SECOND CHANCE DEMOCRACY...
By
"Truth is not a diet but a condiment" - Christopher Darlington Morley, American journalist (1890-1957)
2003 is a very significant year in the political life span of Nigeria. It promises to be a culmination of political acquisition, extortion and sadism. The stage seems already set for the clashes of the titans, even as visions and ideas are totally ignored in this democratic malady. Permutations have already begun while false calculations are being indulged in even at luciferic hours of the night. As more drama unfolds, the seemingly helpless masses are left yet once again at the mercy of these opinionated egotistic clowns. Issues of communal essence are deliberately avoided while Governors give the impression that they are more obsessed with their incumbency extension and nothing else, even if salaries are not paid for a year. If money politics is not played, human assassinations are relayed or sit-tight philosophies are displayed with awesome ignorance. A paradox of some sort which remains the bane of state development in a system that, is supposed to manifest efficacy and succor to those they govern.
The recent presidential primaries finally reflected a decaying autonomous process. From PDP to ANPP to NDP et al, there was simply a selection route that produced many more questions than answers. The emergence of ex-generals raises even more dust about how nascent our democracy is. While one cannot ignore the basic fact that every Nigerian has the right to contest any elections, the manner that they were selected and not elected is dubious to say the least. Take for example, the style that Ike Nwachukwu left PDP to NDP and won the primaries there above other contestants could be classified as amazing and devoid of any electoral sense whatsoever. Also, the way the PDP primaries went with OBJ emerging as the victor even in the presence of concrete verification of legal tender exchanging hands to favour the Aso Rock occupant is morally obtuse from a decent viewpoint. No remorse, no retreat and no refrain from the shabby acts by even the South-South state participants who before then, had threatened fire and brimstone if the offshore/onshore bill was not signed by the commander-in-chief. In the end,Vice –President Abubakar Atiku simply emerged as a political kingmaker while Alex Ekwueme became the desperado who failed to excel. Initially, a debate that was clamoured by the elder statesman saw no light because certain gamblers saw this as an impairment to a concluded victory.
Also, ANPP made an aspirant like Pere Ajuwa confess to being humiliated in a supposed voting structure. Other contestants like John Nwodo remained speechless andpowerlessat the end of the exercise. Muhammadu Buhari who still has some credibility inspite of all due to his mental reformative tendencies with the Late Tunde Idiagbon in 1985 came out tops at the convention. Yet again, there was clear no ballot vote but what delegates witnessed was a matter of compulsory choice. The weaker and minority sects were subjected to a forced decision originated by ethnic and sentimental forces. Suddenly after, the Buhari-Okadigbo ticket was then dangled to the masses as an elective option. This is the same disgraced senate president who was impeached for financial impropriety now gunning for a number 2 position in a society that should be chorusing more about accountability and transparency this time around. Not too far away, NDP a party rumoured to be deeply associated with IBB follows the trend of the genealogy by out of the blues announcing the PDP decampee, Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu as its flag bearer leaving the likes of Chris Okotie, David Dafinone and Kalu Idika Kalu bewildered in another powerplay and dislocation prejudice. It is such decisions that makes one wonder whether Ike Nwachukwu left PDP alone or with a handful of supporters with their eligibility to vote immediately in another party, talkless of him contesting. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu seals the list of generals under the banner of APGA and that an ex-warlord is racing is no news after all but that Nigeria would divide under his regime, a surety despite his running mate being the Emir of Kano’s son.
Another interesting point to be highlighted here is the fact that the Action for Democracy party is refusing to present a candidate and you wonder why. But somehow, you see the answer not too far away especially when one remembers Bola Tinubu’s promise of 5million votes to OBJ even when Tinubu is in AD. This is uncharacteristically a new dimension to our political dispensation. So far, OBJ seems undisputed in the West, Buhari unanimous in the North while the Igbo East are still battling with their many emperors.
The end product of these is that we are going to witness a unilateral line of voting blinded by ethnicity, sectionalism, religious consonance and incumbency. The expected sad part will be the do-or-die approach by these political machinery’s to turn Nigeria into a time bomb and render the already insecured environment more lawless. No expense will be too much by their thinking and power wrestling is masculine after all. But the question we in AGAIN (Association for Good Governance and Accountability in Nigeria) are asking is where does Nigeria go from here? What are the necessary checks and balances put in place to forestall the turbulence and war of attrition that is impending? Why are Nigerians put at risk because of the avarice and insatiable desire of a few unpatriotic and imbecile opportunists? Shall we allow them to take us captivity again for another four or five years? These questions need answers before many more are made to suffer and many more are made to die.
It is on this note that we express gratitude to Prof Pat Utomi of Lagos Business School for his advocation for electoral reforms that will create mass awareness. This will subsequently aid in quenching the growth of mass ignorance in the face of misrule, power drunkenness and national fraud.
AGAIN fully supports the impending conference of the “Concerned Professionals” led by Pat Utomi coming up in March 2003 in Lagos and desire that many other organisations with such intent emulate this.
Uwem Inyang
Interim Chairman (AGAIN, London, UK))
Ayo Abudu
Interim Secretary (AGAIN, London, UK)
Leo Daniel
Europe Co-ordinator (AGAIN, The Netherlands)
Tokunbo Ogunbiyi
Trustee (AGAIN, London, UK)
Jan 2003