Most states have complaints about their primaries but most of the grievances bordered on manipulations with choice, not vote-counting. Most states were angry that the governors imposed someone and the delegates merely kow-towed, but the crisis in Imo State is that the counting of mere 1,064 votes was faulty.
This brings us to a major national tragedy, inaccurate counting and conflicting figures in government circles, be it in the NNPC, CBN, National Population Council (NPC), INEC, and anywhere else counting is involved. The matter is even so bad that even when 36 persons are in one room, their counting would be flawed. Could this be why the real amount spent for fuel subsidy remained so very controversial in 2012, from the Fed Ministry of Finance to the CBN to the Ministry of Petroleum to the presidency?
The National Assembly that intervened with uncountable probe sessions ended up with more conflicting figures. Today, there is no accepted figure. How many barrels of oil do we produce in a day? That is another subject of conflicting figures, from 2.1mbp to 2.4mbp.
Governor Chibuike Amaechi used to thrill journalists with the story of what happened when he took over payment of primary school teachers’ salaries when he came to power and sought to stabilise that sub-sector.
He asked and was told the number but the moment he announced his intention to take over payment, the number began jumping kokoma from the primary schools board to the Ministry of Education. The amount that was about N1bn jumped to N2bn. This was so until he appointed a no-nonsense female lawyer as education boss and the cacophony went silent, and figured steadied, we learnt.
So, how much does not earn? Trouble! How much does Nigeria owe? Case! How many are we? Wahala! How many are Boko Haram foot-soldiers? Ok, how many were the Niger Delta militants so we can know the number of ex-militants and beneficiaries of the Amnesty? For where!
Now, take this game to the actual number of public servants in any particular state. This would cause trouble because the last time Bayelsa State tried to find out, it claimed the state governor’s job; rather, evidence that ghost workers may not be seen by the eyes but they occupy space, earn huge salaries and fight those who fight them.
Mathematics or counting mere figures seems a Herculean task in Nigeria. The NNPC insists on inviting only first class and 2.1 graduates for employment interviews but the corporation is the most notorious in the entire world when it comes to accurate figures of oil production, earnings, etc, at least the National Assembly said so.
The last time 36 governors found themselves in one room, they could not successfully count from 01 to 36, and this has created two factions to this day; each group insisting that it’s counting was more correct.
Now, we have continued to debate, to the jest of the entire world mathematical world, which is greater, 19 or 16. Even Aso Rock tried to help out with the mathematics but ended up with more confusing calculations, to this day.
Now, Imo PDP has emerged from its guber primaries unable to count mere 1,064 votes, with all the learned and learning persons in charge. Ifeanyi Ararume said there were some over-cast votes over the number of accredited votes. He has concluded that Emeka Ihedioha must have benefited from the overcast. Those that counted the votes are shouting too, saying their math was still sound.
Some of us thought that there is a tested process for counting votes at delegates’ conferences and other union elections. After accreditation, the number is usually announced and copied down.
After casting, the total votes are counted to ensure the number tallied with the number of accredited voters or delegates (in this matter). Then, the counting officer begins to count loudly and hand each vote to the nominated agent. INEC is usually there to ensure that the steps were followed.
The DSS is also a party, by bye-law. How come that despite all these traditions and regulations, the Imo PDP failed to get the counting right, as Ararume insists? Even Ikedi Ohakim who came third is asking his supporters to be calm because he was sure to emerge winner. This means that he too believes that the counting was wrong.
So, it is not certain these people who badly want to govern us, manage our entire education system (including Mathematics) cannot even count beyond 1,000?
In this case, would we not need to go across to our neighbours such as Ghana where education including Maths is still reliable to import some primary school kids to come do counting for Nigerians, since oil wealth, cultism and exam malpractice may have blotted the brains of our own scholars?
This has explained why our economy is the largest troubled economy in Africa. Maybe, people removed the word ‘troubled’ and came home with the rest statement to announce that we are the largest economy in Africa.
It could also be part of inability to count well, may be they counted from the bottom of the rating. If the people who govern us cannot count simple numbers, how come they think they interpret financial plans, annual business reports full of figures, and count the real amount in the budget?
Now that Imo PDP cannot count properly, would they not once again be carried away with counting and counter-counting as they did in 2007 and 2011 while less-fancies parties snatch victory, just like before?
