THE mass protests, negative public reactions, inconclusive results processing, etc that have trailed the March 28th and April 11 national and governorship elections in Abia State constitute food for thought for followers of Abia politics, particularly those genuinely committed to the struggle for change.

The real winners of that election are not essentially the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidates who are temporarily robbed of their victories, but Abians who voted in defiance of weather condition, hunger occasioned by several months of backlog of unpaid salaries, proven harassments, occasional molestations by agents of the outgoing administration in the State. We witnessed a most desperate attempt to keep whitewashing glaring failure, near total lack of governance and incompetence of the last eight years of the exiting administration in the state.

There is no doubt that Abians have made up their minds to vote against any stooge planted by a government that has turned her eyes the other way while several pensioners and retired public servants languish to death as a result of unsettlement of due benefits, a government that has stashed the State funds away for the purpose of muscling out opposition through selective payments. Abians are not fooled by all these. These profligate acts could have been uncalled for if the PDP administration in the state had endeared itself to the hearts of Abians through noticeable performances.

Abians are prepared to give the PDP administration in the State its score card. As another election approaches because of the inconclusiveness of the governorship election, it is important to urge Abians to continue to vote for change notwithstanding the egregious manipulations and provocations. We must remain vigilant in these few days preceding this decisive election. After all, eternal vigilance is said to be the price of freedom. This is one way through which the Abians can stand on their way as they prepare to execute their evil machinations on the day the INEC is yet to decide.

A few days to the conduct of the Governorship and House of Assembly Elections, the PDP in Abia State was in a frantic move to circumvent the processes h laid down by the INEC for the conduct of the elections. As transparent as the REC in the state has been acknowledged to be, it is important to re-emphasise that she must not sit and fold her arms while the PDP script is being acted by her immediate subordinates.

It is important to stress at this time how the prayers, fasting, and steadfastness of Nigerians were attended to by God himself to avert the catastrophic predictions of the concluded national elections. We do not expect that any second tier leader would want to create a cataclysmic environment of violence for his subjects in a bid to win in a do die means. The attempts to thwart the will of the people through a rancorous manipulation of the electoral process as being planned by the PDP in Abia State is to say the least condemnable. The national elections were successful because INEC strictly adhered to the provisions and guidelines for the conduct of the elections.

One is at lost while the PDP is opposed to the use of Card Readers for the next elections. The scheming to abandon the Card Readers in collusion with the suspected Principal elements in the Commission points to a glaring electoral malpractice which the REC should have by now been concerned about. If she had had no inkling, Abians are drawing her attention to this worrisome developments within the INEC in the State.

The resort to mass production of incident forms beyond what has been sent to the state is an ominous signal for impending rigging. It is important to allow Abians to freely and willingly decide what manner of Abia State they want. Whether they want an Abia with the continuation of the pervasive rot, controlled by a nest of mindless and unconscientized cohorts who carry on by deceit and perpetual falsification of truism or an Abia driven by an independent minded achiever and technocrat who has the pedigree and potentials to reposition the state within the comity of states in the country.

Whether they want a man who has made committed pronouncements to the future of Abia children and youths or a leader who will sustain the promotion of the culture of touting and reward for brigandeous behaviours.

The plan to cause the abandonment of the use of the Electronic Card Readers which is one of the innovations by INEC to guarantee the integrity of the voting process and enhance the belief and commitment of our people to the democratic evolution must be resisted. Anything that did not follow the planned pattern as specified by INEC must be challenged. Abians must also question the late arrival of materials and officials to polling units, as this has been uncovered to be deliberate in order to drag the voting and collation processes into the night to wear voters out who may be determined to wait to protect their votes.

This is further intended to cause psychological provocation, and facilitate their planned mass rigging. Abians must also resolve to challenge overzealous security men, some of whom may be fake in their brazen attempts to keep the voters away from polling and collation centres. We must be united n our resolve to ensure that the huge sums of the public funds which have been deployed to buy over the electoral officials in the state are rendered ineffective. We must not give any of these officials room to perpetrate their nefarious acts to our detriment.

Checks have shown

that many of these electoral process actors are not indigenes of the State. They are probably on mercantilist missions, as such can bow to financial overtures to mortgage our state. We must counter their pecuniary interest to save our state. We must not allow Local Governments Transition Committee Chairmen to have field day – snatching ballot boxes, unleashing illegal military operatives on the

people on the election day with reckless abandon. We must bring to their realization the fact that they not entitled to military guards and escorts.

Abians salute Professor AttahiruJega – the INEC Chairman for his commitment to the future democratic health of the country viz a viz the state. We can only ask that he continues to keep his eyes closely

on the Abia democratic ball to avoid a repeat of the show of shame during the just concluded national elections. He must continuously engage the Abia election managers to play by the rules. A good account

of this could be given by ordering and insisting that the rules and due electoral processes of INEC are complied with. Established cases of compromised officials must be dealt with promptly. We give the

Resident Electoral Commissioner in Abia State credit for her passion and commitment to truth and honour. But not total credit due to her indifferent dispositions. Abians are not delighted by the observed

reluctance of the State Residence Electoral Commissioner to take definite stand in obvious situations as was the case during the imbroglio that characterized the announcement of the results of the national elections of March 28th, 2015. This prompted rumor mongering and air of suspicion. She must be urged to be categorical at critical times as a proof of her non-alignment and unquestionable transparency.

Where Abians express their will by voting overwhelming for change and suddenly, someone takes it as a duty to dictate for them through the back door that their decision will not prevail is an open invitation to chaos and anarchy in the state.

Mr.  Emelogu  Martins, a  lawyer, wrote from Abuja.