CRISIS OF POLITICAL FOLLOWERSHIP

Sonnie Ekwowusi argues that the Nigerian leadership crisis is sustained by political followership

Our country has always had some unprincipled rabbles and men of lower appetite in public office but never before had such a great number of scoundrels capturing political power by all fraudulent means as we are witnessing today. Truth to tell, the lowest common denominator of acceptable character in political life has grown much lower in Nigeria in the last three years. We are, indeed, passing through a perilous period. Again and again, we are watching in disbelief as the worst citizens who have managed to steal political power are shamelessly lifting disgraceful behaviour to the level of statecraft. Adrift in this disgraceful behaviour we are in danger of losing the possession of our souls. Therefore unless we tackle the lingering crisis of political followership in Nigeria we would continue to be overwhelmed by our miseries, anguish, despondency and hopelessness.

The great paradox is that most ordinary Nigerians who are always gossiping on WhatsApp, facebook, twitter and other social media that their political leaders are fraudsters and thieves are in pari delicto or accomplices in the fraud and thievery of their political leaders. In other words, the Nigerian political leadership crisis is engendered and foisted by the lingering political followership crisis. In fact there is a correlation between political leadership and political followership. Political leadership is a co-efficient of political followership. Quality leadership is a function of a quality followership. In common parlance, it is said that a people get the kind of leaders they deserve, meaning that an irresponsible political followership begets an irresponsible political leadership. Perhaps this explains why most outsiders blame Nigerians (not the political leaders) for the woes that have befallen Nigeria. Outsiders cannot fathom why a huge country such as Nigeria with abundant human talents is ruled by lifeless politicians. Permit me to share part of my conversation with a top American journalist a couple of years ago in New York City. I was in New York for a conference. At that time one of the Jos conflagrations had just occurred. The journalist wanted to know from me why so many innocent civilians were being killed in Jos at that time. Midway in our conversation the journalist’s face turned sad. The moment the journalist became sad he maintained a sealed lip. He kept starring at me. His countenance had changed. After about five minutes, he angrily pointed his finger at me and said: “What is wrong with you people in Nigeria?” Obviously the query was not targeted at the Nigerian ruling elite: it was a query indicting the Nigerian people. Apparently the man had looked at me and probably felt that I looked like a responsible person. Probably the man had met or read about intelligent and responsible Nigerians excelling in various facets of human endeavour in different countries. As a result he could not understand why a country such as Nigeria that is greatly endowed with so many talented people could be ruled by the worst citizens.

The feeling of the American journalist is understandable. The followership crisis in Nigeria has assumed a frightening proportion. How can you explain, for instance, that one political Godfather can get the people to start worshipping him? Of course, the political Godfather does not have two heads. He is not a super mortal. He is not more intelligent than the rest of the people.Therefore the man is an ordinary mortal. Yet he solely decides which political candidate should contest for any political post at any election. Any candidate not “anointed” by the man cannot “win” the election. Not infrequently different people go to the man’s house to kneel down in front of him and beg him to allow his perceived political enemies to contest for an election. In his avarice and greed the man has acquired monumental ill-gotten wealth in the city at the expense of the common good. In fact some of the government revenues collected in the city go to the fat pocket of the man. Given the way the people are sheepishly worshipping the man or answerable to him one would think that the man has cast a spell on them. But the man has not cast any spell on the people. He is simply taking advantage of the gullibility, stupidity and naivety of the people to enslave them. Unfortunately the people being enslaved are yet to appreciate that they did not derive their natural right to freedom and right to dignity from the man. They are yet to understand, and indeed affirm their identity as the sovereigns in our constitutional democracy. They are yet to understand that in a representative democracy, in contrast to direct participatory democracy, the political leaders derive their mandate to be in power from the people. This mandate flows from the radical equality and equal rights of all men. The American founding fathers aptly put it when they stated that “Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.

Therefore it is high time the people rediscovered their lost freedom. The people should assert their sovereignty in our constitutional democracy. This is the only way the crisis of political followership in which the people are currently enmeshed can be resolved in favour of the people. This is the only way the people can free themselves from the slavery of their so-called Godfathers. Given the huge electoral frauds that marred the last Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial elections, it is doubtful if Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC will be able to muster the independence, impartiality, transparency and balanced interaction to organise a free and fair election in 2019. Therefore the choices before people at the dawn of 2019 elections is either to toe the path of liberating principles and advance truths and ideals which will strengthen our democracy or choose the path of perfidy and allow scallywags to hijack the political leadership once more to the ruin of our country. The monumental electoral fraud committed at the recently-concluded Osun State gubernatorial election has shown that mere casting of votes on Election Day is not enough. After casting their votes, the voters should follow up their votes to ensure that they reach their ultimate destination failure which they should seek immediate remedies at the appropriate channel until justice is done. In an age in which most people are erecting pillars of solidarity to right social wrongs, the Nigerian populace cannot afford to remain in passivity and indolence. Evil thrives when the people shirk their responsibility in constitutional democracy.

GOVERNMENTS ARE INSTITUTED AMONG MEN DERIVING THEIR JUST POWERS FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED