 You're welcome back, remember it's still the Balot 2023 and we hope that you can be a part of it through all our social media handles, plus TV Africa. And just use the hashtag Balot 2023 and you'll be good. We're glad to have a guest here in the house who will be talking with us. Mr. Bola Obba is here, is a public affairs analyst and so many things rolled into one and it's our pleasure to have you in the house today. Good morning and welcome sir. Your pleasure is all mine, thank you for the privilege. We've had leading up to this election a lot of excitement, a lot of anxiety in the air. I don't know how you feel that we have finally gotten to this day that we were waiting for, as if we were waiting for this day all our lives. How do you feel right now? At least we now know that we were no longer waiting for Godot, we no longer waiting for Godot is here. What we make of it is actually incumbent on all of us, all stakeholders, you doing your role this morning, I think I'm doing my role, but we want to enjoy Nigerians, all of us, especially those of us who are of the age of franchise and especially those who have their permanent voter card to try the best possible to do their civic duty because unlike in Australia and Brazil where it's mandatory and indeed the criminal offence for you to go and vote most liberal democracies and Nigeria is one, most liberal democracies leave it as an option for the citizen to do. So this morning we particularly using this powerful platform want to enjoy in our viewers, even your MD told me a while ago that he was still going to dash out later in the day to go and do that duty and you could imagine if somebody like you could do it, those at home should please, please for the sake of Nigeria do it. Do you think that that system in Brazil, the other country that you mentioned should be applied in Nigeria because here in Nigeria seems as if whoever has the time can go and do it, but if it's made compulsory do you think our election and our electoral system will be a little bit better? I don't quite want to support what prevails in Australia, Brazil and a couple of other liberal democracies. I would rather we leave it to choice option and a sense of self motivation. Democracy is a phenomenon that is actually built on the element of choice and option. When it becomes compulsory, it defeats the organic beauty of it. So Nigerians watching this morning is another opportunity to reiterate the encouragement or exhortation Nigerians watching us this morning please if you really can do it please for the sake of the country. That sounds very, very optimistic and positive right there and I'm hoping that Nigerians would listen to that. It's not compulsory and we're also thinking that it shouldn't be compulsory, it probably will just defeat the purpose of democracy. So yes, you need to know that it's your right and take that advantage, go out there and exercise your right. It's your right and so you have a duty to play. It's our country. Let's decide who becomes president, governor, member of the National Assembly, whoever represents your constituency at the state and national level. But let's get to the crux of the matter now. This election is one that even the empire had said we want to raise the standard. I remember vividly in one of those press conferences where Aineg had, they said we need to raise the standard, raising the standard, it was also an injunction to all resident electoral commissioners across the 36 states of the federation and the issue of logistics has always been a major problem. I mean some people would say it's a real coring decimal. I'd like to share your thoughts. Do you think that today will be different? Prior to this there will probably say 2023 but we're here now, today is the 25th of February 2023. Do you think that Aineg is going to raise the bar? Elections is expected to start at 8.30. That would mean that prior to this time Aineg should have been, I mean everyone should be at the polling units, materials available at 8.30 on the dot. We should be ready to cast our votes. On the issue of logistics I am not too optimistic. I mean is that there are many variables outside the direct control of Aineg as an entity. Let me give you a typical scenario that Aineg has to play with, inevitably this morning. Aineg has signed working contracts with transporters and Aineg has in its wisdom brought in the umbrella organizations of transporters in the 36 states to be its enforcers. Now in the case of Lagos, Lagos is the smallest state geographically. However Lagos has the highest number of registered voters amongst all the freighting units. But that being said in the case of Lagos, Aineg has contracts with transporters and the controlling transporters union or organization. I wouldn't want to call it a union because in the peculiar case of Lagos it is now a statutory agency of state and that agency has now been barred by a high court from participating because of an individual and we have to respect Cutwater. Now Aineg is in a peculiar scenario now where the ostensible enforcer it ought to have used has been barred by a court order. So Aineg would find another mechanism of making sure that those transporters don't mess up its logistics today. When that pronouncement was made, on the one hand Bolaaba was happy because ostensibly it speaks to raising the integrity of our electioneering system. However, you and I know that in