By Femi Ogbonnikan
He’s an unknown quantity. A spent force. An irredeemable character. No one identifies him with anything good but blackmailing. Yes, cheap blackmail. He’s done it again. In a short video clip that has gone viral on social media, Abisoye Osodi, as he’s so-called, tried to manipulate the emotions of the Ogun State people, pontificating on a range of weird issues bordering on the long-forgotten Supreme Court judgment on the governorship election petition and an alleged fund mismanagement.
In his rabble-rousing speech, he made several spurious and scathing allegations to deliberately impugn the integrity of the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and his administration. In so doing, he capitalised on social media traffic populated by a gullible audience who will readily believe anything and take it unquestioningly. But he bites the dust for incoherence and a lack of substantive evidence.
Generally, blackmailers have one thing in common: Threat. A typical blackmailer will use fear, obligation, and guilt to manipulate you to submission. They are often very skilful in revising or distorting history in a way that makes us question ourselves. While keeping an open mind to allow other people’s perspectives on the issues he raised, there is a sense in which you see the frenetic energy put into his submission as a deliberate attempt to get at the Governor.
If a blackmailer can get us to question our own memories and experiences, they can easily re-frame or twist any situation to meet their own needs. The best approach to such antics is to confront and challenge them to evidence. While listening to the video clip with an incredible sense of loss, the first impression that readily comes to mind is his lack of coherence, like someone who suffers from selective amnesia.
In medical parlance, amnesia is a general term describing memory loss. Its symptoms include memory loss, confusion, and the inability to recognise familiar faces or places. Some of the causes of temporary amnesia, include severe illness, emotional stress, and drug abuse, among others. As no one is privileged to know Osodi’s medical history, it will be difficult to conclude the reason for his irrationality and eccentricity. Whatever the cause, there is a need for the discerning social media audience to be circumspect in selecting credible posts to avoid the damaging consequences of fake news. In our poorly regulated social media space, fake news attracts a huge audience. And it constitutes a clear and presents danger to the peace and stability of the polity. It threatens the bond of unity that has sustained us as a people. Caution is, therefore, advised before things get torpedoed. It’s a ticking time bomb. Some people somewhere are recklessly spewing hate speeches under the guise of social media freedom. But we all forget that freedom goes with responsibility.
The scenario can best be imagined if a wailer like Osodi is put in the witness box to defend some of the spurious allegations he has raised against the sitting governor of Ogun State. Playing the devil’s advocate, first, he urged the defeated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections, Ladi Adebutu, to re-approach the Supreme Court for a retrial of his petition, saying he had tons of evidence to back up the claim that he won the election.
While playing on the emotion of senior Adebutu, Sir Adebukola Kessington Adebutu, he said: “I have enough evidence, both video and audio showing that it was your son who won the last election but he was robbed,” urging the PDP candidate to seek a retrial of his case at the apex court.
Not only that, he also accused the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun of bribing the Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) with a whopping sum of $1 million “to announce him as the winner before the counting of votes ended.”
What is it that ignorance cannot do? There is nothing under the Sun that people with pernicious minds cannot do to achieve their evil ends. Has he ever heard of a situation where the Supreme Court reversed itself in a case that had been concluded and judgment delivered?
Interestingly, the trial of the Ogun State governorship election petition filed by Adebutu is one of the interesting trials in our recent history. It took several months of intense legal fireworks by the counsels from both parties before the Supreme Court finally dismissed the appeal case filed by the PDP and its candidate for a lack of evidence. After months of anxiety, Abiodun navigated numerous stages of legal battles and emerged victorious. He survived both pre and post-election mines without raising a finger at anybody.
Justice Tijani Abubakar, who read the Apex Court’s judgment, held that Adebutu and his party failed to prove their case. He resolved all the issues raised for determination against Governor Abiodun and held that the appeal was without merit.
Justice Abubakar said: “In the end, this appeal is unmeritorious and deserves to be dismissed. It is hereby dismissed.”
In a unanimous decision, the Apex Court held that the allegations of corrupt practices, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, multiple thumb-printing of ballot papers, ballot stuffing, as well as the allegation of certificate forgery upon which the PDP candidate was seeking the disqualification of Abiodun and upturning of his electoral victory in their favour were not proven beyond any reasonable doubt.
That pronouncement thus ended the prolonged legal battle that started immediately after the INEC declared Abiodun the winner of the election. Where was Osodi then? He is like a man who woke up from the wrong side of the bed with a loss of memory. Now that his so-called evidence has suddenly emerged, where does he go from here? We are a nation that runs on the principles of rules of law and order. Regardless of the sentiments and emotional outpour by the losers of the last general elections, our judges are men and women of honour. Despite all the intimation and subtle blackmail that charaterised the proceedings of the election petitions at all levels, they stood firm on their position and delivered judgements based on the evidence submitted before them.
Nigerians have gone past this era of frivolity and unfounded allegations. Those who lost out in the elections have since returned to the drawing board preparing for the 2027 general elections. It is, therefore, strange and curious that we now have a wailer who is crying more than the bereaved.
The allegation of bribery raised against Governor Abiodun is a presumption that the Supreme Court is a Father Christmas who can dish out judgments on matters petitioners do not include in their petitions. We waited to see the end of the game.
The whistle-blowing policy in Nigeria is an anti-corruption programme that encourages people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, government assets, and any other form of corruption or theft to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Much more curious is the allegation of wasteful spendings and brazen embezzlement of public funds raised against Governor Abiodun with a clear intention to malign him and rubbish his efforts to achieve socio-economic transformation of the Gateway State. While there is nothing unusual about whistle blowing, if there is enough evidence to prosecute the accused, everything is wrong with raising the accusation by proxy. It is queer and strange that Osodi chose to do his whistle-blowing while at large.
As a policy of the government, whistle-blowing is governed by a set of rules and operational standards. For instance, any stakeholder who whistles in public spirit and good faith will be protected regardless of whether or not the issue raised is upheld against any Party.
Also, any stakeholder who has made a genuine disclosure and who feels that, as a result, he or she has suffered adverse treatment in retaliation is allowed to file a formal complaint to an independent panel of inquiry that shall be set up to handle such complaint, detailing his/her adverse treatment.
If it appears that there are reasonable grounds for making the complaint, the responsibility will be on the party against whom the complaint of adverse treatment has been made to show that the actions complained of were not taken in retaliation for the disclosure.
Where it is established that there is a prima facie case that a Whistleblower has suffered adverse treatment (harassment, intimidation or victimization) for sharing his/her concerns with the ministry or agency concerned, a further investigation may be instituted and disciplinary action may be taken against the perpetrator in accordance with the public service rules/other extant rules and a restitution shall be made to the Whistleblower for any loss suffered.
There are adequate protection measures for a whistle-blower’s identity with utmost confidentiality. Regrettably, here is Osodi who claims to be more patriotic to the course of Ogun State than the citizens of the state, has refused to take his corruption petition through the normal channels of investigation. Instead, he decided to take the matter to the court of public opinion through social media platforms, making all his unfounded allegations look like a bar room discussion.
If Osodi or any of his cohort genuinely believes in the course that is fighting for in the interest of the people of Ogun State, the only way to do justice to the matter before it is finally laid to rest is for him to make himself available for a psychiatric test to determine the true state of his mental health. There is a suspicion of incoherence in his speech which calls for investigation. Otherwise, the case is dead on arrival.
Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
