The next Nigerian general election is less than two years away. Barring any shifts or cancellations, Nigerians are expected to go to the polls by February 2027 to elect a president, governors in majority of the states (post-election litigations had altered some state governors’ elections to off-season) and state and federal legislators. The political environment is hitting up giving vent to the cliché saying that, “politicians always think of the next elections”.
The Nigerian democracy is fashioned after the American model (but I dare say to the extent that the politicians in Nigeria find very expedient). The Nigerian political party system allows for dozens of political parties. The American political party system is clearly a two party system even if there are the less popular smaller parties that have not made great inroads electorally.
The two popular parties, the Republican and Democratic parties are deeply ideologically based. Despite their marked differences, they often agree on some national policies when it is in the interest of the American people. Even though policy routes might differ sometimes, they often hold dear American national interests especially in global politics. The Republican and Democratic parties are run under strict constitutional guidelines. Party leaderships are not based of financial capacity and their roles are often purely administrative.
The Nigerian political system is such that the structure seems so flawed that it would appear there are neither strict adherence to both party and the national constitutions nor a strong adherence to laws. This seems to be the core reason for the level of indiscipline often displayed by some influential members of most political parties at ward, state and national levels. There is clearly no strict ideological identities of political parties in Nigeria. This is reason why politicians easily oscillate (often euphemistically referred to as defections) from one political party to the other. In fact, the late former Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo, a renowned political scientist had once referred to the Nigerian so called political parties as mere gatherings of people.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had to deregister some political parties because some of them did not meet the electoral benchmarks to continue in the process. Recently too, it does appear that more than a hundred political parties are seeking registration with INEC. This fact says a lot about Nigerian political party system. Between the mere gathering of people who are often strange bedfellows politically and socially and functionality of the democratic system in Nigeria is often some blurred lines.
One fairly good outcome of the former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida’s lengthy transition period was obviously his insistence on just two political parties, the National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). That system seemingly brought a bit of order and cohesion within the political party structure. It helped the Nigerian political system as it helped in uniting the country politically. That system produced what is now celebrated as the best, freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history. It blurred the tribal, ethnic and religious lines often drawn by politicians for their personal expediencies.
So as the 2027 general election draws near, the Roundtable Conversation is calmly observing the usual macabre dance in the Nigerian political field. There have been a continual defection of politicians mainly from the seemingly opposition Peoples democratic Party (PDP) and the 2023 revitalized Labour Party (LP) aand other inconsequential political parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Despite the Supreme Court’s verdict about the consequences of defections from one party to the other after winning elections, Nigerian politicians through their actions sometimes say in very loud terms, “the Supreme Court can give verdicts but we can do what we like”.
Even though this disobedience of the Supreme Court ruling happens most of the time with no consequences, it is a loud verdict on the discipline of the Nigerian political class. It stands as a bold example of why Nigerian democracy seems to appear very unweanable and earns the delusional tag of ‘a nascent democracy’. No nation that has chosen democracy as a system of government can continue to toy with wobbly political culture and make progress.
A close scrutiny of the average politician’s attitude in politics shows a lot of hypocrisy. The lack of ideological leaning and the indiscipline of oscillating from one political party to the other is often euphemistically explained as a power granted by the constitution for freedom of choice, free speech and gathering. The kind of cherry-picking that doesn’t apply when they refuse to be held accountable, when they disobey their own party and national constitutions and the Supreme Court of the land.
While analysis go on and on about formation of new political parties, defections to or from the ruling APC, PDP, Labour or SDP, one thing remains clear, there is an ominous sign to Nigeria’s democracy. Professional politician as they exist in Nigeria is not good for democracy. It is sad that most politicians in Nigeria describe themselves as ‘professional politicians’. On the face of it, it sounds comical but with a deeper look, it portends grave danger for development. There seems to be a preponderance of individuals whose only means of livelihood comes from the ‘spoils’ of office and politicking.
The late Ojukwu once defined most politicians as individuals with no second addresses. By this he meant those who introduce themselves as ‘professional politicians’. They often lack the discipline of occupational achievers. They eran their every dime and influence from playing politics and in most cases, they are in it not to improve the welfare of the people but for what they can get election after election. There is hardly any developmental initiative, vision for the future of the country or worries about the state of the ordinary people who are the main reason for governance in the first place.
Nigerian elite has a role to play in redirecting the course of our democracy. It is not enough to sit back and sneer at the things happening in our political space. The essence of education, knowledge and exposure is the value it brings to the lives of others. Iconic individuals and legends in the world earned their legendry accolades for their civil and political activism that impacted others beyond thei generations. Late Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mandela, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Patrice Mulumba, Queen Amina, Moremi, Queen Idia and countless others earned their immortality through acts that edify humanity.
As we watch the drama in the political field, the scramble for registrations and the harvest of inter party defections at a time most politicians ought to be held accountable is as tragic as it as laughable. In the 26 years return to democracy, there are more people in the poverty bracket that even India with its more than a billion population has left Nigeria in the poverty bracket. There are more than 133million people living in multidimensional poverty, Nigeria has more out of school children than some five countries’ population, there are more chronically malnourished kids than some country’s entire population.
Nigeria might be raising a generation of mentally and physically retarded children whose future miht be altered by their developmental deficiencies which ultimately impacts productivity. Do our politicians take stock at all? Do they care for the future? Do they care for legacies beyond bank balance and property and notoriety? It is a sad commentary that most politicians only see themselves in the mirror of life. Nothing matters except their advantageous political positioning.
Beyond the political party intrigues, who cares about the structure of these political parties as enduring legacies that can enhance the Nigerian democracy for the children yet unborn. The irony and hypocrisy of politicians at campaign podiums is that the same puerile rhetoric keeps being regurgitated with no serious thought about walking the talk post elections. Why do most state governors hide under the federal government instead of taking their constitutional roles beyond white elephant projects that often have no direct impact on the people? The basic needs of food, shelter and health have not really been prioritized. Political expedient but low impact projects are often over celebrated and not very impactful.
As one watches the political activities unfold across the country, there is a tendency to be despondent. This is reason the best brains in the country are being lured to other countries through the now socially coined word, ‘jakpa’. It is a euphemism for the lure that emigration from the country offers. Globally, immigration is not a crime as humans have been moving from creation for different reasons. However, the modern trend is a fall out of socio-economic conditions forced on the people by bad practice of winner takes all democracy.
The constant political lexicon, ‘mergers and coalitions’ seem to only be for the positioning of the political actors most of who have played politics all their lives with little or no legacies of good service delivery. As the 2027 political season hots up, we are forced to ask the political actors, what new song shall the people sing? Are we just going to see, ‘my sin is smaller than yours’ kind of self-aggrandizement that has kept our political parties looking like tree brances to the monkey – a mere means of getting to either the next fruit or running from a predatory animal?
As we watch the public race to grab the headlines and with it power, we watch keenly to see the stars that would shine on their merit like a Zik of Africa with his patriotism, an Awolowo with his free education legacy, an Aminu Kano with his pro-talakawa popularity and effective leadership, a Lateef Jakande with his investment in public housing and education. Each day, we watch and record…
