Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe
Election rigging, insecurity, youth unemployment and development are critical issues which poses great threat to the survival of constitutional democracy in Nigeria. Electoral fraud has become a major set-back in the process of entrenching democratic values in this country. The political elites, particularly the unpopular candidates are the major perpetrators of electoral fraud designed to impose themselves on the very people who do not want their representation or leadership. It is therefore sad to note that the same class of politicians who imposed themselves on the people turns around to inflict pains of poverty, neglect and bad governance which have resulted in grave insecurity, posing threat to the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.
As a political scientist and keen player in Public and International Affairs, I find it extremely difficult to place the political and leadership intents of our political actors. I do not really know the ideology behind their kind of politics. For example, one can no longer differentiate “democrats” from the “Republicans” or the Democrats and Republicans from the core “Socialists”. The system has become a mix-up of confused political actors who do not really know what political ideology is all about. This has accounted for the massive defection of politicians in Nigeria from one political party to another without the application of basic moral, socio-economic and political values and/or considerations. How do some of these political actors explain the merger of two political parties that have different political ideologies? How are they able to blend smoothly without recourse to the core values of constitutional democracy? Why should they base their merger on the basis of just “winning elections” only and not consider whether or not the political marriage is rooted on solid foundation with regards to political ideology? These questions beg for answers and they really get me cracked-up.
If the idea of democracy is all about winning elections, then Nigeria is still far from being a democratic nation. The rule of the game is that democracy is anchored on certain values proposed to the electorate by the political parties and their candidates. It is on the basis of the different values and ideas that the people are able to correctly and precisely choose the party that best suits their yearnings and aspirations. The lack of these factors has robbed off on the political gaming in this country where people go for the names of personalities in a political party and not the ideology of the party. The names of political parties seem to matter most in Nigeria. It is sad, it is painful and we need to have a re-think and begin to adjust our mentality towards perfecting the series of defects rearing their ugly heads in our attempt to entrench result oriented democracy culture.
Electoral fraud or election rigging therefore is highly prompted by lack of political ideology, sound and well articulated political manifesto coupled with the desperate attempts by unpopular candidates to impose themselves on the electorate. The actual rigging starts during party primaries where huge bribes are offered to party delegates and top party men and women by contestants. Party leadership and delegates are consulted ahead, several wee-hours meetings are held aimed at scheming out credible candidates who lack the financial resources to match their political opponents.
The party primaries become the breeding grounds for the technical criminal training required to scheme through the next levels of the electoral process. Once the fraudulent primaries are concluded through violence, falsehood, bribery and other social and criminal vices, the battle ground then shifts to the various offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is where the battle of who-is-who is fought at all cost. This is where multiple connections at high places are employed to rig elections. Visit upon visits to INEC offices, phone calls, well crafted late hours and early bird meetings are hosted by major stakeholders in the system which cut across party lines and divide. At this level, issues relating to club affiliation, occult membership and other undemocratic variables are put on the table for consideration. At the end, certain class of people emerges as winners of the election but not necessarily the best among the contestants. Fraud has been perpetuated and election concluded.
The case is more deadly and financially costly at the governorship and presidential elections. It is also costly, too, in some federal constituencies and senatorial districts depending on the degree of lack of acceptance of a political candidate by his people. The unpopular candidates who are desperate to win elections are the most deadly species we have in this country. It has been alleged that they import arms and ammunitions, train and equip our youths to assist them in perfecting their selfish and self-centered political ambitions. This has accounted for the high level of insecurity and increased criminality in our society today.
The youths are left with their assault riffles and ammunitions after elections which they use for other criminal engagements once elections are over. They are forced to this point of criminality due to the failure of the political class, elected representatives and governments at all levels to rehabilitate or integrate these teaming youths into deliberate and progressive social security programmes and sponsored vocational skills that would make them better members of the social milieu.
