The Nigerian electorate, and for short, the emasculated peasantry, needed not to be overloaded with series of catastrophes that eventually produced the tragic 1999 transition to civil dictatorship. Succinctly, with the failure of our first republic where the rancor resulting from ethnic cum tribal politics of regionalism and despondent opposition led to military takeover, the nation fall as a victim to a godless cabal of rapacious political leadership. From culture of ‘non democratic tribal’ political parties to a culture of ‘non political party’ as witnessed by the subsequent military governments, and for upwards of over three decades, the Nigeria political class has become adept at the politics of perks, spoils and survival tactics. Lacking in focus, deviating from the known culture of clear ideological positioning, constructing empires of fraudulent winner takes all syndrome, our self acclaimed political leadership has disappointedly and treacherously become very much united at playing the politics of ‘ Cul- de- Sac !
Employing the well known tactics of divisionalism, ethnicism, total collapse of the system and Godlessness, several pockets of interests graduate into political parties, instead of producing clear cut tendencies of socio political and economic national project that are feasible, dependable and sustainable. While the dire need to uproot the military dictatorship produced a clearly demarcated of semblance of forces a la PDP, ANPP with others, the need for politics of stomach, perks and spoils eventually protrude in 1999, consolidate and launch the offensive against Nigeria in 2003, gained ground and hatched the most infamous political tragedy the country has ever seen: the enthronement of Yar’adua as the president and his cohorts as governors of our various states and that according to the believers of this charade put paid to a representative governance.
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Convinced of the need to uproot the military and lay their hands on the key to our national wealth, the political class saw the need for opposition and effectively explored its utility. With about 30 different groupings as at then, out of which only the PDP and ANPP seemed and indeed were viable, 1999 took off, albeit through another form of political ethnic dictatorship, a sort of contraption only possible and canvass able in Nigeria; where the entire nation was rail roadbed to submit to power to a particular ethnic group ! Lacking in foundation, content, context and functionality, it soon became apparent that the contraption was anything but viable. Our political leadership soon found a solution; GNU or Government of National Unity- bringing dislodged elite from other political platforms in their quest for Public treasury. The eight years of Obasanjo led PDP is certainly a failure in any standard. But the brief period of Ummaru’s two to three years slumber saw one of the worst form of political travesty, 419 elections, forced and arranged swapping, crowning of moles, outright deceit and public stealing, open daylight electoral robbery and at the end of it all more political platforms are now raving for a charade in 2011 in Ezeoke’s GNU way! Which was what happened in 2007, where fifty new associations emerged to run the elections they knew was a jamboree. With the so called opposition in a loose-loose comatose, and with the incumbency toe to the line or be crushed to death style, 2007 theatre performance produced the tragic servant leader and his electoral deceit mantra. Right from the on-set, the PDP was and is still not a political party in the right sense of the term. It is an amalgam of money bags. The sole preoccupations of many of them were to take-over and feather their nests. The party has no coherent programme right from inception and there was and still an absence of any sense of people involvement even at the lowest level of rigging. The minimum programme which was hurriedly drawn up in pre-1999 elections by an amorphous group of politicians and retired and serving technocrats has never been implemented even fraudulently. At the states level many governors did not even bother to have a programme and still have none, and do not see any reason why they should have any. That is why I always marveled at which party programme is Yar'adua referring to uphold and build upon?
Certainly, the President’s governor in laws of Bauchi, Kebbi and the rest of the departed ANPP states have so far exhibited how low so many of these people who hold power are. The weaknesses of people who lead Nigeria are revealed by the day through such behaviors that portend ineptitude and the lack of willingness to lead by example and unquestionable capacity to lead. These politicians are a disgrace to the polity and therefore all hands must be on deck to chase them out of the political arrangement of this country. I am of the opinion that there is need to redefine the pattern of politics in this country by ensuring that every political aspirant is weighed on a scale before he is eventually elected. I think we are paying the price of our docility. People who forced themselves on us through the manipulation of the electoral process are free to take us for a ride as long as we remain incapable of holding our destinies in our own hands. The bastardization of the whole process has produced non-dreamers as leaders, right from the presidency, through the legislatures, through the state governors up to councilors. Nigerians should by now be wary of unwilling leadership, who by the time they wake up, time is up and they will look for more time. The great concern is the dominance of evil, corruption, coercion and shamelessness in the ruling party which they belong. Before the day dawns, I wish to bring to the notice of the Great General that time is running out for Nigeria. If the nation survives this time, it may not survive for a long time.
The great General should open his eyes wide for scavenging Isa Yuguda, Dakin Gari, Shikafi and their likes. For these guys does not deserve our prayers even if they are no more. These characters shamelessly chose to bargain with the blood earned votes of their respective electorates in exchange for either automatic second term tickets or EFCC proof cover. That they did by those unholy matrimonies that only charlatan, their beneficiary, cohort or the ignorant would call Sunna. Their endeavors however are milestones in the history of Nigeria’s political subservience that must not be forgotten. Is it not shameful, immoral and deceitful that the likes of Yuguda and his gang were crying foul and Godlessness in the then political arrangement prior to the 2007 April mess only to be cavorting legitimate with illegitimate contraption with impunity and surrendered the priceless people votes just to quench their burning libidos for the President’s daughters? TO BE CONTINUED
MUKHTAR KABIR USMAN IS A PhD FELLOW AND WROTE IN FROM
UNIVERSITI ANTRBANGSA ISLAM MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR ([email protected])
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