LOGIC OF OKOTIE’S PARADIGM SHIFT
Kelechi Ihebia shares Chris Okotie’s argument for an interim government
Rev. Chris Okotie’s latest article titled, 2019: Time For A New Paradigm which was published recently in THISDAY newspaper, raised some fundamental questions about the credibility of the structures that hold the Nigerian State together at the moment. The article is actually a continuation of his previous write-ups in several media platforms that heralded the announcement of his latest shot at the Presidency of Nigeria. This time, the pastor-politician has zeroed his campaign on the most important topic of the day in our national debate: restructuring.
In his letters to the Chairmen of the three major parties-APC, PDP, and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, Rev. Okotie had asked the parties not to field Presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election. He asked for their support as a remedial consensus candidate. Okotie argues that whoever emerges as the next president under the present constitution would not be able to move Nigeria forward, hence his call for the political class to support his candidacy, so that he’d set up an interim government, of National Reconstruction and Reconciliation.
The pastor-politician who is now the Presidential candidate of the Fresh Democratic Party (FRESH) wrote:” The politics of today is so partisan, that it is bereft of the nationalistic sentiments that would augur well for a nation. Nigeria is at the cusp, and we must come up with a philosophy that is antithetical and diametrically opposed to what we have done in the past. The Constitution of the country is moribund, retrogressive, and subversive to the Nigerian cause. We need to restructure, and no extant or subsisting party can address this issue, due to sentimental affiliations. Nigeria has come to a point where the only way forward is to have an interim government and it will be obvious as time goes on. At the presidential level, there will be difficulties that will not be surmountable except we submit to another paradigm”.
In the preceding, the Pastor-politician anchors his argument on three major points. One, the politics of the current governing elite is neither nationalistic, nor patriotic, and so detrimental to the overall interest of Nigerians. The APC-PDP tussle and the aftermath of the crisis-ridden primaries lend credence to the argument.
Two, the constitution is subversive to the Nigerian cause. While we are supposed to be a federal state, our constitution is, in reality, being operated like a unitary constitution. Obviously, being a product of the military, it was imposed arbitrarily on the political class in 1999; it did not reflect the true wishes of the Nigerian people.
Rev. Okotie’s third and most important point is that no incumbent government can successfully restructure Nigeria, as the political class would not be able to muster the national consensus needed for such massive reconfiguration of the country. For instance, no civilian government has been able to create states, or local government. Such exercises were done regularly under military rule in the past.
Certainly, it is beyond debate that consensus building has never been a strong point of the political elite. What seems feasible is for the political class to demonstrate rare patriotism and make the restructuring of Nigeria the focal point of the nation’s redemption.
There’s merit in the argument being advanced by Rev. Okotie that an interim government, with no partisan agenda, is best equipped to carry out the restructuring of Nigeria, given the present state of the nation. The polity is overheated; the nation is fragmented as never before, the economy is still gravitating toward a recession. How can any government deal with these severe problems and still restructure the country within a limited tenure of four short years? That is Okotie’s major worry and I dare say, I share this concern.
What Nigeria needs now is not just the provisions of social amenities but a system of government that would enable elected politicians function without the encumbrances of a faulty federal system. A new constitution created with our peculiarities in mind, would give us a kind of government suitable for our political clime and culture. Our democracy doesn’t have to be modelled on Western system. What matters is that it should have checks and balances, separation of powers, equity and justice for all federating units.
If we view Rev. Okotie’s presentations critically, we’d see the merits of his argument that moving the nation forward cannot be a realistic or attainable objective under the present political order. The country needs a new governance template, by whatever name called. Whether it is Aboriginal democracy or home-groom democracy, the post-2019 development and stability of Nigeria may be an illusion, if we fail to address all the fundamental issues in the Okotie letters.
Finally, let’s hear this note of warning from the pastor-politician; “There is a high level of resentment present in the nation today which is unprecedented. We must find a solution while our people are still willing to dialogue: a practical pragmatism which is necessary to engender a state where Nigerians are willing to continue in this entity that we call our nation. We have never had people this vocal in their condemnation of the things going on in government. A drastic event would occur that would change the course of this nation. This change would lead to the renaissance of the Nigerian state. Regardless, God has a hand in the destiny of this nation. I believe that He has given us another opportunity and we must grab it with both hands, with all the tenacity that we can muster”.