Issues
Is This The Democracy Nigerians Fought For?
The way Nigerian politicians twist the laws to fit their selfish interests marvels me. Why is it that every Nigerian politician thinks that he or she is the best for any position, a position that is definitely tenured and a position which was occupied by predecessors? One of the greatest problems that is militating against our progress as a democratic nation is inability to first protect our laws and secondly enforce it on all categories of the citizenry.
Two ravaging instances of today are the struggle for leadership at the National Assembly and the arguments whether or not to deregister political parties that could not attain the minimum requirements laid down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
As a nation, we have laws that guide every aspect of our corporate existence. Although, laws are meant for human beings and are liable to be amended as necessity arises, such amendment cannot be effected for the interest of a few individuals in a kind of set-up as Nigeria. Unless we want to yield to a track by Oliver De Coque that, “a land is owned”, implying that certain individuals can hold a whole society to ransom. However, reports have been in circulation that Nigeria is run by a cabal.
If that is established, then there is hardly a way to development for Nigeria. Here the table is turned and democracy is infested. Democracy is supposed to be guided by the decision of majority. The laws are supposed to be supreme over every Nigerian, moreso over the people who made them. But unfortunately, the reverse is the case in this country. Majority of Nigerians are really in the dark of how government is run or they are tactically kept away from that. Is it democracy?
The funny part of all these is that the laws are often broken by the lawmakers themselves. Once they sense that their interest is at stake, they would hurriedly amend the laws after having convinced the people in the Law House. Sometimes, the President is incapacitated to enforce the laws because there may be skeletons in his cardboard. To the president in such situations, it is better to allow peace to reign between him and the law makers than open an avenue that can lead to severe monitoring of his activities by the parliamentary members who are primarily there to maintain check and balances in governance.
The scenarios at the National Assembly are quite depicting despotism in leadership. Many Nigerians seem to be commending the way the just-concluded general elections were conducted. Many believe they were signs of transparency and fair play. But less than a month after the electioneering events, the nation is stalled with anti-democratic forces that often subvert the people’s will. Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity, let’s take the two cases separately.
For the sake of democracy and good governance, there should be nothing like zoning of offices. Let the position of the Senate President, the speaker of the House and others be given to those who can handle it on merit. The sit-tight syndrome of our leaders should be discouraged and discontinued. I think the incumbent Senate President, David Mark, has done well in the last four years. So, his achievements should speak for him. After all, his re-election shows that he had performed well. He should, therefore, summon the courage to contest against any senator – new or old – for the position he has enjoyed for the past four years. I am sure he did enjoy or over enjoy the position. But, we know it is really difficult to be a floor member after having been the leader.
Senate rule 97 on ranking, which was hurriedly strengthened to effectively foreclose the ambition of fresh senators from aspiring for high seats especially the Senate President should be disregarded. Let there be open contest. Every Nigerian has equal right, at least according to the constitution, and we must all stand up against sit-tight syndrome.
But if that is defeated, then legal redress may be another option. Reports that senators from the North-East zone may be heading to court to seek judicial intervention in the case may be okay. But the controversies over adoption of David Mark or Danjuma Goje by the senators after their retreats at Enugu and Akure would be resolved on June 7th when the Senate would sit to share positions.
As for the House, the open-secret ballot system of voting for candidates of the next Speaker and other principal officers is commendable. The House recently amended its rule to provide for that ballot system of voting. Although, some people perceive the amendment as a move by some of the lawmakers to scuttle the emergence of Alhaji Ajibola Muraina (PDP, Ibarapa Central) from the Southwest, who is anointed by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as next Speaker of the House, I feel it is the best for democracy. It would be recalled that key contestants for the position, regardless of PDP new zoning formula are Mulikat AkandeAdebola (PDP, Ogbomoso) and Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from Sokoto State.
As for deregistration of political parties, INEC should enforce the laws. Unless INEC acknowledges its inefficiency, it should do the right thing to save the country. It is quite unimaginable that out of the 63 registered parties, only 10 were able to win seats at the last April general elections. Only 20 parties featured presidential candidates. Others definitely sold out to stronger parties. There are allegations that most of these parties collected money and endorsed other candidates. Or that some of these parties were primarily registered to spoil show for others. Or that they were formed to enhance political prostitution in the country.
A cursory look of the activities of the parties in the last electioneering dispensation revealed that some of them did not conduct any activities at all. They wrote programmes from the bedrooms of their proprietors and submitted to INEC. Whether or not INEC attended their activities as stipulated by law is to be ascertained. The most important thing is that Nigeria must change for the good, through our collective efforts. We should stop the old ways of doing things. If out of thousands of wards, 774 local government councils, hundreds of state assembly seats, 36 governorship positions, 109 senatorial seats and 360 membership seats of the House of Representatives, a party cannot secure one, then it is not worthy of being called a registered political party. It should become a political association or a non-governmental organization with an aim to assist good governance. That is better for them.
The failed parties should be man enough to accept their failure and give way for vibrancy in our politics. The era when families would wake up to form and register a political party should be over. Now that INEC is not empowered to share money to them, they resort to adopting one politician or the other, including even councillors for a reward instead of fielding in candidates of their own. It’s time we begin strengthening our democracy or we will continue to wait for no one to do it for us.
Also on a very serious note and concern, those who lost their elections or reelections at the last April general polls should go back to their constituencies and plan well for the future elections. Voting them out by their own people signifies their unpopularity or non-performance in office, except if they claim to have been rigged out. As our democracy is growing, we all should stand against the imposition of these failed politicians on the people as their so-called godfathers represent them for appointments as ministers, board members or ambassadors.
Muhammad Ajah
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
