How not to vote in 2011
Prior to their emergence, zoning debate characterized our political terrain, it became a national discourse, even those who hitherto lend their voices for Zoning rescinded their position, thus calling on Jonathan to exercise his constitutional rights by joining the race for 2011 polls. A school of thought maintained that zoning is solely a PDP affair, […]
Prior to their emergence, zoning debate characterized our political terrain, it became a national discourse, even those who hitherto lend their voices for Zoning rescinded their position, thus calling on Jonathan to exercise his constitutional rights by joining the race for 2011 polls. A school of thought maintained that zoning is solely a PDP affair, hence Section 7(2) of PDP constitution provides for rotation of offices among six geopolitical zones. This I understand formed the basis for giving Chief olusegun Obasanjo massive votes nationwide despite the concerted effort made by Alhaji Abubakar Musa Rimi (now late) in posing a challenge to him. However, other political parties claimed not to have similar provision in their constitution, thus not bound by the arrangement.
It is apparent that zoning arrangement had been literarily laid to rest, but virtually all political parties still unconsciously adopt the Zoning formula. I remain a strong advocate of zoning because it’s good for the stability, unity and sustenance of our democracy, even those who claim to shred zoning are often caught in saying one thing and doing another in practical sense thereby manifesting zoning. Even the most vocal opponent of zoning in Nigeria cannot deny the fact that Nigeria has diverse ethnic groups, while each group calls for recognition in the sharing of national cake, it’s only through proper arrangement among these nationalities that such request could be considered. For instance Nupe –Nupe joint ticket or Efik-Efik joint ticket can’t win presidential polls.
In various states also, these nationalities are also considered in the nomination of gubernatorial candidate, his deputy and Secretary to the State Government. Amazingly, those that stamped their feet against zoning in the presidential primaries firmly held the card of zoning in their states using the same delegates to edge out those contravening zoning arrangement in the state. At least democracy remains a government of the people by the people and for the people, zoning therefore being arrangement by the people cannot be said to be unconstitutional.
Unfortunately, the inability to manage the zoning debate maturely has painfully polarized the nation, some leaders are being called names, some provocative text messages are being circulated, just like pictorial caricature via emails are been sent to unsolicited readers, with the claim that these originated from a certain section of the country or group of individuals. The rate at which Nigeria is moving towards ethno-religious lines coupled with incessant killing across the nation is very alarming.
In Nigeria we are used to taking false promises from politicians seeking for elective positions. They will promise to provide water, build hospitals, construct bridges, and create jobs plus proclaiming the vision of putting in place white elephant projects. They keep recycling same promises since the First Republic. We should now move forward from the promises of building bridges where water did not pass, to critically analyze the contribution a candidate has made to his constituency and humanity. A candidate should be thoroughly assessed by electorates on his performance while in either public or private service, and not merely because of his party affiliation, enough of these unrealistic promises!
Over the years, politicians have used religion to cause instability in Nigeria, while others use ethnic inclination to further divide us, these ugly incidences have drastically retard the pace at which my country would have moved to compete with her contemporaries. Under the present dispensation, let’s vote for a credible candidate that is honest, patriotic and firm in taking decisions.
After ten years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, we should advance forward by taking into consideration even utterances made during campaigns; we are no longer at the learning stage of democracy. Finally, a credible election entails knowing how and who to vote, and the protection of votes at an election; it is only through this that the sustenance of our democracy can be guaranteed. Controversies arising from election results are expected, infact the collapse of the First and Second republic were heavily due to our failure to conduct credible election, and voting the right candidate. This time around let’s look beyond sentiments and vote for credible candidates so that the current decay in our system could be arrested.
Wushishi is a Minna based legal practitioner; he can be reached through [email protected]