Serial Lobby

Serial Lobby

Lack of Internal Democracy a Threat to Survival of Democracy in Nigeria

The political chess game that played itself out in the conduct of 2011 primaries election by various political parties in Nigeria, showed the kindergarten irresponsibility of Nigerian politicians who are nothing but political bandits who wants to get power by all means to continue and complete their public burglary all in the name of politics.

The murky aqua of Nigerian political cul-de-sac, the Nigerian political conundrum, the present Nigerian political convulsion and cataclysm, the characterization of Nigerian political epilepsy, the witnessing of Nigerian political quake, the apparent graphic of Nigerian political attrition, the affront and stigmatization that has gotten hold of Nigerian political ascendancy, and  our contemporary political stench and political suicidal, all came about as a result of the kindergarten irresponsibility of our political class, and if something quick is not done to check these, Nigerian political cornucopia, alignment, surgery, denouement and political mutation will be myths and mirage in decades to come.

Nigerian Democracy over time has shown that the politicians are political vandals and vampires who their venom on the poor masses have incapacitated and demoralized the society and the people seem to have lost hope totally on the ruling class. The feeling of camaraderie among the ruling class and the masses is completely absent because they have failed the masses.

prior to the election, there were serious political crises and dissension rocking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party that has no ideology , but prides itself as the largest party in Africa. Good enough, not the best party but the largest party.

The zoning arrangement was the fulcrum where the whole fracas that rocked the party can be viewed and analyse. The former head of state Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) was on the front bunner. To him, the judiciary has made its pronouncement, our duty is to comply, referring to the judgment of Abuja High court, which acknowledged the existence of zoning in PDP, failing to stop Jonathan from contesting the 2011 election, amounts to contempt of court, the party's constitution provides thus:

In pursuance to the principle of equality, justice and fairness the party should adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee of all levels. The issue is, if the above section is in the constitution, of PDP, why were the political sycophants made it look as if Atiku and IBB were cooking up stories. Funny enough, Jonathan was serial number 35 person who signed this agreement. The zoning arrangement convulsion continued till 13th January 2011 when PDP held its primaries in Eagle Square and Good Luck Jonathan won Atiku and Sarah Jibrin with wide margin. But what happened on the eve of the election is parlous, precarious, and of political anathema and aberration in the body of any nations politics.

Atiku, Jonathan, and Sarah Jibrin were the candidates, good; unfortunately Atiku was not given equal opportunity to that of Jonathan to have access to all the delegates and canvass for his votes. Can there be free and fair election when there was no democratization of the process, many who watched the process on the live broadcast came to the conclusion that Atiku failed because he has no good manifestoes. But most of us failed to know that the result was predetermined. The delegates were not there to listen to manifestoes no matter how good or bad they may be, they have been instructed to vote for a particular candidate by the cabal.

Another NATIONAL FRAUD that took place that day was the incident of Sarah Jibrin, she got only one vote. The Minister of Women Affairs Josephine Annenih and Dim Patience Jonathan were busy for their campaign on support women in politics. On the day of election, the duo I am very sure were there and Sarah Jibrin got only one vote, that was betrayal on her woman hood. Going by deductive logic and reasoning, she voted for herself or one delegate out of pity voted for her. Then the question is, is she not a woman? Or is she not a beneficiary of the support women in politics campaign of the duo as mentioned above. Axiomatically, this campaign is a fraud and the Minister as a matter of fact, must apologize to Nigerian state for collecting her money and spending it in disguise.

In Kogi state, the story was not different; the Primaries were characterized by fundamental flaws. And after the primaries, there were lots of petitions, defections, and political dissension and convulsion in the state. All these led to the cancellation of the primaries conducted in the state by PDP.

In Ogun state, there was a political kangaroo that was played during the PDP primaries in the state. There were two factions in the state that conducted parallel primaries in the state. The Gbenga Daniel and Olusegun Obasanjo factions, the duo claimed to be the most genuine and must be accepted by the party and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). On the political impasse arising from this, the two factions went to court to sort it out.

In Imo state, Senator Osita Izunaso took PDP to court on the account of irregularities surrounding the party primaries in the state.

In Kwara state, the crisis that followed the PDP primaries in the state led to factions. The leader of the faction group Chief Samuel Adebayo stood his ground that the out come of the election conducted by the other faction was against the ethics of internal democracy. Governor Bukola Saraki and his father Olusola Saraki fell apart for a different opinions and interest on who will fly the party's flag.

In Enugu state, the story was the same, this made the PDP in the state split into two, Okwesilieze Nwodo and Governor Sullivan Chime camps. The party's primaries in the state were full of irregularities and political malpractice.

In Akwa Ibom state, Esemeh Eyibo petitioned the primaries that took place in the state claiming they were not what it ought to be.

In Kano state, the party continued the same way, and the inevitable conflicts followed just like other states. This made some angry youths took away materials meant for the election in the state and also protested on the major streets in the state. This led to the cancellation of the party's primaries in the state.

In Oyo state, Governor Alao-Akala and Senator Teslim Folarin fell apart, and this came as a result of the party's primaries in the state.

But as if PDP was not getting it right, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) demonstrated its lack of internal democracy just as PDP did to the climax. People would have thought that Ekiti state having a strong advocate in civil society group, a person of Governor Kayode Fayemi that the state and ACN will set a standard for other states to parody, but what played in the state during the party's primaries was a clear case of political convulsion and paralysis that threw many into unimaginable bewilderment. The political impasse that followed the party's primaries in the state led to protest of many kinds.

