…And You Call This Democracy?

“Daya…! Biyu…! Tara…! Sha Biyar…! Talatin…! Dari…! Dubu…! (“One…Two…Nine…Fifteen…Thirty…One Hundred…One Thousand…!) This was real-time ‘counting’ of people in a queue during the (mis)conduct of the recent elementary (primary too decent a title) elections in many states of the Federation, the so-called Open Ballot ‘selections’ that took place. I never believed our political leaders could sink […]

“Daya…! Biyu…! Tara…! Sha Biyar…! Talatin…! Dari…! Dubu…! (“One…Two…Nine…Fifteen…Thirty…One Hundred…One Thousand…!) This was real-time ‘counting’ of people in a queue during the (mis)conduct of the recent elementary (primary too decent a title) elections in many states of the Federation, the so-called Open Ballot ‘selections’ that took place.

I never believed our political leaders could sink so low. When I was shown this video (one…two…one thousand) of this travesty of democracy in the name primary elections (which was corroborated by several eye witness accounts), I almost wept. Not at the spectacle, but at the prospect that our next leaders will be products of this sham shame.

I have never really hidden my dislike for African and especially Nigerian versions of democracy. What we practice in this country is not democracy. It is not politics. It is not anything near these terms. It is mayhem. It is blue murder in cold, red blood. And this coming after the shameless spate of defections recently.

…and you call this democracy?

The saying used to be ‘One with God is Majority.’ Now, apparently, it should be ‘One with Gov is Majority’. With the recent primaries, it has come to pass that One with the Governor is Majority. To be selected a future Governor, one had to win a ‘Majority’ of delegates – or even party members – at sham and shameful primaries. The spectacle was at its worst where incumbent Governors have reached maturity, and are ‘anointing’ successors while preparing for Senatorial Retirement for themselves.

To be ‘Majority’, one did not have to be well qualified. One did not have to be competent. One did not have to be experienced, or even well-educated. What one needed to be was to be near enough to His Excellency to matter. It would help if one were the pliant and ever Yes-Siring and reliable Commissioner of Something, through whom the security vote was secured and distributed unaccountably. It would help if one were something-in-law to His Excellency, who did the boss’s wishes without question, allowing and denying access to the Mighty and Most Excellent Presence.

…and you call this democracy?

This is no democracy. This is feudalism. Actually worse. It makes the so-called feudally undemocratic non-elective traditional institutions we so castigated in the past look gloriously benevolent and munificent. If one’s qualification to aspire to higher office included that one was in-lawed to Their Excellencies, then we have a problem. Some leaders really wish to play god by manipulating the mandate of the people they have been entrusted to govern.

I have been accused, more than a few times (even by journalist colleagues), of harbouring ‘undemocratic’ (or ‘anti-democracy’) tendencies. That my fascination with the Chinese system – its execution of corrupt officials, its system of electing (or selecting or evolving) leaders, its clampdown on the internet at times – all go to show I am enamoured of totalitarianism. And that my ‘democratic’ credentials are not impeccable. I agree.

We are a lawless and irresponsible nation. Our attitude is faulty and we lack the good leadership to take us out of the woods. Meanwhile, those who are supposed to be the representatives of the people, the so-called Civil Society Organisations and the Mass Media, those who are supposed to help the people get things done right, are already by now busy lining up to receive “monitoring and observer funds” from Western donors whose only requirement for us is to have elections done for elections sakes.

The deaths that will occur over the next few months are not going to be accidental deaths; they are not going to be collateral deaths; they are not going to be any other term but intentional, wilful murder. Culpable murder. Punishable by death. Alas! No one is going to be punished for these murders. Let us cry for this country.

…and you call this democracy?

A wise man once said: “Anger is only one word short of Danger.” Another wise person added: “Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.”

There is ANGER at these primaries, and there will be more ANGER at the secondaries. There will therefore be DANGER at the tertiaries. Nigerians have been deprived of hope, and hope was all that we had in the first place.

In this country, the “Political Murder Season” is about to begin. While other Nigerian fatalities will continue to happen unabated, from the Boko Haram murder of two MUSLIM health practitioners, to road accidents, to armed robberies, to collapsed buildings, to stray bullets, the new chapter to open soon is the ‘Political Murder Season’.

The many definitely-going-to-die people will die simply because it is time to elect our leaders in our so-called ‘democracy’, beginning from rigged primaries to secondaries’ up to tertiary elections of the various political parties. Already, people have started dying at Ward Congresses, some have since died travelling to their candidate’s ‘declaration’, and many more will continue to die.

…and you call this democracy?

You can almost swear by Allah that it is definitely going to happen: that many Nigerians will die. As simple as that. Everybody knows that it will happen. But everybody wishes that it is not them that will die, and hoping it is not a loved one that will die. But it is a universal belief that people will die. What, then, is the use of this useless democracy if all it heralds is a circle of four-yearly murders followed by four years of ‘common stealing’, otherwise known as corruption? What is the use, this Column begs for answers.

These many definitely-going-to-die people, I repeat, are definitely going to die because of politics and the viciousness of Nigerian politics and politicians in particular. The soon-to-die will be murdered. In cold political blood. And the sponsors of the murders and, in fact, the murderers themselves, will walk away. Scot free. Nigerian free. Nothing will be done. The dead will be mourned, the widows will be abandoned and the orphans will drop out of school. And life, Nigerian life, will go on.

What is the use of Nigerian politics if a single citizen will be killed by it? Ours is not a democracy. It is not even a fledgling democracy. It is not a fledgling anything. It is a fledgling murder system. In fact, a full-blown slaughter house of sorts. And these deaths will occur just because someone wants a bigger piece of our national cake.

Alas for Nigeria. Many are going to be murdered very soon for no just cause. And we all know that these murders are not going to occur in some isolated places. They have Federal Character about them. They will occur all over the nation, in all geopolitical zones.

And the tragedy of all of these definitely-going-to-happen murders is that ninety percent of the victims (if they are such, because many of them would have been murderers themselves had they had the chance of first strike) would be the ultimate non-beneficiaries of the political cake being fought for.

In actual fact, you can be sure that the son and daughter of the aspirant and the candidate being fought for is in Malaysia, UK or Cyprus studying. This can be verified, and should be, but unfortunately our media reporters and commentators prefer to discuss our politics ‘as is’, rather than the politician as ‘he is’ and is going to be!

In the opinion of this column, better benevolent dictatorship without loss of blood than this ‘for the people’s blood, by the people’s cudgels and of the people’s design’ that we call democracy. Nigerian Democracy Must Go, if one life can be saved.

…and you call this democracy?