Route To Peaceful Elections in Nigeria
Free, fair, credible and peaceful elections are the bedrock of democracy, writes Ayo Oyoze Baje
The high cost of accessing political power, with the greatly attractive perquisites of office, including jumbo pay for politicians, is at the heart of our do-or-die politics
"Nigeria politicians have over the years become more desperate and daring in taking and retaining power; more reckless and greedy in their use and abuse of power; and more intolerant of opposition, criticism and efforts at replacing them” (Electoral Reform Committee Report, 2008, Vol. 1: 19). The groundswell of public opprobrium and outrage that has trailed the recent so-called rerun governorship election in Osun State points to the dangers inherent in a pseudo-democratic governance skewed in favour of the powerful few, as against the wishes of the electorate. As one who was fortunate to be an independent observer, indeed the Senior Research Fellow of the INEC-approved Dr. Joe Odumakin-led Women-Arise for Change Initiative group, the sudden reversal of fortunes for INEC and security personnel within a week calls for serious concern.
One was delighted at the massive turn-out of registered voters, pointing to an effective mass enlightenment. So was the promptitude with which INEC and the police discharged their duties. In fact, voting materials arrived on time at most of the polling units. Accreditation commenced as at when due. The voters conducted themselves in a peaceful manner. There was few, if any report of undue harassment by the police.
One was therefore going to applaud them for this, until the rude shock of INEC declaring the election as inconclusive because of the difference of votes between the two leading candidates - PDP’s Ademola Adeleke and APC’s Gboyega Oyetola. It reminds one of the 1993 presidential election believed to have been won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola (of blessed memory) and the sudden abortion of that democratic dream.
Allegations of the brazen use of fully armed thugs to keep some PDP voters at bay, the use of cutlasses and guns, the brutal killing of an opposition party youth leader, the maiming of some others, as well as the use of more sophisticated vote-buying gimmicks all leave a sour taste on the tongue of patriots!
We are aware that free, fair, credible and peaceful elections remain the foundation and bedrock on which to build the house of democracy. According to Anthony Egobueze and Callistus Ojirika, writing on “Electoral Violence in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Implications for Political Stability,” ‘elections are key pillars of democracy and have become the commonly accepted means of legitimising government. Once elections are flawed, it is an invitation to violence in the state which may snowball into political instability’. That this has taken place in the once-peaceful Osun State portends dangers for the growth and survival of our fledgling democracy.
It is not as if electoral violence in Nigeria began in recent time. No!We recall that Justice Sowemimo in his judgment in the treasonable felony against Obafemi Awolowo and his ‘accomplices’ observed that: “On the evidence before me, it would appear that politics generally in Nigeria has been conducted with a certain amount of bitterness... Political parties are equivalent to warring camps - elections are conducted with party thugs”. That was decades ago.
Is it not a crying shame therefore that the nagging issues of prebendal politics, in which political office is sought primarily for the aggrandisement of self, family members, associates and cronies as rightly observed by Professor Billy Dudley still persists in the 21st Century Nigeria?
To move against the insidious and self-decimating culture of violent politicking we have to employ the Root Cause Analytical Approach (RCAA). There are some fundamental issues bedevilling the polity which we must resolve. For instance, our concept of political leadership is that of serving the self instead of the state. There is little or no sense of allegiance to nationhood or a patriotic fervor to propel our vision for the larger picture of the ‘we’ and ‘us’. Instead, it is the ‘me’ and ‘I’. It is imperative therefore, that leadership issues and our rich history be taught and imbibed as a way of life; right from our homes, through our schools, religious institutions, to our places of work.
Another factor militating against credible polls is mass ignorance on the part of the largely illiterate electorate on their rights and responsibilities. Many of them do not know that power belongs to the people in a democracy. They see their elected or selected leaders as the favoured ones to be feared and worshipped instead of servant-leaders, as former president Umar Yar’Adua (of blessed memory) once canvassed and indeed, admonished. This odious trend has enthroned the culture of king-slave mentality.
We must demonetise the polity! The high cost of accessing political power, with the greatly attractive perquisites of office, including jumbo pay for politicians is at the heart of our do-ordie politics. In a situation whereby a candidate pays between N10 million and N45 million for his nomination form, has that system not been compromised by corruption?
If such candidates got their money from some rotten-rich political godfather their allegiance will first go to that person rather than the state or country he is angling to serve, if he eventually wins.
In our prevailing circumstance where politics is arguably the most lucrative business, people would be tempted to steal, cheat or pander to political perverts just to see their dreams to the dawn of fruition. We must reduce the pay package of politicians to be in tune with civil service salary structure and law making as part time.
In fact one of the most annoying aspects of our political dysfunction is the type of federalism we practice. In which other country that goes by the dictates of the presidential system do we have an all-powerful centre controlling 52 per cent of the so-called federal allocation? Which country practices the odious and anomalous economic structure that has the state governors going cap-in-hand to the federal capital every month-end to get the crumbs from the master’s table? Simply put, we must restructure the current polity to diffuse and devolve power to the federating units and weaken the centre.