergence of Senator Barrack Obama as the president-elect of the United States, Omoyinmi said Nigeria has a lot to learn from that election.

According to him, the nation’s political leaders must learn to respect the wishes of the electorate instead of manipulating the electoral process to favour hand picked candidates.

While saying that President Umaru Yar’Adua must buckle up to meet the yearning and aspirations of the electorate, Omoyinmi noted that nothing has been working under the present government.

“Nigerians have really enjoyed nothing, rather, the condition of the masses is getting worse. Hunger and poverty are on the increase, roads are bad, electricity supply is comatose and there are no drugs in the hospitals, while unemployment is on the increase. The situation we have in Nigeria today is that of every man for himself, God for us  all. Government is on holiday, while we are heeding towards a crisis situation. It is my prayer that we don’t allow things to degenerate to warrant a revolution,” he warned.