28th September, 2010
Newspapers have been awash with reports that the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, would employ the services of anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the State Security Service, SSS, etc. to screen politicians aspiring to various elective positions during the 2011 elections. It is not clear whether the party’s plan is altruistic or not. Perhaps PDP resorted to this face saving measure as it tries to contend with the crises of credibility and legitimacy that have dogged its existence since 1999 when it rigged itself into power at all levels.
The absence of an internal mechanism in political parties, especially the PDP, to screen its members vying for elective positions, has created room for all kinds of shady characters to find their way into power. Some of these charlatans are in the National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, local government councils, etc. They are the ones calling the shots now.
Without prompting, security agencies ought to have begun discreet screening of aspirants who have declared their intention to contest in next year’s elections. Besides, there ought to be several layers of screening of these aspirants from the ward to the local government levels by the political parties on whose platforms they want to contest; and at the national level by security agencies.
A thorough screening of the aspirants will ensure that those who go to equity do so with clean hands. The screening will prevent criminals and other anti-social elements with sugar-coated tongues and fake promises from hijacking governance as they have done since 1999. The lack of screening made it possible for men of straw to occupy high political offices with nothing to show for all the billions of naira invested in our democracy. Parties like the PDP are suffering from crises of legitimacy all over the country because most of its members shamelessly rigged themselves into power.
In most of the states like Ogun, Delta, Abia, etc., there are parallel PDP excos because everybody wants to feather his own nest at the expense of the interest of the majority. Public office holders now try to outdo one another in the game of amassing wealth.  Since screening of aspirants has become imperative, most of the discredited politicians who are already in government are oiling their political machinery to return to power to continue pillaging our collective patrimony.
We must not allow them to have their way again. If, however, they manoeuvre their way and eventually buy their parties’ tickets, the electorate should disgrace them at the polls by rejecting them outright. Since every Nigerian is expectant that there will be  free, fair and credible elections next year, the parties should lay the basic foundations for ensuring that the hopes of the people are not dashed. One way to do so is to screen out corrupt politicians, drug barons, 419 kingpins, ritualists, etc. With a huge war chest, these people can go to any length to buy the tickets for the offices they are vying for. But it is up to the security agencies to cut their dream short and if that fails, the electorate should use the power of the ballot to stop them.
Yes, it can be done, if we ensure that our votes count. With the ongoing massive sensitisation by churches, civil rights groups, non government organisations, etc., the 2011 elections promise to be a different ball game entirely for men without integrity, especially politicians with skeletons in their cupboards.