virtually all the states of the federation, virtually all the states, the leadership of transport associations usually fled with the state governments because most of the parks, virtually all the major parks are owned by the government and that is why and you see women want to stand as punished as possible but at the end of the day, at the end of the day, we know that these so-called transporters associations or so-called organizations, they actually provide the enforcers that the political class used to do. They are unthinkable. I won't say more than that but you know what, I want to believe that Aineg should have envisaged all likely challenges to the logistical machinery it has to use but as at this juncture, Bolaaba will be so circumspect to want to believe that further into the hours, say from 9 a.m., 10 a.m., if there is need, we want to get reports from your reporters on the field and we can know whether, you know what, whether we were ultimately questioned but it has been a recurrent or perennial, perennial challenge of electioneering, elections management in Nigeria. I won't say it will not repeat itself. I mean, just before Nyamgo comes in here, one of the, you know, fates and why Nigerians have been very excited about 2023, it's that it's different. Financial autonomy has been granted, you know, to Aineg via the electoral ads of 2022. The fund. I don't know what that means but when you say question, I'm wondering what that means. I'm saying some financial autonomy, this should be different. Aineg should be able to procure vehicles, apart from what they receive, the allowance that would get to them, I mean, the budget for the elections is separate from what they get annually as a commission. So when we talk about that's a concern that you have raised but shouldn't he have been different, especially with financial autonomy that Aineg cannot procure vehicles, because I don't see any reason why we can't have helicopters, you know, transporting these materials, especially to these rural areas, where we're still complaining about our roads not being very motorable. My concern now is the electoral act has granted the financial autonomy to Aineg. They don't have to go through the Ministry of Finance for approval. The funds get directly. So with this, should Aineg still be complaining about, you know, having to contract people to transport materials or they should be able to have vehicles? And what have you to transport these materials? I think you have an over romanticised, with due respect ma'am, and I ate wanting to be rude to my host. But you see, I think you have an over romanticised perception of Aineg's financing methodology, and apart from that, indeed, in your very wonderful question wanting us to, wanting us to have or accentuate on the positives, I would rather not look in the direction that you have chosen to accentuate, because the financial autonomy, look, when you hear financial autonomy in Nigeria, my sister don't be deceived, you know, they will play an ostensible card, but the organics of how that autonomy is delivered, you will still discover that some characters, some latent characters still have a strong role done. But apart from that, Aineg at this juncture is bedeviled by an omnibus status that a single entity cannot effectively perform. Aineg is leading with the responsibility of elections management, like any EMB all over the world, elections management board. However, the electoral act also mandates Aineg to be the DPP. Somebody who was once a politician in England, if I messed up and I did anything illegal, the elections management board in England would not be the one persecuting me. The director of public prosecution would say Bolaaba maybe used the element, Bolaaba maybe went to say some neighborhoods in my constituency, and I spoke to some primitive or primordial points like say, go and vote for me now, I have an idea like you, you know, that would have been illegal, but it wouldn't have been the elections management body that would have had to persecute me for playing up tribal or racial, it would have been the director of public prosecution. But in the case of Aineg, Aineg is leading with the responsibility, indeed the Waste Commission, the Waste Commission has recommended a dedicated agency to be birthed by statute for elections, criminal conducts in elections, Aineg asked that. Now, to the point, to the specific department that or the area that you attend, logistics, where would look, where would Aineg get the kind of money to buy vehicular assets and indeed you mentioned helicopter and I was thinking and I was thinking it was about time maybe somebody engaged me as a talk for Aineg chairman because I could be, I could be more moish than anybody working for, if he could, you know, if he gets that kind of money to buy helicopter, these things still have to be outsourced. No, but Mr. Obar, really, even though you're saying she's been over-romanticized and all that, there is, there is a critical issue here. For instance, there's a state in Nigeria right now that we've heard stories that a governor who has a political rival has gone to deliberately grade the road, heap sand on the road, so much so that it is impossible to the area where that political rival is, which means Aineg, because that's not a boat that they're going to use, they're supposed to use vehicles, Aineg may not be able to pass to that place. In the case of things