2015: understanding PDP’s N21 billion sweepstakes!

What occurred was not just another dinner-fundraiser in the true sense of the word. It was the meeting of high profile ‘investors’ with various stakes in the comic tragedy that is present-day Nigeria. And the same investors have become so accustomed to taking Nigerians for granted that they can no longer conceal the open contempt […]

What occurred was not just another dinner-fundraiser in the true sense of the word. It was the meeting of high profile ‘investors’ with various stakes in the comic tragedy that is present-day Nigeria. And the same investors have become so accustomed to taking Nigerians for granted that they can no longer conceal the open contempt they have for our collective sensibilities.
The president on whose supposed behalf they made the obscene pledges and ‘donations’ may have felt honoured but in actual reality he was also a victim like the rest of us if only he knew it. To my mind, there is a strong possibility that he also knows that he is indeed a victim but simply chose not to care or is too powerless to do anything about his condition.
Even the leader of a wretched banana republic such as ours is entitled to bequeath some form of legacy when he finally quits office. But only president Jonathan can chose exactly what type of legacy he intends to leave behind for posterity. The choice is entirely his.
Most of American President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions – including immigration reforms and the bankrupt and long overdue review of the stale U.S. policy on Cuba – are indications of a man determined to secure a favourable mention when the history of his presidency is recounted. But so far there is no hint yet on if President Jonathan cares about how his presidency will be reviewed when he eventually quits office. Didn’t he tell Nigerians he didn’t give a damn about their views not too long ago?
With such antecedents, can we expect the president or even his party that organized the embarrassing and highly unethical fundraiser to nurse any feelings of shame? And yet no leader with a sense of class or history can afford to toy with the important matter of their legacy.
Like ordinary mortals they forfeited the right to write their own histories from day one. Long after their departure from the corridors of power, history would converge to determine what becomes of their legacies. And history, by its very nature, can be very unforgiving.
Today, with our Chibok girls still at the mercy of a murderous gang of depraved insurgents almost a year after their abduction, and with ordinary stealing never the same as corruption in the eye of the administration, I shudder to contemplate the legacy of Jonathan’s presidency when it mercifully comes to an end.
In a nation crawling with serial felons, it is not as if Nigerians have known corruption in high places, but under the current dispensation perpetrators of various malfeasance appear to enjoy some form of official protection through the various actions and inaction of the executive arm of government.
Stripped of all pretences, every single individual, or group, that contributed varying sums of money at the PDP fundraiser last week, were guilty of corruption one way or the other. The entire process also had the nauseating stench of corruption, to say the least.
And If ever we required further proof that this administration has ventured into previously uncharted territory on corruption, last week’s event provided the final definitive proof. It was also the worst manifestation of crony capitalism imaginable. It proves why Nigeria will struggle to dispense with its high ranking among the most corrupt nations on earth.
What the Peoples Democratic Party did last week was to literally put the Nigerian Presidency up for sale to the highest bidders who will ultimately recoup their investments sooner, rather than later, at the expense of hapless Nigerians.
Let us remember that it is a few days yet since Christmas. And even if we excused the various donors for being in the festive mood already, they don’t exactly work for Santa Claus.
How could the same PDP government which claims to be doing all it can to fight corruption with all its might, be so comfortable with such a sleazy process and handouts from individuals who can hardly account for their massive wealth? When did Professor Jerry Gana join the billionaires’ club? Who were the faceless individuals behind most of the donations?
Having received such massive donations from various operators in the economy has the party not also forfeited all moral authority for any diligent oversight of their functions on behalf of the Nigerian people? What if the so-called friends of Jerry Gana and the rest also the same as those indicted in the fuel subsidy scam and the other well documented scandals awaiting prosecution?
What if the donations came from proxies of unfriendly foreign nation’s intent on dictating to the next the Nigerian government? What if they represented criminal entities like the Mafia or Boko Haram? It is precisely because of such prospects that serious nations the world over, never to toy with their electoral laws particularly as it concerns campaign funding.
The dangerous alternative is to entertain the risk their governments being hijacked one way or the other by either domestic or foreign interests intent on subverting the will of the majority.  
In the last piece I contributed on the same subject matter before the 2007 general elections, I elaborated on McCain-Feingold law which dictates all facets of campaign funding in America with clear limits and disclosure requirements. Our own Electoral Act provides some cosmetic provisions to check abuses on campaign funding but is obvious that none of the parties or politicians takes it seriously.
But why does the PDP need 21 billion naira for the president’s campaign in the first instance? Sadly our experience has shown that the vast some would hardly be utilized to enhance the quality of the campaigns beyond the normal razzmatazz abuse-filled rallies. What we can be sure of with greater certainty is that the massive war chest would come in handy in compromising INEC officials and returning officers, along with security personnel.
The other need could be for the sake of employing the ‘stomach infrastructure’ strategy made famous by Ayo Fayose before the Ekiti gubernatorial election a few months ago. Should that be the case, as is most likely, then the PDP intends to stretch its contempt for Nigerians to another level.
Rigging elections to frustrate the legitimate aspirations of people yearning for change is one thing; exploiting their hunger to rob them of their collective dignity and self esteem through the bad leadership that can only be the result of such a flawed process, will be the height of sadism, in my view.