PAF Applauds JAMB’s Conduct on the Mmesoma Ejikeme Forgery Scandal

Following the public uproar generated by the Mmesoma Ejikeme vs JAMB result imbroglio, we have watched with bated breath how Nigerians have subsumed common sense, logic and rationality for emotions and sentiments which is a dent on our humanity and is rather sad and unfortunate.

There’s a wise saying in our land which depicts the wisdom and rationality of the African culture and it is that “a gbo ejo enikan da, agba osika”, meaning that it is wicked and inhuman to hear one side of a story and reach a conclusion.

But sadly today, we live in interesting times in which people just want to be seen as taking sides with the presumed underdog on an issue even when the facts and evidences of the matter call for caution and point in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately also, we are gradually drifting to a pitiable state in which we delight in running down institutions of state and persons for crimes or offences lacking substance of facts and evidences.

A clear example is the recurring bashing and attack on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmud Yaqub by the losing opposition parties and their supporters since the conclusion of the 2023 general elections held between February 25 and March 18 2023.

Just as the presidential election was concluded and results were being collated, the losing opposition parties alleged rigging in favour of the winner and two of them, the PDP and LP jointly addressed a press conference calling for the cancellation of the elections, but later separately held press conferences where they separately alledged that they won but that it was rigged by the electoral umpire in favour of the winner.

Hope people can see the double speak here, where parties who are alleging that a process was flawed and should be cancelled, are in the same breadth claiming victory. What manner of conscienceless people and political parties are these?

Painfully, some Nigerians echoed these sentiments and continued to do so either out of deliberate mischief or ignorance even when the petitioners have refused or been unable to show proof of how they were shortchanged through the results on form EC8A as provided for in the electoral Act, counter signed and obtained by their parties agents at the polling stations after the conclusion of announcement of results.

As expected the parties who claimed that they were rigged out by INEC in favour of the winner are in court challenging the outcome of the election and hope Nigerians are aware that till they closed their case in court last week, none of the parties even went anywhere near providing an iota of evidence of how their results scores on either form EC8A or on the IREV in any polling station out of 176, 606 polling stations nationwide was switched dubiously in favour of the winner by the electoral umpire, rather their petition at the PEPT have been focused on the eligibility of the winner or alledged double nomination of his running mate, instead of the rigging previously alledged.

PAF recalls that not too long ago, a former minister of power Prof Ositadinma Chinedu Nebo under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, cried out that 1 out of 3 Nigerians is suffering from mental health challenge.

The views of some Nigerians on the Mmesoma Ejikeme JAMB result forgery was ludicrous and has further exposed the urgent need for government at all levels to commit to urgent consideration, the mental health of Nigerians.

Even when JAMB publicly came out to assert that the result slip format being paraded by Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme was last used in 2021, that if anyone knows anybody who sat for JAMB in 2023, that they should cross check. But not some Nigerians, to whom everything about government is bad and evil without proof.

How people could be so brazen to thump their chests in support of a 19 years old girl that she is too small to engage in such crime beats our imagination. PAF also recollects a wise saying that, “A mother can only vouch for the pregnancy she is carrying, but not even the baby she is backing”. This proverb is to show that man is capable of anything, so the issue of her age should not be a yardstick or haven’t we heard of minors committing murder and other heinous crimes?

We witnessed the beast in our humanity with the way we have handled this matter which was totally unnecessary because it was a clear case of forgery. Some persons were even calling for the investigation of the matter by the secret police DSS, when it’s a fact that the crime being alledged was purely within the purview of the Nigeria police to do the needful.

Patriotism Awareness Forum can attest that the present leadership of JAMB under Prof. Ishaq Oloyede is one of the most credible, accountable and transparent public organizations in Nigeria today and efforts to impugn its integrity through the criminal efforts of some unpatriotic elements cannot stand.

We are happy that Mmesoma has owned up to JAMB’s position that the result she was parading was fake and justified the integrity of JAMB in the entire saga.

What is remaining is for those who sold mischief and ethnic slant into the issue to prod the girl on to apologize to JAMB and all Nigerians on this issue.

PAF wants to let Nigerians know that supporting fraud and encouraging unpatriotic actions eventually affect Nigerians negatively so we need to be united in discouraging the fad to support crimes and evil because of the person that commits them. We all have a patriotic task to encourage institutional best practice for the benefit of us all.

PAF pats JAMB on the back for its present conducts as we identify with the positive inclination of the Prof. Oloyede leadership of JAMB. We urge JAMB to remain focused on its core mandate and refuse to be distracted from its glorious path because of the antics of dedicated unpatriotic citizens and their seedy means.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.

Yours Sincerely

E-signed

Nelson Ekujumi,

Convener.

E-signed

Peter Claver Oparah,

Co-convener.