Ninyo Omidiji
As we head for the polls again, this is my reflection of our voting patterns in the last few years.
I could remember since the return of democracy in 1999, PMB had contested for president about three time previously but he stood no chance. He obviously had a cult-like following that was restricted to some part of the North.
Beyond that, controversy stuck to him like leprosy. Owing to previous utterances and demeanour, he was labelled an Islamic fundamentalist. Across board, the Christian community rejected him.
Some sections of Nigeria also labelled him a dictator. They couldn't forgive him for ousting a civilian government in 1984. It didn't matter to them that he tried to instill discipline on the polity, the memory of how his soldiers treated their fathers and children on the streets was unforgivable. Hence, his chances of coming to power in the garb of a civilian were narrow.
However, this narrative continued until 2014 , close to another election year. Successive PDP governments had ruled the country for about 16 years and their wastefulness and flagrant disregard for the masses, had become a public knowledge.
It came to a head when GEJ was in the saddle. He was generally perceived as a good man who tolerated corrupt practices and supervised the looting of our national treasury. A man with an endearing personality but too weak to govern a difficult and complex nation like ours.
The general feeling was that he wasn't in charge of his government and a vote for him would tantamount to a vote for the cabal. He political woes became worse when he fell out with his former benefactor, Olusegun Obasanjo, a man who loves to write letters that even people who hate his guts love to read.
 |
| Advertisement |
Obasanjo obviously has no cult-like following in any part of Nigeria but like him or hate him, he's one man with the greatest capacity to shape perceptions of people in Nigerian politics. If he says you are a thief, even people who don't like him would join him to call you a thief without evidences.
Long story cut short, in 2015, the thrust of electioneering campaign was to oust power from Jonathan. There was a high powered conspiracy between the masses (who saw Jonathan's government as corrupt) and the powers outside government who fell out with Jonathan. Political permutations and alliances began against the largest and strongest party in Africa, PDP.
All of a sudden and by some stroke of luck, the lot fell on Buhari. He was the candidate of choice to dislodge the ruling PDP. The shout of his integrity rent the air. One would have wondered why his integrity wasn't considered in the previous times he vied for elections. He became the incorruptible, no-nonsense candidate sellable to Nigerians. His integrity and military pedigree came in handy in the face of bokoharam terrorist activities.
Hope came alive! Young Nigerians dug into archives and brought up as many available evidences as possible to launder his already controversial image. They justified his high-handedness in the military era. Buhari had never been that Popular in history.
His goodwill among nigerians skyrocketed and he literally became a movement. This sent jitters down the spine of the ruling PDP. Even PDP campaigners mentioned Buhari's name more than they did, their principal, Jonathan, in a frantic attempt to damage him. But it was the last kick of a dying horse . The more they tried to label him controversial, the more popular he became. The die was cast. He emerged the president, federal republic of Nigeria.
Fast forward to 2019 and so much has happened. We have been in and out of recession. Some economic, social and health statistics are still unfavorable. Many complain of unfavorable economic experiences. Many are disappointed. Evidences of undeniable nepotism stare people in the face.
To some, Buhari hasn't been able prove his turf and his government hasn't lived up to expectations. Many Buhari faithfuls try frantically to show proofs of good governance but some of them simply dismiss anyone who complains as being corrupt. But this doesn't change what many people feel.
The security situation hasn't improved much, the dynamics of terrorism have only changed somewhat. The much-touted "integrity" chant no longer make sense to People. The celebrated incorruptibility is demystified, not because anyone could accuse buhari of stealing, but because the system is still largely corrupt.
Even the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was honest enough to admit that "contractual" corruption is still going on despite measures instituted. Could Nigerians be asking for too much in a short run? It remains to be determined.
In the last few weeks, it has become obvious to many Nigerians how tired the president might have become. The slips during campaign and other public engagements are too significant to overlook.
He had previously survived a major health challenge that took him away from office and made him the number one absentee president in Nigeria history. It seemed the illness left him with a sequelae. It is seriously doubted he could be in charge if returned to Aso rock. A vote for him might just be a vote for some unknown People.
Amidst other controversies, only a blind person would think PMB still has as much goodwill as he had in 2015. It is obvious Nigerians are sourcing for alternatives. There are some young, vibrant eggheads that have presented themselves to serve.
Listening to them alone will leave you with the impression that they know their onions and have enough political will to go with it.
However, it would seem to me that their chances are quite slim. Nigeria and Nigerians aren't ready for them yet. All they want to do right now is to dislodge the ruling party APC and their best choice for the job is PDP, a party they once demonized for APC.
Nigerians don't vote for good governance, not yet. They vote against bad governance. They vote to oust power from whom they don't want. It doesn't matter to them where they are jumping to, they care much about where they are jumping from. Do you blame them? I could hardly.
Why do I see an intriguing history replay itself? The flagbearer of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, had his political fortune decimated since 2007 or so. Obasanjo, again, Obasanjo, his former principal played a key role in this.
As a matter of fact, the reason many people believe Atiku is a thief today is because Obasanjo said so. If my memory serves me right, he hasn't been to any law court answering to charges on corruption yet to many Nigerians, he's considered to be a thief.
Nigerian politics is interesting! The same people who would not give him a change in the past are rooting for him today. Every effort has been made to launder his image. His strongest critic, Obasanjo, made a drastic and brazen U-turn and gave him his strongest endorsement. Atiku's name is in the mouth of APC stalwarts, trying to discredit him. But to many Nigerians, that could have mattered in the past but no more.
They just want the present government ousted and Atiku has the needed political clout to achieve this. Everything is done to drum up his good side. Being a successful business man has become a campaign tool in the face of economic misery, much like being a man of integrity was a campaign tool for Buhari in the face of loud corruption in 2015.
Nigerians don't give a hoot whether or not these qualities can be brought to bear on government. They just use them to campaign.
Welcome to Nigeria, where we don't vote for competence, we vote for strong political structures;, where we don't vote for people, we vote out People. It remains to be seen whether history is repeating itself or not. From my sideline, this is the way I see things.
 |
| Dr. Ninyo |
Dr Ninyo Omidiji is a Public Affairs Analyst and member, West African College of Physicians WACP(psychiatry). A clinician with Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi
Comments
Post a Comment