By Olukorode Yishau
You need to have been from one end of the United States of America to the other to appreciate the title of this intervention. The ‘States’ in the middle are not like Sokoto and Lagos; they are like Nigeria and Kenya. Texas State alone has more landmass than the whole of the giant of Africa.
You can travel days on end and still not see the last of America. Even by air, travelling round this massive enclave is tasking. Two days ago, in the heat of the presidential election brouhaha, I became aware that our own J.P. Clark in his ‘America their America’ described it as a continent masquerading as a country. I started holding this view and sharing it in private discussions years ago when I had the opportunity to experience its vastness. In my mind, I started substituting ‘states’ with ‘countries’.
If you study their history, you will understand that the country qualifies to be a continent. For instance, there used to be a Republic of Texas. That was after it stopped being part of Mexico when General Sam Houston won its independence. Houston was named after him after it was founded by land investors in 1836. Gen. Houston was president of the Republic of Texas before it became part of the U.S.
America is an interesting nation so I was not really surprised about how the presidential race has turned out.
Looking at the whole drama takes my mind back to that night Barack Obama won his re-election. I was in the audience. In Chicago, where I monitored the polls with colleagues from around the world, about fifty polling precincts opened at 7am eastern time, which was 2pm in Nigeria on November 6, 2012. The precincts we had been advised the day earlier by the chairman of the Chicago Board of Election, Mr. Langdon Neal and Communication’s Director, Mr. Jim Allen would be in places, such as gymnasium, church lobby and even bars. Allen made it clear to us at a briefing the day before at the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago that access to the polling places, which we called polling booths back home, could only be possible if a form signed by Langdon was filled out and shown to electoral judges on request. The Board made almost ten copies of the forms available to foreign correspondents.
The day, for me, began about 4a.m. eastern time, which had become a regular time for me to wake up since I got into the U.S. May be because my body was telling me that was 11am back home or I was just being driven by the call of duty to file reports for our special report section.
At this polling centre, which was not far from the legendary Mohammed Ali’s home, we saw an advance system of voting. To vote took an average of ten minutes, largely because the election was not only presidential. In different states of the U.S., people also voted for Senate, House of Representatives candidates and other candidates, may be for County positions. In Chicago, some officials of Cook County were also elected. A form of referendum was also done on an issue of importance to the state.
But, as good as the system was to those of us from Africa, some voters complained that they still had to manually mark a paper. They believe everything should be digital like it existed in some other states in the country. They wonder why the early voting was 100 percent and why the main election was a mix of manual and digital. The day before, Langdon told reporters that the Election Board chose that system to have a back-up in case the electronic system messed up or to have physical evidence in case the results were disputed.
After the rounds of polling places, it was time to get to the Election Night Party of the Obama for Africa at the McCormack Place, Chicago. Getting into this vast empire was not easy. We had credentials or accreditation to go in. But even at that we had to be frisked. Our electronic devices and our bags were physically searched. We had to go under a metal detector and there were dogs around to snooze out any hidden weapon.
Time was about 430 pm eastern time (about 11.30pm in Nigeria) when we got into the work stations provided for the media. But frustration awaited us when we discovered that the wireless internet access that we were told existed was almost non-existent. I was sad that I would be in the U.S. and would not be able to file report of the winner of the historic election for my paper’s front page. I was also sad that a Skype appearance at a live programme organised by the U.S. Consulate in Lagos on the election would not be possible. We eventually settled for a phone format, which also had to be abandoned because of bad reception. A lady offered us her phone’s hotspot, which our colleague from Togo, Silvio Combey, used for a Skype appearance with the embassy in Lome. The hotspot chose to fail when it was our turn.
As the hours began to roll in and polls began closing, my anxiety began to mount. I spoke with my direct boss on phone telling him the total results might not be ready. I was told the management had decided that the paper for Wednesday must show a clear direction of who would lead U.S for the next four years. He said the editors were willing to wait till 5am (Wednesday) Nigerian time, which was 10pm eastern time.
Luck ran my way some minutes before Obama made it pass the 270 mark Electoral Votes when a colleague from Ghana, Israel Laryea, who was one of the few able to get a very slow access to the wireless internet provided by the Obama for America offered me his system to work with. And I was very happy that I was able to send the story at the nick of time. My spirit was lifted when as I called my boss, Mr. Adeniyi Adesina, that my story was in, he was screaming that Obama had been declared by CNN. It was a proud me who told him: “I have sent the story.” As I cut the call, I heard him say to someone: “Check the box, Korede said he has sent the story.”
This feat energised me to eagerly wait for Romney to concede and for Obama to make his acceptance speech. I soon received a mail from the Obama for America that he was on his way to where we were to accept his re-election.
Obama walked into the cavernous hall at McCormick Place, filled with deafening cheers. His supporters had been waiting for him to make his acceptance speech. His ascension to the podium was at 12:35 a.m. eastern time as Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” played over the speakers.
Some of the supporters openly cried when he was called the winner. Actress Vivica Fox was one of those who gave in to tears. Friends held one another and hugged. Some danced like it was going out of sync. It mattered not to them that the mood at the Mitt Romney camp was gloomy.
Dressed in a black suit and blue tie, Obama waited for the crowd to quiet, hugged his wife and daughters, stepped to the podium and smiled.
His wife Mitchelle and children Sasha and Malia left the stage for him to make his last acceptance speech as America’s president-elect.
For the close to 30 minutes that he spoke, he cut the image of a man who knew his opponent almost humbled him. The first thing he said after ‘thank you, thank you’ was: “It moves forward because of you.”
After the speech, he stood on the podium, waved at the audience and Mitchelle and the kids walked back to the stage. They hugged like one happy family. Then, Joe Biden and his wife joined. They exchanged hugs. And from the blues came fireworks. Other dignitaries joined them on the podium waving and clapping as the fireworks beautified the arena.
It all came to an end when they all left the stage. Time was 1.30am eastern time. As we left the venue and waited for our driver in the cold morning, I was happy and glad that I made history with Obama.
Yishau, a journalist and author, writes from Lagos