Bekeh Utietang

President Olusegun Obasanjo has just been sworn in as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since after the March 19 elections and the subsequent release of the results, many presidential candidates and parties have consistently opposed the results of the elections which gave the Peoples Democratic Party a sweeping victory all over the country. This election would remain in the history of Nigeria as the most fraudulent election. My dad beautifully put it in a letter he sent from Nigeria to me shortly after the elections, Elections are a big fraud and nothing to speak about. This one is no rigging but total murder of Democracy. No one was allowed to vote neither did I even see what the ballot paper looked like. This observation is no way contrary to what was widely reported by the Western media here nor is it different from that by the different election monitoring groups. Even if I shouldn’t believe the media, the European observers, the United Nations observers, the different monitoring groups that were present in the country for the elections, I would believe the simple report included in a letter sent to me by my dad. He is not even a politician but he was a man who wanted to exercise his franchise as a Nigerian.

Donald Duke together with his Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeria did not only deprive him of his right as a Nigerian, a patriotic Nigerian who loves his country and works for it for more than thirty five years and is retired; a Nigerian who still loves his country even when his pension is not forthcoming, still loves to be in his country and die for his country. He was told his presence makes no meaning, his vote does not really makes who rules Cross River State or Nigeria. To know how severe it was, I received six letters from my family and each did mention the murder of democracy. I do not know my family as one deeply involved in politics, if it is business or the health sector, I know my family would take active part.

I am not saying only the Peoples Democratic Party rigged elections in Nigeria, every political party rigged but the Peoples Democratic Party used the machinery of government to out rig others. The situation in Cross River State is a peculiar one. Her case is peculiar because it is the only state in the country where the Peoples Democratic Party never left other party the minutest opportunity of rigging while the Donald Duke together with his party massively rigged. What an odd State we are.

Evil it is said, begets evil. The result of the evil of murdering democracy in the last national elections is the tensions mounting everywhere in the country. The Patriots an acclaimed group of Nigerian Scholars are calling for an Interim government with President Olusegun Obasanjo as the Chairman, General Buhari is calling for Mass action and boycott. The Peoples Democratic Party is alleging General Buhari and others want to assassinate Obasanjo. These are all the consequences of evil. Nigeria’s democracy is hard earned and Nigerians can’t afford to lose it. I feel embarrassed and ashamed by the position of The Patriots on an Interim Government. If a group of "Nigerian Scholars" are ignorant of the constitution to that extent, our country is in trouble. What is an Interim Government? Nigeria has an elected government only that it was marked by the African norm of democracy. There is no need for an interim government in Nigeria, a government that no sooner or later would be overthrown by another Northern extreme military dictator. For Buhari, I wonder if he ever thought of winning elections in Nigeria. A man who cannot face Nigerians and testify at the Oputa Panel shouldn’t dream of ruling Nigeria. Rigging or no rigging, he wouldn’t have won the elections anyway. What about his own paper stuffing in the far north?

Nigerians know what is needed now for the country. President Obasanjo knows what Nigeria needs now. The Patriots know what Nigeria needs now but the problem is that for selfish reasons, many are running away from this reality. Nigeria needs a constitutional conference. The whole regions of Nigeria must sit down together and mutually define Nigeria. Nigeria as it is is undefined, we cannot move forward as a country if we remain in this level. The constitutional conference would help Nigerians to define its system of government. I state, Nigeria has no system of government. I repeat Nigeria has no system of government. If you disprove me, tell me what system of government Nigeria is practicing. We have no system of government, some claim we practice American presidential system of government but we aren’t, some say it is federalism, but it is clear we are only federal in name. Food for thought for the constitutional conference, Nigeria can mock the American system of government. We can have the United States of "Nigeria."

Yes I put the name Nigeria in quotes. Why? The name "Nigeria" is also very defective. How did it come about? A name suggested by Lord Lugard’s mistress? Is that the best name we can have as a country? Have we forgotten our African origin where a name means a lot? A name for Africans is not an identification mark to differentiate one from the other, it goes far deeper: it tells our identity as in who we intrinsically are; our notion of God, notion of man, our hopes and aspirations, our view of the universe, in fact, it is everything to us, our supreme identity. The National Conference must find a true name for our country and then we could be United States of ….?..." If other African countries could afford to change their names, why can’t Nigeria the giant of Africa be able to change her name? Democratic Republic of Congo has changed in the past; Zimbabwe was Rhodesia, Ghana was Gold Coast, etc. Nigeria can equally change her name.

We can’t continue in this situation, the states must be more autonomous legislating laws for themselves. The center must be made less attractive. The states should control their resources and pay federal taxes. If Zamfara state wants to declare a sharia state, let them go ahead and do it and if Cross River State wants to declare itself a Christian state, fine. The states must be given much power to legislate for themselves. Yes we can mock American democracy if that is what Nigeria needs now. I am not however a fan of democracy but if that is what the country wants let them mock it and stop standing at the middle of things. Remember the wise saying from the bible Because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Because Nigeria is standing at the middle, she will continue to suffer a lot of predicaments as a country.