Working within the electioneering process in Nigeria has become a real daunting task. This has become so because despite the plethora of laws guiding it, it is fast becoming so fluid that politicians constantly evolve their own “laws” which also constantly clash with the laws of reason and the land.
The sheer desperation of politicians, their handlers, party officials and even the electorate sometimes beats all reason.
In fact, the processes of election in our dear country today has become, not just daunting, but dangerous. In the name of election, people “suspend” all rules, all morals and all decency. People dig up mud on others and most times these mud are more imaginary than real. And notwithstanding the severity of such destruction, they are summarized as “politics.”
Despite all the ills that bedevil our system, and especially our electoral system, certain individuals have chosen to stand out at all times. And to this group of individual exceptional Nigerians it does not matter at what level their integrity gets tested- They stand out because, to them it is a culture, a way of life and that in the first place was what has brought success and recognition to them.
One of those individuals is Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) Imo State. Prof. Agu, an astute character molder, acclaimed academic and celebrated scholar has in a real sense carved a niche for herself amongst her peers, within the academic enclave and most importantly in the minds of thousands of young people whose lives she has impacted in positives.
Today as the REC of INEC in Imo State ahead of the November 11, 2023 scheduled governorship election she can be rightly described as the woman with the most difficult job in Nigeria.
With Nigerians still reeling from the various outcomes of the 2023 general election, Prof. Agu is indeed the woman in the eye of the storm. And rightly so, she has began to be reviewed, interrogated, maligned, praised and even abused for even taking the job in the first place.
In political campaigns in Nigeria politicians and political parties easily resort to blackmail and subterfuge to gain sympathy, favour and ultimately “win.”
But the good part of the story is that in whatever, we do our character always stands us out. Despite the pressure, mounting blackmail, name calling and subterfuge, those who have come across Prof. Agu are not perturbed one bit because they are implicitly confident that ‘our girl’ is focused and equal to the task.
Prof. Agu is very much aware that all the electorate of Imo State requires of her is an untainted process that allows the people to make their choices. And in all the milieu she has already prepared herself for the task ahead.
What a lot of people do not know about Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu is that one of her strongest attributes is her ability to embody calmness even in the biggest storms.
According to India’s former Prime Minister, Indira Ghandi, “You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” This is exactly the attitude of this great amazon as she gears up to November 11, 2023.
Indeed, every Imolite should remain firm in their convictions, because Professor Sylvia Uchenna Agu is focused, convinced and ready to pilot a process that will reverberate that great spirit of a lioness in her.