By Innocent Okonkwo
A consummate monitor of election cycles in Nigeria would not resort to Artificial Intelligence to confirm that each has its unique pattern of idiosyncracy.
Every round of civil governance since 1960 throws up characters and bizarre indulgences. When the Great Zik’s NCNC swept the polls in Lagos and coasting home with victory in the South West in the 50’s, Awo’s Action Group wrested the imminent victory with adroit deployment of carpet crossing!
The first round of election after political independence in 1960, unleashed fire and brimstone in the same South West notoriously code named ” operation Wetie”!
Another election cycle came in 1979 and was inconclusive at the national level. The resort to judicial intervention brought more controversy and discontent, with the judicial calculation of 2/3 of 12!
The national election in 1983 threw up a gadfly, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, a young chieftain of NPN, describing Awo as a ” serial loser”, and Zik’s reservations on the credibility of the polls as “rantings of an ant”.
General Abdulsalami’s midwifed election in 1999 was more of a constitutional imprimatur on Diarchy than full fledged civil governance. The razzmatazz was absent due to palpable skepticism by the depleted reservoir of professional politicians.
Obasanjo’s second term bid in 2003 and Yar’dua’s election in 2007 suffered scandalous deficit in credibility and transparency. The first time an election in Nigeria would be accepted, despite observed infractions, was in 2015 under the watch of Jonathan. He accepted defeat before full results were announced and congratulated the winner, Buhari.
The Buhari administration (2015-2023) institutionalised the extra constitutional arm of government called cabal, which was in its cocoon stage, in Yar’dua’s short administration!
Buhari introduced medical tourism into Presidential lexicon of service and it has become a new normal. Now, an absentee President can be excused from his duty post with the excuse that in the present digital world, even the number one elected chief servant can work from any part of the world.
President Tinubu since assumption of office in 2023, has adopted the same passion of “working” for Nigerians from abroad. London was Buhari’s preferred nest, while Tinubu has found Paris as an alternate Aso Rock!
Last week, President Tinubu jolted many by announcing with imperial fiat that only few states would be honoured with his presence during his party’s nationwide Presidential campaign tour! This is another novelty in politicking in Nigeria. A sitting President seeking re-election by proxy?
It will now be the responsibility of the campaign committee to present the President’s score card, and aggregate the needs and demands of each political constituency. And this will be happening when a serving President is neither incapacitated nor constitutionally restrained? Nigeria’s democracy has indeed been engaged in the reverse gear!
Following the same novel trajectory, the Senate same week adopted a motion declaring the offices of all its Principal officers occupied and unavailable for any contest in the yet to be inaugurated 11th Senate of 2027. What a legislative rascality and audacious concupiscence!
LSo now, offices in the legislative arm of government are decreed and declared unavailable in advance when elections are yet to be held and the partisan demography of the chambers undetermined?
Indeed, as the late American pop artiste , Michael Jackson, asked in one of his hit songs: DO THEY REALLY THINK ABOUT US?
I doubt, and will be least disturbed if am in the minority!
Okon, a lawyer and journalist, lives in Uyo.
