Tag Archives: politicians
Awosiyan Segun – News Fayemi Wins…
Even though this cartoon is a mockery of the gubernatorial election in Èkìtì State, it casts a broader light on the reality of democracy and electoral processes in Nigeria.
Here, we see a 6-sided coffin (probably representing the 6 geopolitical zones in the country) with the inscription “free and fair election” ready to be lowered into the ground by politicians, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A gubernatorial election was held in Èkìtì State on July 14, 2018. The election was marred with irregularities. For one, members of the two most viable political parties in the state – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – were captured in a BBC report giving money to voters for votes.
Another thing that is quite symbolic in this cartoon is how there is a skeletal hand protruding from the coffin ready to be buried. This implies that stakeholders in Nigerian democracy are hellbent on burring whatever is left of democracy in the country after years of fraudulent democratic processes.
This cartoon, therefore, is a commentary on how politicians, INEC, and voters are all partners in ‘killing’ and burying free and fair election in Nigeria.
Bennet Omeke – 2019 Poll Budget
In this piece, Bennett Omeke comments on the controversy about the 2019 Polls Budget between the executive and the legislature. While the controversy was still ongoing in June, the Senate adjourns plenary till September.
In this cartoon, the caricatures of President Buhari (with a hat and pair of glasses) and Mr. Adams Oshiomole (the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress – APC) are seen fishing.
The fish they are trying to catch is the caricature of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki. Saraki, on the other hand, seems to know what the fishermen are trying to do. Unlike the fishermen, he looks unbothered. He is smiling.
Bennet Omeke – Towards 2019
Pot calling kettle black. Here are two men engaging in a mudslinging game. Each man has a bucket of mud beside him, dipping his hands into it, scooping some mud, and throwing it at his opponent. This is a classic example of what happens when politicians are preparing for elections. By all indication, these men look like members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition: the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Bennet Omeke – Defections PDP Now Majority in Senate
Here, two canoes are sailing. The canoe with an umbrella (the logo of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP) looks bigger than the canoe with a few people, the All Progressives Congress (APC) canoe. There are also images of individuals swimming towards the umbrella-adorned canoe. There is also bird that is rhetorically responding to the news of PDP now being the majority in the Nigerian Senate.
Considering that APC is an amalgamation of few political parties and some PDP stalwarts, some political commentators have asked the same question asked by the flying bird. The loyalty of some APC members to APC have always been questioned.
Bennet Omeke – Towards 2018…
In this cartoon, set in a boxing ring, a bunch of kitted and terrified men are gearing up to challenge the caricature of President Muhammadu Buhari who also happens to have a dog labeled “incumbency” beside him.
The terrified men are representatives of some political parties hoping to form a coalition. The nPDP: new People’s Democratic Party; rAPC: reformed All Progressives Congress; and the SDP: Social Democratic Party. Both nPDP and rAPC are not really political parties. They are just factions of the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party.
One of the things that is really fascinating about this cartoon is the incumbent dog. The dog could be anything from state security agents, to the military, national commonwealth, etc. Just anything the incumbent administration can lay its hands on.