By Achilleus-ChudUchegbu
NIGERIA seems on the march again. After the experiences of 2007 general elections, which made Nigeria a “do or die” country, we seem to have re-enacted our Nigerianness and are marching progressively towards Eldorado.
The outcome of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, under the watchful eyes of PrezGoodjoe, gives one hope for a brighter future. These two separate electoral situations are clearly, a departure from the past. I have reasons to argue, and stubbornly too, that they would have been different under an Olusegun Obasanjo. But remember it started with election of principal officers of the National Assembly.
In his time, Obasanjo saw elections as reward. He used elective offices to reward his loyalists. That was basic reason he worked very hard, using EFCC an instrument, to ensure his deputy, AtikuAbubakar, was denied the opportunity to be president in 2007. Not only did he stop Atiku, he also ensured he was chased out of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). TheophilusDanjuma underscored this when in a newspaper interview he stated that loyalty to Obasanjo as President ought to be same loyalty to Obasanjo as military head of state. In that interview, Danjuma made reference to situations when Atiku challenged Obasanjo, the Commander-in-Chief, to their consternation. He said he did not believe that the President (Head of State) should be challenged in the manner Atiku did because as soldiers, loyalty is blind and brooks no questions.
Subsequently, Obasanjo and Atiku would entertain the nation and international friends too, to a spectacular movie with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) as scene. Allegations and counter-allegations flew and Nigerians shuddered in disbelief. Though nothing came out of the many revelations both men made about how the PTDF was administered for them, most Nigerians who followed the ‘fight’ were of the conclusion that there was no way Atiku would succeed Obasanjo. It worked out. Atiku’s sins were simply because he disagreed with Obasanjo. And since Obasanjo had the yam and the knife, he decided who to give a slice. He gave it to Umaru Musa Yar’adua, now late.
Under that situation, Obasanjo, fearing that Atiku’s movement to another party, and with General MohammaduBuhari rearing his challenge from the north, would lead to a total routing of the PDP, declared that elections that year would be ‘do or die’. And it came to pass. He threatened it. He delivered it. What Nigerians remembered most from that election was that candidates relocated to Abuja. Almost all PDP candidates for either governorship, senate or House of Representatives elections relocated to Abuja and were tumbling over themselves to get Obasanjo’s attention and blessing. He was the ultimate kingmaker. PDP tickets were then determined from his bedroom. So, while some were busy campaigning, or wasting scarce funds mobilising support at the home base, those with longer reaches were in Abuja signing the necessary documents. This process made party primary elections mere academic exercises.
Under this regime, party discipline or internal democracy were clauses buried in political books. They were not meant for the Nigerian political environment. So, those who Obasanjo scripted down for particular offices won. Those who believed in the due process lost. That experience, imposed on Nigeria a system of questionable leadership recruitment. Characterless politicians were foisted on the nation. Acolytes of political godfathers took over the space. Those whom deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, referred to as unable to even write their names, became kings. Reason, they were loyal to the President, not to the electorate. It did not matter if the electorate wanted those candidates or not. So, here, the electorate did not count. And votes don’t count much in situations where the electorate did not count. That was our story before the divine will turned the table to give Nigeria a lame Goodjoe.
Yes, I call him lame because despite being thrown onto the national stage by the ‘do or die’ philosophy, he heeded the advice of Mahatma Ghandi understanding that ‘an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind’. Very bright students don’t often, radically, depart from the teachings of their masters. They modify them and bring out the goods in the teachings. I think, I may be wrong, that this is exactly what Goodjoe has tried to do with the elections in Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo states. It showed more particularly in Edo and Ondo state. While Bayelsa has been a PDP-controlled state, Edo and Ondo are in opposition hands. And being that PDP used to call the shots in those states, I am sure that a President in the mould of an Obasanjo would have insisted in his partymen being declared winners of elections in those states. Of course, that will be followed by public protest with a couple of guys shot at and killed. Then press statements from Senior Advocates of Nigeria and embedded lawyers, will be issued asking losers to explore judicial avenues to correct any wrong.
We are all too familiar with such situations where lawyers ask those who had been cheated out in a ‘do or die’ election to approach the tribunals. Of course, they expect to get those briefs. We are aware that to ensure that PPA does not win Abia state, its candidate, Theodore Orji, was imprisoned. A court was used by the Obasanjo administration to achieve this. Also in Lagos, PDP got all the federal support it needed to ensure that MusiliuObanikoro won. These tendencies obviously led to fears prior to the Edo and Ondo elections that Goodjoe would copy his predecessor and impose his party on those states. We saw Adams Oshiomhole crying wolf at every turn over Tony Anenih’s obvious strengths. Even in Ondo, OlusegunMimiko knew that the powers that installed OluesegunAgagu as governor despite his failure in 2007, were still within PDP. Their fears were confirmed. I am sure that most Nigerians even feared that PDP may play the card it was used to.
But, nothing is static. John Locke said “things of this world are in so constant a flux that nothing remains long in the same state.” I think this may be the guiding understanding behind new election developments in our country where votes now counts. We all know the damage such nasty past did to our national psyche. I am not sure it is such a pleasurable disposition that we all will like to be stuck in it. So, advancement here means that things are done differently. And that is why Goodjoe, to my mind, seems to be doing. Even when he appeared at campaign venues of his party in both Edo and Ondo states, he looked seriously uninterested. He did not create any air of impression that PDP must capture (their language) those states again.
So, we may be arriving somewhere gradually. The basic foundation for positive development and good governance is the superiority of the electoral wish of the people. Of course every contestant wants, and even desires, to win. But the people are supreme. This is the commonest understanding of democracy. It has to do with the people. Not the President. Once the people are allowed to elect their governors, senators, representatives, assemblymen or even councillors, they are empowered to ask questions and seek accountability. Those ‘elected’ from a godfather’s bedroom are answerable to the godfather. We have seen it happen. RasheedLadoja in Oyo state was accountable only to late LamidiAdedibu that was why his impeachment was easy.
I believe that Goodjoe’s radical departure from the past is a positive sign for our country. It means returning power to the people. It means making the elected to become indeed, servants to the people. It means empowering the people to demand for performance results. The new development restores greater confidence to society and leverages on peoples power, to engender development competition. The elected now know that irrespective of the size of a godfather’s tummy, neck or buttocks, there is a limit to his powers. The people can resist him. He can no longer install a governor or senator. This is a new signal that Goodjoe has given by his non partisanship in election matters.
In the next general elections in the country, PDP national headquarters, and other party national headquarters, will most likely have very little influence over who become candidates. That signal is developing at a faster pace. As 2014 approaches, heavyweights in Anambra state PDP are gradually looking beyond the national headquarters. They are looking at the people. I guess that is why there is some level of ‘contest’ among likely contenders to show more presence in the state, and among the people, using the flood disaster as platform. To my mind therefore, Goodjoe’s silent giggles and body language, which has made him not to be the sort of ubiquitous president Obasanjo was, is gradually revolutionising the election process. I think that is in keeping with his promise, soon after inauguration as acting president, of ensuring a credible election system for the country. It may come late, but better late than never.