Nigeria: A Dangerous Trend

 By Sunny Ikhioya

From the outcome of the February 25 elections, it is clear that our politics will never be the same again. Our youths have answered the clarion call by taking up the challenge to take back their country and, this is clear for all to see. Even with this, some people are refusing to accept the reality of our situation. You know, those who do not want to play by the rules always find reasons for their failure. The election was substantially flawed and has drawn negative criticism from far and near. 

Ultimately, it is the court that will decide. But whatever the outcome, the real change in our democracy has come to stay. This is an election that our sitting President, after casting his vote on election day, displayed his ballot to the whole world, an action that is against the Constitution and the Electoral Act. By so doing, he has demonstrated that our leaders have no respect for the rule of law, and a few misguided leaders followed in his footstep. 

Today, the international community is criticising the conduct of that election and some of us are asking them to mind their business. But we seem to forget that before the elections, the same leaders took their campaigns to places like the Chatham House London in search of foreign endorsements. Now we are grumbling that they are interfering in our domestic affairs; we cannot eat our cake and have it at the same time. 

We now know that our President does not obey laws; we can see that in his response to the Supreme Court ruling on the new and old currency notes. In every decision taken by government in Nigeria, people attribute motives, whether politics, religion or ethnicity. It is unfortunate, but that is how it appears we have been configured. 

So, instead of seriously looking inward to identify the causes of the flaws undermining our political process, some of us are now busy resurrecting the same ethnic battles that endangered our past, all in a bid to cover up the poor and questionable conduct of the February 25 elections. The outcome of the March 18 election will tell if INEC officials and the political actors have learnt from their mistakes.  

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is now doing what he should have done in the first place, that is visiting relevant places and people such as media houses, markets, mechanic villages and so on. Even in schools, teachers are urging their pupils to convince their parents to vote for their preferred candidates. Fines imposed by government agencies are being waived off or put on temporary hold and the governor is promising many more things to pacify aggrieved citizens of the state. 

But some people are not doing the governor any favour in the manner they are going about campaigning for him, especially in attributing the loss of the ruling APC to the Labour Party in the presidential election of Lagos State to tribal factors.  Whatever people are fighting for in Lagos, especially with regards to the EndSARS movement, is not based on ethnic cleavages. Truth be told, upwardly mobile Yoruba youths were the brain box of the EndSARS movement. They were assisted by their colleagues scattered within and outside the country and they made their grievances known to all who cared to listen. The youths were harassed and are still harassed by men of our security agencies and these victimisation cuts across all ethnic groups.

   

There is presently no cash for the ordinary citizens to carry out their daily transactions; everyone is feeling the pinch and not one ethnic group alone. This is a policy introduced by the APC ruling government; do you expect the people not to react? It is a harsh lesson for the powers that be, especially in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Katsina and the rest; we hope that our politicians have taken notice. A news item in  a national daily has it that the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, is now apologising to his people for the wrong he has committed in the past. This is a governor that was blatantly biased in the manner he has handled matters in the state one who refused to see reason despite the outcry from civil society groups and well-meaning Nigerians. 

  According to a news report of March 12, 2023, “…Yahaya refused to announce Musa Maiyauba, a Christian, who is also a graduate of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine, LSHTM, as the Mai (King) of the Tangale kingdom, despite being chosen by the king makers…"

Before then, the Governor had refused to appoint a Christian,  Justice Beatrice L Iliya, as the state Chief Judge. The name of the justice, who was the most senior judge in the state judiciary, was on many occasions omitted from the list submitted to the Nigeria Judicial Council, NJC, by the state because she was a Christian. Even when the NJC turned down the state Chief Judge nominee list over the omission of Justice Iliya, the state government refused to be bothered. Instead, he kept appointing a Muslim as acting Chief Judge…”  That is the situation and mindset of our so called leaders in the country. 

Today, he is apologising. This is the effect of our new democracy and the feeling is spreading across the land. I understand some states have released money to civil servants for them to travel to their constituencies to cast their votes. For states that have been unable to pay salaries and pensions over the years, it is indeed a new trend. 

As our politicians go about canvassing for votes, they should avoid contaminating our civil service. The politicians should allow the civil servants to do their jobs without cajoling or intimidation of any type. Asking all workers of the state to report overnight and work for the ruling party, in order to ensure their victory, is not right. It is unconstitutional and if allowed to prevail will lead to a dictatorship of the ruling class. Let the civil servants do their job and allow them the freedom to vote their choice candidates. 

 In the same vein, the video of a school teacher trending in the social media paints a very bad picture of our politics. Asking primary school pupils to convince their parents to vote for a particular candidate is taking it too far. It is dangerous for primary school pupils to be exposed to that kind of politics at such tender age. 

INEC and security agencies must be alert to nip all of such negative tendencies in the bud. It is a good development that politicians are now running from pillar to post for peoples vote. With this development, it should be obvious to them that power truly belongs to the people.

*IIkhioya is a commentator on public issues