like this, there should be a backup plan, maybe one helicopter or anything. So what can they do? The two of you are... So in that kind of a place, will those people be disenfranchised because of the selfishness of a doctor? Given the illusion you've just made now... It's not an illusion, it's a reference of a sort, so it's an illusion of a sort. Given, and I don't want to, because for me, it's not been verified yet, and I know the quality, I know the quality of your journalistic, this thing, so I would say reportedly. I mean, apart from, if you make that, let's even get this clear, because even the governor himself, I mean, let's even put it, it's not fake news. I'm not saying it's fake news. So even the governor himself, reportedly, because the governor himself has come out to give reason for that particular behavior. No problem, we want to work on the question. I'm not even fighting the... I just don't want to mention it. I'm not consulting the fact. And it's good, and it's good because it's not been, it's not been proven by your organization. You don't have, it's reportedly. So we can have, at least we are safe on that. Given the, given the integrity. Okay, I'm sorry. Yeah, let's use it reportedly. Having said that, I am one who believes that INEC must have an alternative for that, because come to think of it, if INEC could have the central bank of Nigeria store its valuable documents or items, INEC has always historically, from when I was a young boy, I'm wishing we had always known that our election management body used to work with the AMP services. And one of the area, one of the specialties of our AMP services, especially the, the Air Force, would be, you know what, we need, it shouldn't be too difficult because there is a, there is an inter, interdisciplinary entity that INEC has around organizing elections. It shouldn't be difficult for the INEC chairman to put a call to, to the chief of the staff and say, sir, we have, we have this challenge around this particular location. No, no vehicular object could get there as a result of, you know, maybe the, this thing of the, of the roads as it is, that you are telling me that, you know, but, and the, you know, and the Air Force will be able to say, don't worry, don't worry chief, we should be able to deploy a helicopter. I wouldn't suppose, you know, INEC is buying the helicopter, but you see, given the direction that the two of you were trying to pull me by the nose and I was seemingly refusing. Okay, let me gladden you guys down. We should see tremendous improvements in this round of elections, given the, given the improvements, I tell people that Wike and Edom Emmanuel, both, Governors of River State and Aqua Ebum, wouldn't have emerged, wouldn't have emerged as governors if we had, if we had the use of technology the countenance in the electoral act 2010 that was used to conduct the elections in 2015. You know what? Because at the court of first instance, that's at the elections petitions tribunal, they lost. At the court of appeal, they lost. It was not until it got to the Supreme Court that the Supreme Court said, you know what? The use of technology, that the use of technology was only, was only embedded in, in annex regulation, but that it was not in this. We will come back to you, that's because we have been joined by Nika Gule via Zoom and Augustine Ega. They'll be joining in conversation. Gentlemen, if you're here with us, it's a very happy day and it's good to have you join us. Nika Gule, can you hear us? Yes, I can hear you very well. Nika Gule, can you hear us? Yes, can you hear me? Your audio doesn't seem to. Well, if you can hear me, then I'd request that you please unmute your device. That would be very great. My mic is unmuted. Augustine Ega, can you hear me now? It's unmuted. My mic is unmuted. Can you hear me? Nika Gule, it's good to have you this morning on the ballot. Thank you for joining us. Yes, thank you very much. Can you hear me? Yes, yes. Okay, so I am actually sitting here in Bandeka in Benway State. I have come to cast my vote. Bandeka is the last local government before you get into Cross River State. So I'm happy to be here. Good morning to the panelists and good morning to all Nigeria's women abroad. What's the situation like in Benway State? Is there any complaint? Because in some states we are hearing some complaints coming, maybe because of logistics or because of one problem or the other. How is the situation like in Benway? I don't have the position now in all 23 local governments in Benway State. But at the same time, if there was anything that was happening that was not going right, I would have been aware of that. It would have become some sort of news because I'm very much connected to what is happening in the state. So far it's been calm. There has been no news of either insecurity or logistics problems. In fact, on my way yesterday from Makode, which is the capital, traveling to Bandeka, I saw a lot of activities by INEC officials. I saw so many buses, commercial buses that were hired by INEC at a point in Boku. I saw a great number of them. Then at a point after I left Boku, I saw some of them at a petrol station filling up. So far, I'm heavily connected on social media. So if there was anything that was on towards happening in Benway, it would have been picked up now by social media and I would have been aware of that. So I can say that Benway so far is calm