By Ayo Oyoze Baje
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“Nigeria politicians have over the years become more desperate and daring in taking and retaining power; more reckless and greedy in their use and abuse of power; and more intolerant of opposition, criticism and efforts at replacing them” (Electoral Reform Committee Report, 2008, Vol. 1: 19).
The recent public outrage triggered by the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led Red Chamber, which literally crossed the red line by the obnoxious rejection of the electronic transmission of election results, real-time after the Green Chamber had given us the green light to do so should be a warning signal to those who believe that political might is right, that their days in authority are numbered. As yours truly stated on February 12,2014: “Nigerians do not need bombs and bullets but dividends of democracy. We have suffered long enough and not a single citizen should be killed to pave way for any politician to get into position of authority.”
Also, as a concerned citizen who has taken active part in election observation in Lagos ( for Daily Times,2003, 2007 and for GPAAN and INEC in 2023 ) as well as Osun state ( for the Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin-led Women Arise for Change Initiative in 2018 ) one should understand the issues at hand. In addition yours truly was the
Guest Lecturer at the 2018 Independence Anniversary Lecture organized by Nigeria Peace Group(NPG), at Le Paris Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. The topic was:.’ Panacea for Peaceful Elections in Nigeria- Evaluating the roles of Politicians, Citizens, Security personnel, INEC and the Civil Society”.
In fact, we are aware that free, fair, credible and peaceful elections remain the solid foundation and bedrock on which to build the house of democracy. According to renowned authors, Anthony Egobueze and Callistus Ojirika, writing on the topic: “Electoral Violence in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Implications for Political Stability” ‘elections are key pillars of democracy and have become the commonly accepted means of legitimizing government. Once elections are flawed, it is an invitation to violence in the state which may snowball into political instability’.
One must admit that it is not as if electoral violence in Nigeria began in recent times. No! We recall that Justice Sowemimo in his judgment in the treasonable felony against Obafemi Awolowo and his ‘accomplices’ observed that: “On the evidence before me, it would appear that politics generally in Nigeria has been conducted with a certain amount of bitterness. Political parties are equivalent to warring camps- elections are conducted with party thugs”. That was decades ago.
Is it not a crying shame therefore, that the nagging issue of prebendal politics, in which political office is sought primarily for the aggrandizement of self, family members, associates and cronies as rightly observed by Professor Billy Dudley, a Nigerian political scientist still persists in the 21st Century Nigeria?
To move against the insidious and self-decimating culture of violent politicking we have to employ the Root Cause Analytical Approach, RCAA. There are some fundamental issues bedeviling the polity which we must resolve. For instance, our concept of political leadership is that of serving the self instead of the state. There is little or no sense of allegiance for nationhood, or a patriotic fervour to propel our vision for the larger picture of the ‘we’ and ‘us’. Instead, it is the ‘me’ and ‘I’. It is imperative therefore, that leadership issues and our rich history be taught and imbibed as a way of life; right from our homes, through our schools, religious institutions, to our places of work.
Another factor militating against credible polls is mass ignorance on the part of the largely illiterate electorate on their rights and responsibilities. Many of them do not know that power belongs to the people in a democracy. They see their elected or selected leaders as the favoured ones to be feared and worshipped instead of servant-leaders, as former president, Umar Yar,dua (of blessed memory) once canvassed and indeed, admonished. This odious trend has enthroned the culture of king-slave mentality.
We must demonitize the polity! The high cost of accessing political power, with the greatly attractive perquisites of office, including jumbo pay for politicians is at the heart of our do-or-die politics. In a situation whereby a candidate pays between N40 million and N100 million for his nomination form, has that system not been compromised by corruption?
If such candidates got their money from some rotten-rich political godfathers their allegiance will first go to that person rather than the state or country he is angling to serve, if he eventually wins.
In our prevailing circumstance where politics is arguably the most lucrative ‘business,’ people would be tempted to steal, cheat or pander to political perverts just to see their dreams to the dawn of fruition. We must therefore, reduce the pay package of politicians to be in tune with civil service salary structure and law making as part time. This perhaps, why yours truly has been canvassing for Volunteers in Government ( ViG ) as a project on radio, television and in newspapers; to be adopted for decades. But who is listening to me?
In fact, one of the most annoying aspects of our political dysfunction is the type of federalism we practice here. In which other country that goes by the dictates of the presidential system do we have an all-powerful centre controlling 52 per cent of the so called federal allocation? Which country practices the odious and anomalous economic structure that has the state governors going cap-in-hand to the federal capital every month end to get the crumbs from the master’s table? Simply put, we must restructure the current polity to diffuse and devolve power to the federating units and weaken the centre.
Furthermore, campaigns by politicians should focus on critical issues on how to find lasting solutions to the people’s persisting socio-economic woes. They should be devoid of character assassination, mud-slinging, muck-raking, innuendoes and insults to people and places. We have to also battle the base sentiments of religion and the North-South divide, do away with hate speeches and the born-to-rule mentality. Much as we pretend to the contrary, the lines that separate us are getting deeper and wider by the day!
Since INEC is at the heart of the conduct of elections there should be integrity test for all its members of staff, so that only those who are patriotic, selfless and live above board are employed there to serve the country. INEC must be an unbiased umpire like a committed, objective and dispassionate referee in a World Cup, or League Match game, or any for that matter.
Security personnel must not only be neutral but all hands must be on deck to do away with arms proliferation across the country.
Above all, having suffered enough at the hands of self-serving political gladiators now is the time to rise up and say “no” to making ourselves slaves to our unrelenting political desperados. We must stop snatching ballot boxes, bullying and killing fellow citizens to get our enemies into political power. We must stop
selling our votes for peanuts. It is better we endure hunger for a day than having to suffer preventable poverty for another four years in a land God has abundantly blessed with milk and honey. Enough,is indeed enough!
