Election Tribunal Brouhahahahaha!

Watching CNN these days stirs up great feelings of admiration for America and its democracy. More so when I see the passion in the eyes of those involved. And I don't mean in the eyes of the politicians. No, I'm talking about the man or woman in the street.

They seem to get so into in the process don't they? They follow everything… the issues, the health of the candidates, the debates, the candidates' proclivities. EVERYTHING! They seem so involved, and that's far more than I can say for myself and a great number of my countrymen.

Now don't get me wrong. I registered to vote, I voted, I rejoiced when Yar'Adua won ('cos I voted Yar'Adua, not PDP); I even admit I monitored the delivery of judgment by the presidential election tribunal. Who didn't?

Lots of people listened to the verdict on their radios and watched proceedings live on their TVs. I listened on the car radio myself while on the move (although all I vividly recall is the laughter that greeted the citing of Bush vs. Gore during the delivery of the ruling). However to be perfectly frank it was curiosity more than any real sense of involvement that kept my mind drifting from my work to the Court of Appeal Abuja.

From the beginning of the entire process, we were made to feel more like spectators than participators. There was all the talk of anointing a successor etc. Some of us had to watch our favored candidates eat humble pie at Eagle Square during the PDP primary. Then there was the campaign process which only affected me on two occasions.

The first time was when I had to veer off the road to avoid being hit by a crazy okadaman screaming "Sai Buhari!"

And the second time was when I was stuck in traffic from Independence Way to Ahmadu Bello Stadium because 'Baba' had come to hold up the hand of a man I was already supporting. (Ah ah! Babaa, ok, vote Yar'Adua. We get it – you're preaching to the choir here!)
But through the whole time that the electioneering barely grazed us, the voting almost excluded us and the announcement of votes missed us totally (did you have light?) all we could do was sit and watch.

I had observed the numerous fallouts of the OBJ-Atiku wars, I had observed the PDP infighting, and I had observed Buhari's fight with everyone. So I was only continuing my assigned (or is it resigned role) in Nigerian Politics by curiously observing the election brouhaha.

It was funny though. The morning the verdict came, security forces were all over Abuja. And rumors were spreading that Yar'Adua was on his way out of office. I didn't believe it but I must confess that the detached fatalist in me was hoping he'd lose… just to see what would happen. But now that judgment maintains the status quo I guess I'll never know.

But I'll keep watching.