2019 ELECTIONS AND THE LOOMING FAILURE
Demystifying the time-honoured saying that ‘the powerful never lose opportunities-they remain available to them, that the powerless on the other hand, never experience opportunity – it is always arriving at a later time, remains a remarkable political lesson Nigerians gave to the world in 2015. The lesson was predicated in the way and manner the ‘poor masses’ against all permutations voted the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of its preeminent position after 16 years reign and had them replaced with the All Progressives Congress (APC). Three years after the feat was achieved, the nation’s political space has again become ‘hot and cold,’ breeding different political off-springs with the Reformed All Progressives Congress(R-APC) emergence as the newest.
While this is ongoing at the parties’ enclaves, a higher level of intrigue like that of 2015, seems to be brewing among Nigerians irked by the leaders’ inabilities to create a government that works better and costs less as promised.
The people’s grouse, looking at commentaries is hinged on the feeling that their interests and opinions expressed over time have neither evoked positive response from the government nor the government made a conscious attempt to enter into their lives and participate in their struggle - eliciting accusations that the present crop of leaders manipulates, and undermines the viability of democracy customarily designed to stand on the tripod of openness, reliability and responsiveness.
In line with the above table of ideology, Nigerians from the analysis of their recent actions have understandably become more courageous than conscious and, are no longer ready to assist the government to cover its shame.
Supporting the above sentiment is that in recent times and in the clarity of our visions, our leaders took some steps/decisions which I will safely describe as disastrous in the following areas: security, justice, and fairness, human survival and peaceful coexistence of the nation. Actions that prompted Nigerians with discerning minds to conclude that with the way the country is stumbling and fumbling without any response to permanently solve our national problem through restructuring, the present administration has become anything but intellectual.
To really appreciate the feelings of people, it is a common knowledge that hitherto, Nigerians were uninterested in entering the political fray themselves, but instead, relied on politicians whom they felt would ensure their security and stand-up on their behalf against poverty and unemployment.
But with the current realisation that their lives means little or nothing to the people they voted as leaders, that their security is afterwards in the hands of God, that the leaders preoccupation is the politics of ‘permanent recession’, and without road map for tackling youths unemployment; as a consequence, the people are looking up to 2019 as a year set aside to settle both ideological and political scores with these ‘leaders’.
Also as an effect, the government’s failure to practice ‘deliberative democracy’, has transcended the vast majority of Nigerians from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal of events, prompting democratic ambush against these leaders as the nation races towards 2019 general election. Jerome-Mario Utomi, Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com