Constituency allowances and constituency project funds find their way to private pockets while the people are left to waste away in acute poverty and high tension hunger which has fuelled serious security problems in the country. Some state governors and other major players at the federal levels are also busy stuffing their local and foreign bank accounts with public funds. Pending criminal court cases against some past and present political actors and public servants lay credence to this fact. In a nutshell, the past and present leaders and the political actors should be held responsible for the decay and retrogression experienced so far as a nation.
Those shifting blames should be regarded as mere “political craftsmen and women” employing dubious and deceitful political skills to play on the intelligent of Nigerians. They are mere political shenanigans hitting up the polity for self political gains. They are gaming politically and their views should be left in the dust bin of political irrelevance. This should be so because they are the same people who have been reshuffled and recycled in our economic and democratic struggles as a nation.
It is therefore a truism that the spate of insecurity in Nigeria is largely traced to bad governance from 1960 till date and not necessarily the fault of President Jonathan’s administration alone. In fact, it is on record that the Jonathan’s administration blocked N25 billion leakages in the agricultural sector alone. The partial removal of petroleum subsidy has also raked in several billions of Nigeria. It is rumoured that the fierce battle between the Presidency and the House of Representatives is as a result of the President’s refusal to engage in “father Christmas” style of leadership which the elected representatives enjoyed in precious administrations. Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, they say, had blocked and sealed some of the major holes were the “national cake” is previously depleted and shared through the back doors.
They are said to be furious about the President’s decision to monitor constituency project monies which the honourable members see as their own share of the dividend of democracy. All of these put together and many more will surely make this country ungovernable for Mr. President. Furthermore, it has been alleged that some folks in the North are boiling over the privatization of federal government owned corporations like Power Holdings of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerian Airways, et al, which use to be the drainage pipe connected to the national treasury for the siphoning of funds for private use by certain powerful forces in that geo-political zone.
Another offence of Mr. President is the appointment of a Southern as Petroleum Minister since 2011, a woman for that matter, who is soft spoken, harmless in conduct but an Aso Rock too hard and extremely difficult to penetrate for “shop, I shop” deals. This may have accounted for the television sensitization by the Transformation Agenda Initiative Group which refers to “change” as a difficult task with reference to Martin Luther King of America, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, and others. More these type of electioneering television commercials, radio jingles and newspapers advertisements will flood our screens and prime spots in newspapers and magazines once campaign commences as specified in the INEC time table. Certainly, Nigerians will be able to compare and contrast as to which political parties and candidates they will vote for.
The North that is crying “hullaballoo” today has been in charge of the affairs of this nation for more than any region or geo-political zone since 1960. Since independence, the North governed this country and her resources for close to 46 years and was unable to provide sound education and technical skills seriously needed by the youths of the Northern region. The Northern leaders like their counterparts in other parts of the country also concentrated on lining their pockets with huge financial resources at the detriment of the vast majority of Nigerians including the good people of the Northern region. The Abacha and Babaginda loots are good examples of such financial crimes and recklessness.
In the present democratic experience, Northern leaders are yet to justify the huge financial resources that have been allocated to them from the federal purse. Their past and present public office holders, politicians, past presidents, past heads of state, past and present members of the national assembly and governors have also failed their people to a high degree. The gross underdevelopment in the north which has forced the vast majority of the Northern youths into street begging and criminality justifies this fact. Acute poverty occasioned by bad governance and reckless corruption has made the Northern youths readily available for extensive use by the Boko Haram terrorist group which has held Nigeria spell-bound for over five years now, inflicting pains, sorrow and tears on millions of Nigerians through their bombings and blood thirsty criminal tendencies.
It is therefore safe to assert that some of our political actors, if not all of them, are guilty of election rigging, bad governance, youth underdevelopment and other defective leadership actions and inactions which have resulted in the present state of insecurity in Nigeria. Those calling for the head of President Jonathan are the same people who have been managing the affairs of this country both during civilian and military administration of this country. They are like “coca-cola” soft drink, always present and available for use by successive governments. They collaborated with the military and the political class to empty the national, state and local government treasuries. And in all of these, it is the Nigerian people particularly the youth that are directly and indirectly affected negatively by the financial rascality and gross incompetent of our past and present leaders.
