When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that governorship elections would hold in Edo and Ondo States on September 10 and November 28, 2016 respectively, i had cause to suspect that the dates would not be kept and that if the elections managed to hold as scheduled, they would not be free or fair.

From colonial times till date, it is difficult to rate any Nigerian election as successful. An overview of Nigerian elections would confirm this. What can be called the first national election to form a government of an independent Nigeria was held on December 12, 1959. The outcome was tragic as acid and other corrosive substances were poured into ballot boxes to distort the results of the election.

Last week Saturday, I had the privilege of serving as guest speaker at the installation of the President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Airfield where I drew attention to the need for Nigerian politicians to emulate Rotarians while seeking elective office.

On May14, 2012, there was massive demonstration in Benin City leading to loss of lives and property. The bone of contention was an allegation that INEC was in league with some people to undertake a fake voter’s registration exercise for the purpose of rigging the governorship elections scheduled to hold some 2 months away.

Since the return of democracy in 1999, Nigerian political leaders have been occupied with the manipulation of both the people and the system. The result is that the nation is now practicing convoluted democracy in which political dissent is criminalized.