Promises
and lies are the cheapest commodities of this era. With the rising
proportion of deceit in the land, objectivity has been sent on vacation.
A community of the deceived is also growing by the day. Interrogation
and introspection are in a state of dormancy as party devotees continue
to spread the embellished messages of their principals. Having suspended
civility, decorum and decency, the government in power and the
opposition are bent on outdoing each other in a bid to capture the votes
of the masses.
As I ponder on the forthcoming
elections, my mind wanders back to the June 12, 1993 election, one that
was adjudged the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s political
history. In anticipation of hope, the central message at the time,
Nigerians, for the first time, defied every historical factor that had
tainted our elections. Religion, tribe, sentiments, and emotions were
set aside as the people cast their vote for M.K.O. Abiola of the Social
Democratic Party.
As the new date of March 28 approaches
for Nigerians to decide their fate via polls, it is doubtful if there
would be a repetition or similitude of 1993. The current atmosphere is
toxic and devoid of any hope – religious institutions have been
politicised; even the military which should be non-partisan has been
infected and imputed into the political calculus of the day. The current
political climate is shorn of logic and value-based arguments as
primordial sentiments have become the gospel truths. Political analysts
seem to suggest that the electorate are going to vote across ethnic
lines. And this is an indictment on the 16-year civil rule since 1999.
As we elect “new” heads every political year, our politics has refused
to grow beyond the voting pattern after independence. Curiously, the
political actors are a semblance of the old block, in character and
learning, having successfully imbibed their mannerisms and
peculiarities.
Mudslinging and campaigns of calumny
that characterised electioneering years back are still rife in 2015.
Today’s politicians have stepped up denigration with cartoons,
advertorials and documentaries that are targeted at destroying
reputations than selling their programmes to the populace. If we have
learnt any lesson, it is how not to walk, after crawling and feeding on
baby feed. Our development instinct is knock-kneed. We have not yet
developed the virtues and values that strengthen democracy. Rather, our
democratic institutions are saturated with vices and villains. It is a
shame that the political parties are filled with men whose campaign
tactics are targeted at insulting the intelligence of Nigerians.
Determined to win the people’s mandate, they dangle before us carrots of
“stomach infrastructure”, which often times are an exhibition of their
theft of our commonwealth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter slab, the
pauperised populace sheepishly trade their national destiny for this
evil offer.
It is worthy of note that the
presidential election promises to be most competitive. And the two main
candidates are not new to the electorate, having ruled Nigeria at one
time or the other. For the incumbent administration of Goodluck
Jonathan, his transformation agenda is synonymous with a worsening
electricity situation crippling an already comatose manufacturing sector
and frustrating several power-dependent enterprises. It is to note that
if Jonathan ever had a good intention for Nigeria, his performance in
the last six years does not give credence to that fact. His superlative
self-appraisal is a reflection of his academic stature. Little wonder,
his students have yet to come out and identify with him publicly. Mildly
put, his performance in the last six years is not good enough to
deserve another. Else, his campaign would have been more of exhibition
of his works than the rigour he has exhausted to persuade the electorate
to his side. Sadly, what he lacks in performance, he vigorously tries
to make up in promises. Promises! Promises!
For Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari, it is
quizzical that the rejected candidate in 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections
is now the beautiful bride of the All Progressives Congress. The General
has enjoyed a large and a cult-like following since he won the
presidential ticket of the APC. His profile and political weight in the
North are a vivid threat to the PDP. Sadly, since a tree does not make a
forest, it is doubtful how the General would bring about the much
touted “change” should he win at the poll. Considering that the APC
which has been dubbed Aggrieved Peoples’ Congress is widely regarded as a
mixed multitude of people who joined the party not because they love
the party’s manifestoes or believe its programmes but because they were
sweet-talked with positions and possibilities of privileges, its
enduring prospects is in doubt. How will Buhari prosecute his sponsors
whose wealth is reportedly not corruption-free? Can he free himself of
the hawks who are touting him as being the emblem of anti-corruption?
It is an anomaly that the best and the
brightest among us are never considered for the presidency. There are 12
other candidates, but the electorate are either unaware or they are
just looking away. If only the popular but pretentious candidates can be
shoved aside for a people-oriented president. The people are more
important than power. After all, the people make the power; the power is
worthless without the people. But then, it has also been said that a
people deserve the kind of leaders they get.
The forthcoming presidential election is
not about the North against the South, neither is it about Christianity
versus Islam. It is not about major and minor ethnic groups. It is
about Nigeria and Nigerians. It is about our heritage, our political
future. It is about who is capable of leading us, in determining our
destiny in the next four years. You may not be rich. You may not be
popular. But you are powerful. If you have already got your Permanent
Voter Card, that is your determinant weapon; for mass decision. You will
decide the next set of persons who will govern Nigeria. The political
parties are aware of this. By insisting on the PVC and the card reader,
INEC under Jega is working to ensure that the coming elections are
difficult to rig. Thus, you must play your part in deciding the leaders
of our fatherland. If we don’t get it right again, our stay in the abyss
of political misadventure will continue, even as the coming generation
gets impoverished further.
It is amazing how Nigerians abandon
their civic obligations in one breath, and then turn around to agitate
for the enforcement of their rights. A perceptive fellow posits that bad
people are elected by good people who refuse to vote. If by now you
cannot boldly flaunt your PVC, or you have decided not to vote because
you cannot queue up in inclement conditions, or you claim there is no
candidate to vote for, then you have no right or reason to complain in
the days ahead.
It is very easy to tweet or rant on
facebook. The candid truth is that your critical words in the media and
the number of hashtags on the social media are insufficient to create
the country of our dreams. But one thing can: your PVC, as well as an
unwavering determination to cast your vote. The consequence of
abstaining from performing your civic duty is as damming as rigging in
an unpopular candidate.
Popular author and poet, Dante
Alighieri, states that “the hottest places in hell are reserved for
those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”
This is not the time to sit on a fence. Now is the time to pick up your
PVC, stand in line and vote for your desired outcome.
Adeosun, a communications specialist based in Ondo, wrote in via yinkaadeosun@gmail.com
Source: punchng
No comments:
Post a Comment