The Governor was accused of imposing candidates on the party members, contrary to the out come of the party primaries election results.

In Edo state, the status-quo was maintained, the party primaries turned bloody in parts of the state. More than three persons were killed and nine others were reportedly injured in various clashes. Two were shot in Udo Ovia South LGA. Whereas the third victim a woman was shot dead and nine others injured at Akoko Edo LGA. Cars were burnt, and fighting was in abundance.

In Lagos state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu imposed candidates on the members of the party and the people protested this act vehemently.

In Ogun and Osun states, the story were all the same as that of others, the status-quo was highly maintained.

All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) had their own share of lack of internal democracy in Anambra state and Osun state respectively.

The lessons learnt from the party congresses for the purpose of 2011 general elections, shows that Nigerian political elites are buffoons who have learnt nothing from the annals of Nigerian political squalor that brought in the military in politics. All the primaries conducted by the respective political parties were graphic examples of undemocratic process, as a matter of fact, all of them were prejudiced, characterized by fundamental flaws and of democratic suicidal.

The political dissension and comatose surrounding the aftermath of the undemocratic primaries conducted by these political parties is still ongoing even as 2011 general election is fast approaching. Most of them are in the court fighting one litigation or the other arising from the aggrieved members of these political parties. Besides, the political suicidal and conundrum that were witnessed during this period were arson, mass protests, mass decamping, assassination, fracas, vendetta and animosity.

Unequivocally, the incident of 2007 general elections presented Nigeria in the eyes of comity of nations as a country that does not value democracy and pretends to be a democratic state on the basis of politics of prebendalism and other vices of democracy.

An attempt was made by PDP to stop the occurrence of 2007 incident, the party thus, cancelled the gubernatorial election primaries held in Kano state, Kogi state as well as ten senatorial seats. Thus re-run of this positions  cancelled was ordered by the party.

Empirically, the candidates whose victory was affected in one way or the other had gone to the court to restore heir mandate. Those that have the financial wherewithal had lobbied their way out either by getting their mandate restored or reached acceptable agreement by the affected members.

Lack of internal democracy witnessed by all the political parties primaries have put the ability of party leadership and the ability of Nigerian political elites into serious examination as their ability to give Nigerian state a democratic state.

ACN the party that preaches one man one vote, showed that all what the party had been preaching is nothing but NATIONAL FRAUD AND DECEPTION. This party shamelessly out of the political and intellectual indebtedness of the leadership of this party said, it chose consensus agreement over and above having elected delegates vote for candidates for their choice.

The statement from ACN National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande in a press interview was the one that obviously showed that the people who brand themselves politicians in Nigeria are people who are more qualified to be in the market selling tomatoes and "kpomor" to women who want to cook soup. They should also quit politics because they are political bandits that are in the mission to complete their public burglary all in the name of politics. He aptly puts it this way "If election within our party is what you are trying to describe as internal democracy, then we reject such idea. Can we impose when we are contesting against PDP? But we can do something within our party if the leadership of the party feels that that is the best thing. This is because it is the leadership of the party that understands the manifestoes of the party and knows what the people really want. This is not a matter of individual but the party. Nobody should accuse ACN of imposition because that is our style. Anyone that is not comfortable with that should go and contest in another political party."

These statements is highly unacceptable and of debasing especially when it came from someone many Nigerian youths are looking up to as a role model and are ready to parody his modus Vivendi.

The ACN chairman Chief Bisi Akande needs a very committed and intelligent teacher that will bring him up from the elementary state of his political analysis to at least  an average level where he will know that the examples of United Kingdom, Canada and India states nomination process cited by him cannot be used to justify ACN action as those countries operate parliamentary system of government, whereas Nigerian state operates presidential system of government.

On the 15th January 1966, Nigerians woke up with the news that the military has taken over governance from the civilians. On the First National Broadcast by the military:

The political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand ten percent, those that seek to help the country divided permanently so that they can remaining in office as Ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before the international circles, those who have corrupt the society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds. We regret taken over from the civilians, we are not suppose to be in Government house and assume leadership role, but we have to save The nation because the politicians are blatantly corrupt, inefficient, Intolerance of one another, political instability, and riots are the  Order of the day, the nation is collapsing and we cannot continue this Way, therefore we have to take over to save the nation from collapsing.  Fellow Nigerians, you can go about your normal duties and be rest assured that the situation is under control as we can no longer condone the Pogrom and immolate that follow this fracas and feud.

Apparently, the military used the kindergarten irresponsibility of our political class to justify why the military brass took over governance. However, when the military took over governance, the citizens became very much happy because the military was seen as Messiah sent by God to save the poor masses from the dastards and eccentric conducts been melted on the people by the politicians.

The question is, have the politicians of this time learnt anything from the experience of the past, or have they continued to maintain the status-quo. We should also know and acknowledge that the factors that led to military intervention abound in Nigeria of today. The military has not taking over because the ruling class has delivered dividends of democracy and good governance, but because the military may be, has started enjoying the civil rule not democracy as we have in Nigeria. However, the ruling class must make every effort to make sure that military will be kept in the barracks permanently, otherwise if they continue the way they are going, one day we will wake up to the rhythm of military trumpet in ASO-ROCK, but we pray that will not happen in the history of Nigerian politics again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Center for Democracy and Development (CDD),

Abuja,

Nigeria,

West Africa

email address libertydgreat@gmail.com

phone numbers +23408030899992/+23408076501990

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My mom recently purchased a Fine Art "Traditional Easel" from Hobby Lobby. Its serial number is A13114. We have not been able to figure out how to assemble it.

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