Politicians and desperation for power

Nothing better explains the
ongoing desperation among
politicians than the fact that in
Nigeria, politics has become a
game where the winner takes all.
Winning political office has been
turned to a do-or-die affair. The
report that President Goodluck
Jonathan has lately been “raining
dollars” on monarchs in the South-
West to win their hearts is another
instance of what the nation’s
leaders can do with our resources
for the sake of getting or retaining
power. No wonder, rather than
counting our blessings as a nation,
political actors have succeeded in
leaving us in the wilderness.
An author and political scientist,
Vernon Dyke, defined politics as “a
struggle among actors pursuing
conflicting desires on public
issues.” But if indeed those aspiring
to political offices in this country
are doing so “for the greatest good
of the greatest number,” the
present struggle would not have
been this severe.
Decorum has been thrown to the
winds. I agree with some
commentators that politicians on
either side of the divide, I mean the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party
and the opposition All Progressives
Congress, have shown this trait. But
it is evident that the incumbents
have been worse.
Some agents of Mr. President and
the PDP have reportedly continued
to offend our moral sensibilities.
Looking back, even those who
handled such dirty jobs for military
dictators like Ibrahim Babangida
and Sani Abacha, as irritable as they
were, did not descend to this level.
Many watchers of the political
scene have been pissed off. The
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka,
is one of them.
Speaking to an audience while
reviewing a book recently, he said,
“All of us here have passed through
the electoral process furnace
before now…and I suspect we
would mostly agree that never
before have we been subjected to
this level of sheer venom, crudity of
vulgar abuse of language in such
prodigal quantities as in this
current political exercise.
“The very gift of communication,
considered the distinguishing mark
of cultured humanity even in
polemical situations, has been
debased, affecting even thought
processes, I often suspect,” Soyinka
observed.
Earlier, some kinsmen of the
President had threatened fire and
brimstone if he did not win.
Despite the threat such statements
posed to the nation’s security,
nothing was done to rein in such
people.
Election, the world over, has been
part and parcel of the democratic
order. It has been used to either
renew the mandate of a
government or vote it out of
power. The main beauty of
democracy is in the choice it gives
the people to do what they like
with their voting power. Any group,
clique or cabal that threatens such
a process will be frowned upon by
members of the civilised society.
Reviewing the shenanigans that
have so far characterised the
ongoing electoral process, one
cannot but agree that it has been
driven by desperation fuelled by
utter contempt for the democratic
process.
From excuses that the Independent
National Electoral Commission was
ill-prepared for the elections and
that the military could not
guarantee the nation’s security
during the period , issues have now
shifted to card readers, demands
for the removal of the INEC
Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, and
alleged moves by the Presidency to
probe some key members of the
opposition.
Despite assurances that the polls
will not be postponed again, the
body language of the governing
class continues to send bad signals.
But over the years, Nigerians have
been known to say NO to anti-
democratic moves by any
government. Nigerians must be
allowed to make their choice.

Getting hot

More than hot bro