So many people --- professionals, politicians and hatchet writers have written or bared their minds on the “One man, One Vote” rally held in Benin City, on April 29, however, one has seen that many of the commentators deviated from the substance, which is the rally and dwelt on the peripherals, which is the non-attendance of some of the invitees.
I’ll try and play the middle course by dwelling on both the rally and the non-attendance of some invitees.

First on the rally. Did a rally hold in Benin City on Thursday, April 19, 2010 supporting the principle of “One man, One Vote” or not? The answer to this is a resounding Yes. There was indeed a rally on the said date.

Another question: was the rally a success going by the crowd that attended and the number and calibre of dignitaries that graced the occasion? The answer to this is another Yes.

Third question: Was the message passed on the need for the principle of “One Man, One Vote” to be respected and adhered with in the coming and all other elections in the country? The answer to this is yes. The message was passed and well received.

Final question: Did those who graced the occasion and other Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who watched on television know or notice that anyone was missing from the rally until the next day when the papers reported the non-attendance of some invitees. The answer to this, I believe is No. I doubt if anybody noticed the absence of some of the invitees going by the calibre of those who attended and used the occasion to air their views.

Now to those who did not attend, for them, some questions too. In the first place, was it not advertised that the Special Guest of honour was to be the Senate President, Senator David Mark.

Again, was it also not advertised that the rally was open to all former Presidents, Governors and members of the National Assembly?
Did they not know that General Ibrahim Babangida is a former President and could attend? So why did they have to wait till the day of the rally, why did they have to fly to Benin first before registering their protest? Would it not amount to sheer hypocrisy for some of the invitees, as reported in the newspapers, that they only got to see the names of the invitees on the pages of the newspapers on the day of the event when the event had been advertised severally in the newspapers?

Another question: Going by the rankings in today’s democracy, is Senator David Mark not the number 2 man after the Acting President Goodluck Jonathan? Why would anybody want to shun a rally called for the deepening of democracy simply because David Mark was billed to attend the rally?
While I cannot even try to castigate those who failed to attend the rally, I believe the best approach to make your voice heard is to speak out. Those who shunned the rally on the basis that General Ibrahim Babangida and Senator David Mark were also invited should know  that General Mohammadu Buhari was also invited and would have attended save for other engagements and he duly sent his apologies and best wishes to the organizers. So, would those who stayed away have done so had General Buhari attended and others not invited? So, how does General Buhari have better democratic credentials over the others?

In any case, he who is healthy does not need a physician. Why did those who stayed away not use the opportunity of the occasion to preach or castigate or demand apology or set agenda for David Mark and Babangida when the opportunity so presented itself.

I was not at the rally, but I watched it live on TV and I was highly impressed by Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, Barrister Festus Keyamo and Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu who, instead of shying away, used the opportunity of the occasion to take a swipe at General Babangida for annulling the freest and fairest election in the history of the country.

This is what others could have done. They could have insisted that the principle of “One Man, One Vote” be adhered to, that the electoral reform as proposed by the Uwais Commission is a sine qua non and that the Senate under the leadership of David Mark should do the right thing by adopting the Uwais panel report. Now, the opportunity is lost and Nigerians are the loser.

While not diminishing the status and stature of those who spoke at the rally including the Acting President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, ASUU President, Dr Ukachukwu Awuzie; Alhaji Barabe Musa, TUC President, Peter Esele; Barrister Festus Keyamo, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar; Chief Niyi  Akintola (SAN), Governors of Anambra, Rivers, Delta, Cross River and Bayelsa; Rev Father Matthew Hassan Kukah among others, Prof Wole Soyinka, Senator Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Usman Bugaje would have done better to enrich Nigerians with their views on electoral reforms rather than deny them a drink from their fountains of knowledge. On this I stand.

Soyinka and Tinubu goofed. They missed it. They had the opportunity, the big stage to floor IBB but, they chickened out. they ran away. IBB had the last laugh. What a shame. Oshiomhole meant well. Organising one man, one vote means all votes, including IBB's must count. In any case, Tinubu was planning a mega party with Buhari, so how is Buhari better than IBB, How is Buhari a democrat and IBB is not. Hypocrisy of the highest order!