While it is disgusting and morally deficient for a woman to stand before people and make iniquitous and inciting remarks, it saddens me more that a woman guilty of this, unfortunately and most unfortunately is the first lady of our dear country – a deemed mother figure to our nation.
Her hateful and ill-cultured utterances at almost every campaign – if not all – that she has stepped foot on goes a distance to tell us the kind of mother our nation must bear to announce as its own till she returns to Otueke.
I sat down and listened to a friend play a recording of her most recent sleazy utterance. In this one she was calling for the crowd – in Calabar – to stone anyone who came to them with the message of “change”. Dismay and disappointment would not do justice to how I felt while listening to this. I dare believe that even in the times when crass was cool, that such hateful remarks would surely not have gone unpunished, at least not un-berated. And sadly, some of our press men did not see it worthy to slam the front pages and headlines of their broadcasts to censure Madam. And not until when the All Progressives Congress decided to file a complaint to the International Criminal Court on Monday did it become front-cover worthy.
The men who oft lurk around the President are known more for their divisive and antagonistic approach to politics than for a Presidential and nationalistic one. I may fairly believe that these men speak the mind of the President. And I say so because, it worries my logic that when these sycophants – representing his interest – curse, and bare filth loose at every opportunity given, Mr. President has not for once taken the onus to come out as a responsible father would do to caution and set aside the belligerent aspersions of his supporters club.
Whether the President cares – or not – the law has been flouted and there should be repercussions for its breach. Insofar as the APC has reported the Madame Jonathan’s call to violence to the International Criminal Court, we must also not demote the fact that she is also in breach of our electoral laws. Section 95 (1) and (2) of Nigeria’s Electoral Act provides to the effect that a political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings. Abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotions shall also not be employed or used in political campaigns.
Section 102 of the same Act is of the effect that a candidate, person or association who engages in campaigning or broadcasting based on religious, tribal or sectional reason for the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate, commits an offence under the Act.
Now, below are quotes – verbatim – from Mrs. Patience Jonathan:
– “wetin him dey find again? Him dey drag with him pikin mate, old man wey no get brain, him brain don die pata pata”
– “Our people no dey born shildren wey dem no fit count. Our men no dey born shildren throway for street. We no dey like people for that side”
– “Anybody that come and tell you ‘Change’, stone that person”
Juxtaposing these statements made by the wife of our incumbent President during campaigns for her husband’s re-election bid and the further above highlighted provisions of Sections 95 sub-sections (1) and (2) and 102 of the Electoral Act show clearly that Mrs. Jonathan is in breach. But then, for those who cannot glean the obvious, I will help spell out and ‘red-marker’ all the necessaries to give you a better picture of the breach.
Firstly; – “wetin him dey find again? Him dey drag with him pikin mate, old man wey no get brain, him brain don die pata pata”. It need not be told that the subject of this insulting message made by the First lady during a PDP rally was the APC Presidential Aspirant, General Muhammadu Buhari. I have so much respect for the General that I will count it disrespectful if I dwell here to enunciate the every detail of this pejorative comment. Res ipsa loquitor.
I believe that clarity abounds in the provisions of S. 95 (2) that a political campaign shall not be tainted with abusive language and further, that abusive, intemperate, slanderous, or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed to promote violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed in political campaigns. It needs no further adduction that Madam Peace – the irony of her name – is in breach of this.
Second; – “Anybody that come and tell you ‘Change’, stone that person”. The APC’s slogan of change is ubiquitous. To the ones who want a literal interpretation of Madam’s words, here; Stone all members of the APC – do all that is within your means of violence to pelt their members, supporters and goodwill carriers with all manner of materials your hands may lay themselves on.
This call to violence flouts the provisions of S. 95 (1) and (2) and Section 102 of the Electoral Act. It is fatally embarrassing that we are suffered with a notorious sheep-scatterer as our First lady.
Third; – “Our people no dey born shildren wey dem no fit count. Our men no dey born shildren throway for street. We no dey like people for that side”. This grave innuendo targeted at the Northern region of Nigeria gives us a hint to the level in which the Dame would stoop to denigrate one to win the other – for votes. The insinuation it makes has already provoked negative reactions from those it was targeted at. Need I mention that it also out-rightly invokes the wrath of Sections 95 and 102 of the Electoral Act? I do not want to dwell any further on these hate messages of Mrs. Jonathan’s campaign. They hit me as hard as they hit every well-meaning Nigerian. It is the more damning that our society and legal system is of the rule of men, and not of law. Such an agent provocateur in the person of Mrs. Jonathan, in a country where crimes are punished and justice administered fairly, ought to have faced the wrath of the law by now.
Like the ad-age goes; Charity begins at home. If a man’s wife curses at his friends, it is in the path of right and propriety that he cautions her and in saner clime, apologizes on her behalf to his friends. Except the ‘other side’ are not friends of Jonathan, I may not expect more. Even when the infamous Julius Malema – a then member of the ruling ANC Party – repeatedly made hate remarks, he was berated by then South African President, Jacob Zuma – a member of the same party – before he was later suspended and expelled from the party. That shows a man, who is in control of his home. But then, the question is, do we have a man in this house?
Johannes TOBI Wojuola
@johannesmathews
What do you think?