With the exit of a certain black sheep in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who was planted in the Commission during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s government by a godfather from Anambra State now heading a lucrative committee in one of the chambers of the National Assembly, many Nigerians, especially the people of Anambra North zone believe that it was time for the Commission to redeem its battered image over the controversial letter they wrote to the Senate leadership on June 3 to stop Senator Alphonsus Igbeke from being sworn in.

The roles of this fellow in the Commission during the last party primaries before the last general elections are known to all politicians and the rest of us. He was majorly responsible for the controversy that trailed INEC’s double standards in the outcome of the party primaries. Using his vantage position in the Commission then, he always danced to the tune of the godfathers and the highest bidders, and subsequently offered the leadership of the Commission with wrong information and advice on lingering matters, depending where his interest lies.

It was a development that brought shame and suspicion to the Commission before and after the April polls. His controversial role in the crisis still rocking APGA is also known to Nigerians when he wrote a letter declaring Victor Umeh national chairman of the party, even when no court has said so.

In continuation of his nefarious activities in the Commission to please his godfathers who facilitated his appointment into INEC some years ago and to know if his term would be renewed again, he authored the letter to the Senate instructing them to bar Igbeke from being sworn in, even when there is no injunction or court order against his election or candidature.

Quickly and expectedly, his allies in the Senate lead by the leadership of the Senate and the woman in the Presidency who had usurped Igbeke’s seat in the last National Assembly illegally for years, and was also among the facilitators of the plot took advantage of the situation to continue their injustice against Igbeke and the people of the zone.

But with the exit of this man from INEC, it is time for Prof. Attahiru Jega and others in the Commission to toe the line of honour and do justice to the people of Anambra North senatorial district by withdrawing the purported letter authored by the man to stop the swearing-in of our elected senator. Anything short of this will give the impression that there are still more black sheep in INEC.

Ahead of 2015, Jega and his men must be very careful of this Anambra godfather. His desperation knows no bounds and controversy has continued to trail even the seat he is occupying now.

Jega should not and must not allow some disgruntled elements in the corridor of power to drag him and the Commission to mud for parochial and selfish reasons. Nigerians and the rest of the world are keenly watching the partisan role of INEC in the whole plot against the people of Anambra North zone, even when the Commission’s leadership knows the truth.

As for the Senate leadership under David Mark, their action in barring Igbeke from being sworn in did not come to most Nigerians as a surprise because when Igbeke won his case against Joy Emordi who occupied his seat illegally for three years plus, the same leadership of the Senate refused to swear Igbeke in, until Nigerians raised alarm, prompting them to succumb.

With the cream of lawyers in the Senate which included a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, the upper chamber cannot pretended not to know the Constitution and in the process oppress the people of Anambra North zone. It is quite shocking and disappointing that the senators, the Presidency and the Justice Minister have refused to call the leadership of the Senate to order on the issue.

To strengthen the oppressors of the people of Anambra North zone, the leadership of the Senate has compensated them with the chairmanship position of a lucrative committee ahead the 2015 general elections. What is happening over Anambra North Senatorial seat now is not about Senator Igbeke. It is about the people of the zone who have no representative in the Senate, whereas they voted for Igbeke. Did anybody stop those who are now determined to deny the people of the zone representation in the Senate, because they don’t like the face, gut and popularity of Igbeke.

It is clear that not every Nigerian likes the face of President Jonathan, but majority of Nigerians like it and that was why they voted for him and he is the President today.

As far as Nigerians are concerned, no genuine reasons have been adduced by those after Igbeke apart from personal aggrandizement and hatred for a man who has done well for his people and is like a movement in the zone.

Chinwendu Umeoji, a cleric, wrote from Ogbaru, Anambra State