and getting ready for the polls. Alright, so let's talk about where you are now. One of the issues that we've been talking about is the preparedness of INEC for this election. And over time, logistics has been a recurring issue that has been always an issue for us and for the country. But INEC has said that 2023 will be different. Elections are stuplated to commence at 8.30 and that's it. I'd like to ask you, do you have the presence of the officials right there? Are the materials already around? We're looking at a time now that it's 7.40. So I am not yet at my polling unit for me to be able to make an assessment if materials for the elections have arrived at my polling unit. But I believe that INEC is well prepared for this election. INEC had four years, four years to prepare for these elections. And within those four years, INEC have been testing their systems, their processes and procedures. They have even had the opportunity to test the new electoral law in elections, mid-term elections that have happened in Akiti and Oshun and in other places. So I think even an umbrella if I remember words. So INEC, and if I look at the body language of INEC, I have said this thing on this show before. I say that INEC was very instrumental to the passing of the 2022 electoral law. If INEC as a body were not for free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria, they wouldn't have given their backing, so much backing to the electoral law. Majority of the provisions in the 2022 electoral law were actually from INEC. And I think I was speaking to an INEC official who said that the National Assembly only took like 25% of the provisions that INEC had wanted inserted in the electoral law. So from the conduct of INEC, right from the body language of the chairman down to the conduct of the officials, I have every sense of judgment to believe that INEC is ready to give Nigerians an election that will probably be the best in our history. The reason being that the 2022 electoral law has actually empowered us as a people. I'm sitting here now on my computer. I have already developed a template that has 176,000 rows on it, each row being a polling unit. And as the results of polling units are being posted on the INEC server, I will be entering those results on my spreadsheet. And probably by 6pm today, we Nigerians who have voted, we already know who has won. I will just be waiting for INEC to make it official, probably on Monday or so. So this is an electoral law that has squarely handed over power to us as Nigerians. And I think INEC is ready for this. Okay, I'd like to say when you get to your polling unit and you have more activities happening there that you can talk to us, you please reconnect with us so that we can get inside information to what is happening where you are. Even if you don't have information about everywhere else in Benway State, at least where you are and voting, we need to know that as well. Thank you very much. But just before we go, I mean, there's also the conversation we had in the studio. I don't know if you were part of it. And the conversation, the argument is, we think that at this point INEC should be able to take care of some basic things. And I made reference to the Electoral Act and the fact that of 2022 and a financial autonomy, which has been granted to some extent. And now Oba is here also in the studio with us. And he thinks that that's in the books, right? So at this point, there's also a video part today that made the rounds where a vehicle was reportedly broken down under the road. I mean, you need to see the vehicle very sad trying to take materials to across the state. And that video was user generated. But I'm saying at this point, should INEC not be able to cater for her needs, get her own vehicles without having to contract people, and, you know, just maybe, if I'm sounding too extra, get a helicopter. That is going to be very difficult. Because we have 176,000 polyunits in Nigeria. And if INEC were to buy 176,000 vehicles, that's going to probably the entire budget that is given to INEC. So the only thing INEC can do is that there are very, you know, high quality commercial vehicles. They don't have to go for rickety ones. They can partner with commercial entities like the quality of vehicles I saw doing electoral duties in Benway as I was coming here. They were of high quality. So probably this is a situation where there was a misjudgment by someone who decided to go for a vehicle that was not competent enough for this election. But outside that, one other thing with the 2022 electoral law is that if electoral materials don't come to a polling unit, and specifically the beavers, if that beavers is not used, the election in that polling unit will be postponed. You know, in the days before the 2022 electoral law, the provision was that if the card reader was not available or was not working, they resorted to manual accreditation. And most times a card reader that was there was working will be sidelined so that politicians will be able to resort to manual accreditation and then they will go ahead with their nationality guns. These 2022 electoral laws say we must vote by beavers. So even if a particular polling unit does not have beavers, does not have electoral materials, their election will be postponed. And when beavers is found, it will be brought and the people will vote. It's a good thing we are having this time around.