The much heralded and hyped 2023 Presidential Elections in Nigeria is all over but the outcry and reverberations are far from abating. Winners and losers have emerged.
The winners are celebrating, especially those who were re-elected. They are beating their chests that their performance in office has spoken for them.
Trust the winners, you will hear they are for the masses, the grassroots is their turf, always transparent in their dealings. According to Robert Green in his bestseller, 48 laws of Power; ‘Make your accomplishments seem effortless’.
Their supporters will sing they have delivered the dividends of democracy. The gubernatorial winners will boast they have paid salaries, allowances, pensions and gratuities as at when due. Their States and Constituencies is now resembling Dubai.
The winner will turn philosophical and spiritual. He will plead that the losers should join hands with him to move the State forward. He will preach forgiveness from those he has offended, as he has forgiven those who offended him. Congratulatory adverts will be offered on radio, in newspapers and on television. Thanksgiving services will be offered in churches and mosques. They will be the toast of Pastors, Imams, Vicars and the Congregation.
Success has families, friends and relations. Failure is an orphan. The Preacher and the Victor will tell the losers they have the option of seeking redress in the election tribunal.
The losers will be sulking, crying and shouting foul that they were rigged out. Voters suppression, intimidation, violence, thuggery, ballot box snatching and connivance with INEC will be given as reasons for their losses. They will tell those who care to listen that the Police and other Security Agencies were looking the other way while these atrocities were being committed.
Even those who cannot win an election in their households will say they were rigged out.
Election losers become orphans overnight. Their once bubbling compounds and campaign offices become desolate and deserted. In our politics, people gravitate towards winners no matter the methods used to achieve it. The end justifies the means. They must have put too much trust in friends and refused to learn how to use the enemies. Winning or losing, it is the legal luminaries, SANs and forensic experts that smile all the way to the banks. It is harvest time.
This brings me to the issue of Anti party activities, party indiscipline and party supremacy. The Webster dictionary defines anti party as ‘opposed to a particular political party’. It means you are working against the success of the political party you belong to.
In the 1st and 2nd Republics, anti party was not that rampant. If you have issues with your political party, simply decamp to the political party of your choice. It is done with pomp and celebrations. Chiefs Akin Omoboriowo, S.M Afolabi and Alhaji Busari Adelakun who were core loyalists of the UPN leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo decamped from the UPN to the NPN in 1982.
The Sage Chief Awolowo had to openly caution Chiefs Bola lge and S.M Afolabi about fraternizing with his enemy. We read about the night of the long knives in Yola. That was party discipline and supremacy. The Governors of that era respected and were subservient to the party and their leaders. No UPN Governor could look Chief Awolowo in the face. Abubakar Rimi of Kano had a duel with his leader in PRP Aminu Kano . Rimi decamped to NPP and he lost the 1983 Governorship election to Barkin Zuwo of PRP. Chief Adisa Akinloye, the Chairman of the NPN was superior to the President, Shehu Shagari when it comes to party affairs. The great Zik, leader of NPP had Governors Jim Nwobodo of old Anambra State, Solomon Lar of Plateau State and Sam Mbakwe of old lmo State as protégés. Likewise Waziri lbrahim of GNPP commanded the respect of the Governors of old Gongola and Borno States.
Where did we get it wrong? When did things begin to fall apart? In 2015 Bukola Saraki rebelled against his party the APC to clinch the Senate Presidency. Likewise Yakubu Dogara did the same to win the Speakership of the House of Representatives. They teamed up with the opposition against their party’s Candidate. The APC could not do anything to discipline them. This resulted into a turbulent relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of Government throughout their tenure. Both of them eventually left the APC and returned to the PDP.
Fast forward to the 2023 general elections. Anti party conducts reared its head with impunity. It started with the PDP G5 Governors. They openly declared they were going to have nothing to do with Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Committee, insisting that for Unity, Equity and Justice, the Chairmanship of the party should come to the Southern part of the Country.
Governor Wike of Rivers State and Makinde of Oyo State purportedly canvassed for the the Presidential Candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The 3 other G5 Governors tilted towards Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Other examples of open defiance and anti party conduct are; Chief Bode George and Kofo Bucknor of PDP openly endorsing Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour of LP for the Lagos Governorship election, Senator Ibikunle Amosun of APC being Campaigner in Chief for Biyi Otegbeye of ADC in Ogun State, Senator Nnamani of Enugu PDP endorsing Bola Tinubu of APC for President. He has since decamped to APC after losing his Senatorial election to the LP. Ayo Fayose of Ekiti PDP openly campaigning for Sanwo Olu of APC Lagos.
The Unity man Hazeem Gbolarunmi of Oyo PDP never hid his preference for Senator Teslim Folarin of APC as Governor. Former Speaker Yakubu Dogora of PDP Bauchi preferred the APC governorship Candidate as Governor.
This goes to buttress the notion that party loyalty, discipline and supremacy are no more sacrosanct. The leadership of the political parties have become rudderless and are like toothless Bull Dogs. It all boils down to parochial self interests. If my party does not listen to me, l will support the opposition and nothing will happen.
When party leadership go cap in hand to the Governors for funds to run the affairs of the party, why would they not become Emperors? It is time party members fund their respective parties so that the power to take decisions can return to them.
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