13th January, 2011
Democracy is supposed to be government of the people by the people for the people but the democracy we have here in Nigeria seems to be different. When godfathers decide who goes for what office, then democracy is dead.
The lack of internal democracy in Nigerian political parties is a great cause for concern. We thought the past should shape the future but we are sad to see the past is not shaping the future. The past that cost us so much in terms of military rule is repeating itself.
It is disheartening to see that our politicians have not learnt anything, if anything. We had thought that many politicians in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, are rogues, given the manner it has conducted the affairs of this country as the ruling party and the shoddy manner it conducted its primaries across the country. But those we thought would change the face of politics in Nigeria are not behaving any better.
The primary election of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, so far, has not been impressive. Complaints of nepotism and favouritism have greeted the ACNÂ primaries all over the nation and we are most concerned.
All over the country, controversy has dogged the primaries of the ACN, so much that PDP has pointed this out and laughed at the holier-than-thou attitude of the ACN. We have always referred to the PDP as a nest of crooks but the ACN has not proved to be different. Complaints of intimidation and imposition have trailed ACN primaries. It is now difficult to know who to trust. If the consensus of the electorate is that the ACN is no better than the PDP, then the nation is in trouble.
Several of the ACN candidates for the April 2011 polls have emerged in some states like Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Edo and Ekiti against the will of the electorate, according to reports by the media. It is disheartening that this is happening at a period of national awakening, when more Nigerians in the Diaspora are returning home to contribute their quota to the development of their fatherland. Would we ever get out of this? Would our politicians ever learn? Are we jinxed?
At yesterday’s ACN primaries, popular candidates were forced to withdraw for endorsed ones, while those who refused to withdraw were disenfranchised. This led to protests in several parts of the country. In Ekiti, Ogun, Kwara and many other states, the primaries were marred by violence, imposition of candidates and intimidation, a development which has thrown the party into confusion with many voters threatening a protest vote during the general election.
Many patriots who had watched the primaries were disappointed by unfolding events. It is time for the leadership of the ACN to stand up to be counted among the patriots. The leadership of ACN must make amends and allow the wishes of the people to prevail. Internal democracy has become the first law. We cannot practice democracy where there is no internal democracy. People cannot realise their wishes where those wishes are subject to the whims of a godfather or a group who does not allow voices of dissent to be heard.
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