14th April, 2014
Gradually, this political dispensation is drawing to the cusp. As it is the practice, political activities are accelerating, as various interest groups position themselves to clinch juicy positions during the elections. This, in itself, without bickering and breach of the constitution and other laws, is good for the health of the political system.
Unfortunately, while some well-meaning Nigerians are against anything that could derail the gains made so far with this democratic experiment, some politicians are bent on frustrating the process through unwholesome practices. Such people relish sticking needles into the very fragile differences that are part of our diversity.
They are promoting hatred and heating up the polity in Nigeria. Take for example, the recent rumour making the rounds in some quarters that a political party had concluded plans to field candidates of a particular faith for the presidency in 2015. Because we are citizens of the 21st century, nothing can be more demeaning than this reference. If anything, Nigeria is not a theocracy and as such does not require a contestant to show any form of religious piety to qualify to run for public office.
In the same vein, we consider it even too premature for such insinuations and statement to be made, given that the political parties have not selected candidates to represent them at the polls. We wonder, therefore, where these mischief makers got their information from. To all intent and purposes, and given the mad-house approach to politics in Nigeria, the peddlers of the so-called Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian presidential ticket mooted by one political party, is aimed at sowing mischief.
Those who choose to use this as an electioneering campaign tool understand our fault lines very well. They know how combustible religion is. But they forget that other nations have transcended such issues that don’t have direct bearing on governance.
Despite the point they might appear to be scoring now with this divisive campaign, those who apply scorching currents to the polity through religion have merely chosen a deadly path. The end, if they succeed with their campaign, will consume them as well as their divisive strategy.
At this point in time, Nigerians should rise above politicians’ sloganeering speeches. Our countrymen should be concerned more about the very basic things that affect us. The way to go is to confront politicians and all those asking for our votes at the elections with questions bordering on their strategies for fixing our existential exigencies.
It was common in the past to preach religion, ethnicity, economic and educational status as a means of vote-winning. We have seen the reward for that manifesting in the continuous national electricity blackout, comatose educational system, poor transportation network, violence of unimaginable dimension as symbolised by Boko Haram insurgence, kidnappings and armed robbery in the country.
The constitution spells the criteria that a person must possess before qualifying to seek elective office. Those who drew up that sacred document didn’t envisage that religion of whatever hue must overtly play a role in our electoral system. Those promoting it or fuelling embers of hate through rumour peddling must stop their dangerous mischief. They are agents of retrogression. They have found what appears to be a potent propaganda tool in religion but they should be prepared to reap from their whirlwind when the chips are down.