The rigging of the mind is back: TraderMoni, FarmerMoni, [you name it]moni. This was what APC used to rewire the last election. Yes, days to the election, the federal government was crediting market women, farmers, etc with money in a way that put opposition parties at a big disadvantage, in a nation where stomach infrastructure (food giveaway) wins elections.
As another election looms, the special rigging infrastructure is back: “The Federal Government says it has resumed payment of over N9.24 billion to 76,107 beneficiaries of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme across the six local government areas in Kebbi State. The National Coordinator of the programme, Halima Shehu, announced this during a courtesy visit to Gov. Atiku Bagudu in Birnin Kebbi.” They stopped the payment in 2019 and now they want to resume!
Watch as they scale this across the nation, accelerating it just days to elections. President Buhari has surprised me in many ways. Who would have believed this type of thing would happen under his watch? Yes, the timing of this cash transfer is shameful in a democracy
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This is a pure institutionalized bribery for votes, distorting an organic equilibrium for free and fair election where candidates’ competence and capabilities are being evaluated by voters. But it is happening and they think it is fair in a democracy; very shameful for a nation.
#Unbelievable.
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The N9.24 billion is actually for six local governments in Kebbi State, now scale that figure across the country, and you could easily hit N400 billion. Does the government have capacity to generate this cash or they just send mail to Emefiele to print new notes?
The fraud is not just with rigging an election but also battering the naira, because all the malaise the naira has been suffering, it’s not just about ‘demand – supply’ thing or ‘import – export’ disequilibrium, you have to also factor the malfeasances committed by the ruling class, with insider deals relating to ‘dollar scarcity and round-tripping’ the CBN unofficially facilitates.
Aside other Buhari failures, one big question remains: in what ways has Buhari improved democracy in his soon to be 8 years as president? It is still understandable to be incompetent or suffer from capacity deficits, but when you combine same with brazen impunity, it takes some doings.
A failure will always fail, it does not really matter how he/she packages it, the outcome is certain: fail.