The state of insecurity cannot be managed or curtailed effectively if governments at all levels continue to ignore youth empowerment, development and socio-economic integration. The local, State and the federal governments including elected representatives at all levels must take a decisive action to judiciously use government monies to develop infrastructure, provide technical education and skills for our teaming youths and at the same time begin to invest heavily in science and technology. More monies must be voted for capital projects and pro-people deliberate projects by the three tiers of government. Political parties particularly the ruling PDP should set standards of performance for her governors, political appointees and elected representatives so as to enhance service delivery which would ultimately raise the standard of governance.
Education should continue to top our budgets while governments at all levels must collaborate to solve the problem of unemployment, science and technology. Power, housing schemes, social welfare packages for citizens, good roads network, rehabilitation and construction are an integral part of national development. Transparency and fight against corruption should be uppermost such that death penalty or life imprisonment should be entrenched in our constitution, criminal codes and other vital legislation so as to drastically curtail the scourge of official stealing and corruption in our country.
Special Constitutional and Financial Crimes Courts should be established through legislative instruments so as to quickly and decisively handle and dispense justice in matters relating to financial crimes and election petitions. Fast and competent dispensation facilitates national progress and inculcates moral and high ethical values on the people. It is therefore essential that governments at all levels must begin deliberate collaborations to address some of these issues rocking the boat of our national progress, peace and unity.
In the light of the above, it is absolutely necessary for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be well funded by the federal government to provide electronic gadgets and highly sophistical online and/or internet data base that would make it impossible for political actors and their collaborators to rig elections. Advanced electronic voting is key and will enhance sound democratic principles and political participation in our electioneering process. Basic and concrete political ideologies are necessary ingredients for national development. Credible elections and sound political ideologies will ensure that only popular and qualified candidates are fielded for elections and are elected to represent the people.
The Jonathan administration should do all it can to provide the huge funding required while INEC makes concrete efforts to get the financial support of donor agencies and foreign governments to procure and use sophisticated gadgets and equipment to conduct elections so as to eliminate rigging and political criminality from our electoral system. Our youths should no longer be trained on how to handle weapons of mass destruction for the sake of elections. Nigerian youth are entitled to economic, social and vocational empowerment and training. The national assembly should muster the political will to enact laws that will sanction and punish election riggers and their criminal collaborators and partners in crime.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Editors of Nigeria should embark on local, national and overall sensitization of the people particularly the youths to shun all forms of electioneering vices and criminality. Election rigging is anti-people, anti-progress and anti-development and those indulged in rigging should be treated as common criminals, exposed and jailed for not less than twenty-five years imprisonment with hard labour without the option of fine.
And in addition, anyone pronounced guilty by a competent court of Law or electoral tribunal should be rusticated and prevented from political participation and appointment into political offices. They are the ones causing this nation bitter pain, inestimable measure of agonies and insecurity. They should be treated as enemies of our country which is why the people must opt for a drastic change for the better in 2015. The people should rise up to the occasion and elect popular and credible candidates and at the same resist the criminal forces of electoral fraudsters and their collaborators.
Election riggers have ruined the lives of most of our youths while many have died in the process of assisting political actors to achieve their selfish and anti-democratic scheming and criminalities. Enough is enough. 2015 should be the starting point to confront and mess-up any criminal political actor who want to use our youths to perfect their dirty political tendencies. They have wrecked enough havoc on our polity and nation. They must not be allowed again to promote acrimony, hate and criminality in our quest for a virile economy and steady progress in advancing our political culture and constitutional democracy.
Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), a Public Affairs and Political Analyst and National President of the Green White Green Vanguard, a socio-economic and political advocacy group based in Lagos, Nigeria.
