Americans have a warning for those who love to eat sausage: don’t watch how it is made. It is ugly. Those of us One Nigerianists who love Nigeria should harken to that wise advice. Watching democracy being made, Nigeria style, is watching the making of sausage. It is not beautiful. It is not pretty.
The much advertised 2015 election is a mere three months away and no political party: PDP, APC, APGA, Liberal Party, etc., etc. has a candidate for any office – president, senate, house, governor, etc. With the possible exception of PDP that seems to have accepted the consensus candidacy of Mr. Jonathan for president, nothing else is even vaguely clear. Since it is just one candidate that can be selected for each office from possible 12 candidates, how much time is available to unite the party that will be facing formidable candidates from the opposition?
And there are other questions such as:
1.How many debates can be scheduled in the remaining time period to convince Nigerians on the wisdom of their view points?
2.When will the presidential candidates travel to all the 36 states to hold conversations with voters or does it not matter? Assuming three rallies in each state (0ne every day) that would be 108 days. Even 2/day would be 54 days. Would the old candidates be able to do handle such level of travel? Would they be able to listen and understand what the people are saying? Or is it not necessary?
3.INEC will print the ballot papers with the names and images of the candidates, do they have the time to do all these before the election dates?
4.I have not heard a word about a certified official copy of the voter register. Are political parties going over the register with a tooth comb to identify duplicate/triplicate registrations or are they waiting to go to court if they lost? How about the concept that prevention is better than cure? Does it apply to Nigeria?
5.Who is the Speaker of the House? Is Congress in session or has it recessed to campaign for reelection? Do they have to campaign?
6.Etc.
These are a few of the questions that need answers but the questions are not being asked and therefore are not being answered. What are the implications of all these? Can all these be going on and could the country still have free and fair elections? I believe that there would be an election, but could not guarantee the adjectives.
I also believe that the chaos are manufactured by the leaders of each party. They know that there are no ideology that binds members together and that the philosophy of each party could be exchanged for the philosophy of the other. So in creating the chaos and refusing to come to conclusion until the last moment they are able to keep their members together. They know that once PDP is set with its candidates the “rejects” would go to APC or APGA and vice versa. But by delaying, until the last moment the rejects would be unable to go to the opposition because it would be too late then. That seems to be the game plan.
But as a One Nigerianist my faith is shaken but not destroyed for I know that there would be a Nigeria after the election. We would muddle through as we have always done. We are learning the ropes of democratic government. If you read the events in Philadelphia in 1774-1779 you will see amazing similarities. I must confess that sometimes I blame Mr. Obafemi Awolowo for the current calamities. He had wanted Nigeria to adopt a simpler method of government, the Westminster Parliamentary System, but was forced out of the room. He came back to support the presidential system. Would that he had stuck to his beliefs.
I am also optimistic that Nigerians would come to appreciate that a political party like a religious organization needs to have a set of beliefs codified as a credo, a set of “I believe in God the Father Almighty…” and only true believers are admitted and because they are believers would not leave because he was not made the minister. Christians do not become Muslims because the bishop was not his candidate. And vice versa.
You Nigerianists out there, do not despond, do not despair, be of good cheer and be of good faith for Nigeria would overcome its difficulties. The making of sausage is ugly but the result is wholesome and delicious.
I have overcome the world.
Written by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba
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