The deficiency of democracy
One of the deficiencies of democracy is the obvious fact that the majority will always have their way, even if the choice of the majority is a wrong one, because it is a game of numbers. Knowing this should enable us to prepare our minds that the deficiency of democracy will definitely manifest in the […]
One of the deficiencies of democracy is the obvious fact that the majority will always have their way, even if the choice of the majority is a wrong one, because it is a game of numbers. Knowing this should enable us to prepare our minds that the deficiency of democracy will definitely manifest in the choice of who becomes our leaders in Nigeria.
The 2023 general election is going to be one of the most keenly contested elections in Nigeria since our return to democracy 23 years ago. That is because of the individuals and political parties involved. There are third and fourth forces even though the chances on paper may look slim.
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Our democracy has not matured to the level where choosing a candidate is based on the competence and antecedents of such candidate. We have always voted along religious, tribal, ethnic and regional sentiments. That is why we kept getting it wrong all the time.
An average Nigerian will prefer a grossly incompetent leader to pilot the affairs of the country provided that person is either of the same faith with him, speaks the same language with him or are from the same region. Politicians have taken advantage of these fault lines of ours to continue to exploit and manipulate most of our citizens, while they continue to remain united in sharing our common patrimony.
We must find a way to change this mentality of blindly supporting weak leaders who have no business in leadership in the name of he is our own, if we really want to move forward as a nation.
For those who are convinced that their candidate is better and has the competence to govern Nigeria come 2023, the best you can do is to reach out to those on the other side who may not agree with your choice of candidate, communicate with them and make them understand that a competent leader will bring about a better Nigeria.
If you adopt this approach, some may see reason with you and support your candidate. Others may not, but you would have been able to get a reasonable majority, which is what democracy is all about. If you decide to bully and attack others because of their choice of candidate, and majority of those you attack and bullied decide to make a wrong choice, we are all going to suffer the consequence of that decision.
We all have a role to play in making sure our country becomes a better place for us and that is why we must for now take advantage of what democracy has offered us, even though we never wished for these difficult choices. Always remember that whatever choice of candidate we make in the 2023 general elections, we will all have to live with the consequences of our decisions if the government turns out to be a disappointing one.
May Nigeria succeed!
Abdulkareem Haruna Abuja