If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. – Dwight D. Eisenhower
From a non-existent, comatose status, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) hitherto non-existent in the political firmament of Ondo politics suddenly sprouted some five months back. For a state that had been ruled by the PDP for six years straight under Agagu and later under the jackboots of Mimiko of the Labour Party for four years, it would be almost unthinkable for any party to want to contest for power. But not the ACN and its leadership. Convinced that parties are set up contest for power no matter, a right no one can question, satisfied that the party had a sellable ideology and formidable platform and determined to change the face and direction of Ondo politics, ACN threw its hat in the ring.
Thus, in less than six months, the party energised its base and changed the political temperature of Ondo politics. With both hands on the lever, the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Tinubu led the charge to rebuild the party. Deploying many of his traditional political associates to pound the ground in Ondo, he employed his strategic prowess to put the party back in gear and into reckoning. What followed was a flurry of activities that soon turned the political battle in Ondo into a battle royale. What seemed like a walk over for Mimiko became a battle for his political survival.
Having parted ways with those who paved his way to power, and pelted stones at those who stood up for him when it mattered most, Mimiko with power, money and the coercive instruments of the state in his hands become a demi-god-a governor turned Sheriff. For Mimiko, Ondo State was his farm and no one else dare attempt to take it over. But every student of politics knows that one of the very elementary lessons of politics is that the competition for power is constant, fierce and atimes can be brutal. Parties and politicians are in business to contest for power, to seek to unseat their opponents or even members within their party, to take advantage of their opponents and seize on opportunities.
Hans J. Morgenthau captures the essence of power when he said “The struggle for power is universal in time and space and is an undeniable fact of experience. It cannot be denied that throughout historic time, regardless of social, economic and political conditions, states have met each other in contests for power. .. all politics, is a struggle for power.”
The game of politics is not a game for the lily-livered. It is not one for the sentimental or the non-risk taker. So when people complain about ACN or any other party challenging Mimiko for the governship seat of Ondo, I wonder what planet they are from. It is well within their right.
That the Action Congress of Nigeria, entered the race, stomped the grounds in Ondo, articulated a party manifesto and competed according to the rules of the game should be enough to earn it kudos. Any other argument about ACN and Ondo falls by the way side and on stony ground. Why do some people feel Mimiko or any other governor for that matter cannot be challenged at the polls when election time comes? The mere fact that a time limit is set for the tenure of elected officials at the expiration of which they must return to the electorate to earn a new mandate suggests that others that desire to hold such positions must be given the chance to compete. Therein lies the most fundamental ingredient of democracy which is the right of the people to either vote in or vote out representatives they do not like. There is no morality about what party, which individual or group can enter the race to contest for power. There is also no questioning of the rationale or the right or motives of such persons or parties to enter the race. What suffices is that the party or individual fulfils the requirements to compete.
In Ondo, we have seen our democracy benefit from very spirited political campaigns, debates and multi-party exposure. The ACN brought a new spark, glamour and excitement to the governorship race. But more than that, it brought out the issues and forced all those in the race to compete for the votes and support of the electorate.
The Ondo election has come, but it has not gone. In the next few weeks and months there will emerge evidence of vote manipulation, rigging, and other infractions that occurred that may form the basis for legal action. The gloss over the election will wear off. The maximum use of thuggery, the criminal acts of ballot snatching, the perpetration of violence and scare mongering that characterized the Ondo elections no matter how much they try to hide them will soon be revealed.
It is sufficient for now to accept the fact that a winner has been announced in Mimiko, but to claim he won a landslide, that he was the preferred choice of the people and that he was politically invincible by breaking the second term jinx is to stretch the Mimiko narrative too far into the realm of the ridiculous. For instance, Mimiko’s victory is neither resounding nor a landslide as we are being made to believe. With only about 1 in 6 voting for him in the election and with a 41.6 per cent of total votes cast in his favor fell short of getting a majority vote. However, in the combined 51 per cent scored by the PDP and the ACN, it is evident that the Ondo people voted more for a change than for Mimiko.
I must return momentarily to the antagonists of the idea of South-west integration for development. When the media spinners, pundits and a tribe of political charlatans seek to pooh-pooh the idea of the South-west integration by referring to it as a thirst for territorial expansion and political hegemony, one is left to wonder where they were when Awolowo united the South-west and marched the region forward in bold steps towards development. Of course all was well until the most classic political betrayal yet in the annals of political history occurred and Akintola broke ranks with Awolowo. There is nothing wrong with the push for regional integration or South-west integration. It is not a crime in our books for parties or individuals seek to unite their people or region towards rapid development. It is purely legitimate. That is why we have the South-south states beginning to integrate. The north under the Arewa Consultative Forum and Middle Belt Forum are all attempts at regional integration which no one dares question. To now seek to question the move towards the South- west integration as championed by Tinubu and the ACN governors reeks of political bad blood and opportunism. That they seek to win more governors or persons to their cause is also very legitimate. The Yoruba have in Asiwaju Tinubu a dogged fighter for the race. It is on record that perhaps after Awolowo and Abiola, no other single individual has invested in the Yoruba cause. We ask pointed of those of the Afenifere and their cohorts who claim to be more Awolowo than the rest of us what is it that they have done to advance the cause of the Yoruba nation. The people do not know or reckon with them. They are the ones who eat the three course meal meant for the people and give nothing back. They are the ones in whose influence does not extend beyond the street where their house is situated. We saw their likes at work during the times of Awolowo and Abiola. It can be no different for Asiwaju Tinubu. In the unfolding developments around the Ondo elections, the Yoruba nation is yet exposed as intolerant of successful political leaders and too much in a hurry to demonize them.
Now that the Ondo election as thrown up these issues once again, we must proceed with care and reasoning devoid of parochialism. The ACN from being a mere onlooker in Ondo politics now has a foothold, a stake and political actors now and future elections at all levels must reckon with the party. The party has lived true to the assertion made by H.L Henry that “Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right.”
Definitely, the last has not been heard of the Ondo elections. The last election is just one battle and there will be several more. The war is still afar off. The ACN for one will continue in its dogged pursuit of ensuring that the process of election is transparent and the playing ground is levelled. It will seek to send the message that the party is willing to concede defeat only when it is sure that no advantage was accorded its opponents either by the powers that be in Abuja or by the umpire, in this case INEC in the October contest. Those that seek power by all means must also be ready to answer when the roll is called up yonder.
• Dare is media adviser to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
