The military, politics and elections in Nigeria

Nigeria by the way is a nation of many conspiracies and theories. The usual practice in the past was that the opposition parties complained about INEC and the government in power. This time around it is the government in power that is complaining and wanting elections not to hold. This is visible at least from […]

Nigeria by the way is a nation of many conspiracies and theories. The usual practice in the past was that the opposition parties complained about INEC and the government in power. This time around it is the government in power that is complaining and wanting elections not to hold. This is visible at least from what those who speak and act for the government are saying and doing.
I am not worried about the desperation of the authorities in Abuja regarding the way and manner the elections are going to be conducted. I am worried about the apparent involvement of the security apparatuses of the Nigerian state in the electoral processes. The election was put off from February to March ending and mid-April by the will of the military who wrote to INEC that they could not guarantee security in certain parts of the country for the elections to hold.
Though the president said he didn’t know about the action of the military, this does not exonerate himself but is rather a self-indictment. There is no way such a strategic national decision could have been taken by the military without express clearance from the president except of course if Wadata House could also command our troops. The attempt by the C-in-C to deny responsibility in my view further reveals the degree of uncertainty enveloping the political system at the moment.
While I do not know why the government and the ruling party are scared of elections because they are not sure of the outcome, the theory and practice of electoral democracy has as a central issue periodic elections that would ordinarily serve as a referendum on the activities of those elected over a period of time. It also offers those wishing to take over power the opportunity to show case and convince the voters of what the incumbents did that was wrong and how they intend to change the situation for the good of the populace.
This is Western liberalism. This is the type of democracy that Nigerians opted to have. Why would a sitting government be so jittery of subjecting itself to a referendum? This is suspect and complicates the reality on the ground in contemporary Nigeria’s political space.
Every day the government in power and its party comes up with one trick or the other to either delay the polls until they are somewhat sure of what the outcome is likely going to be and on the other hand, the theory in the air that the government is unwilling to do the elections and would likely permutate either an extension of tenure or possibly an interim administration just because it is afraid of going to the polls.
The six weeks extension forced down the throats of Nigerians according to another theory was to deal with the opposition as far as campaign funds are concerned and ensure that they are unable to bounce back and spend as much as the government and its party would, in view of its deep pockets. The second theory suggests that the six weeks would be used to ginger more propaganda on the military front to show Nigerians that the government can end the insurgency in the North East.
Ending the insurgency in the North East in six weeks would be a healthy development but certainly raises more questions that the political leadership and the military must answer. What has happened now that the military is routing the insurgents that it couldn’t in six years? I asked this question to a senior officer and he was upset, but what I insist is that as a Nigerian, I’m sure millions of citizens, as much as they would desire to see the end of this insurrection, would require to also know why it took the military so long to be decisive and only for it to get over what many citizens thought was a cancer in a matter of weeks.
Head or tail, the political leadership and the military must be prepared to tell Nigerians why the swiftness now and the failures in the past years. Many at times it was argued, the forces from the neighbouring countries performed better when our armed forces were reported to have dropped their weapons and escaped along with the civil population in Baga, Mubi, Marte, Monguno and other places.
My question is; was the inability of the armed forces to deal with the insurrection a product of the lack of weaponry or the appropriate political will and directive were not forth coming until now that the elections are seen to be slipping away from the ruling party? Those in political positions and the military must understand what time it is and though Nigerians would require an immediate end to the troubles in the North East, they also need to be told why the delay in dealing with the situation.
There mustn’t be a hide and seek game in the entire palaver and we will need to know what actually is the situation on the ground now and before now. The days are gone when a few people would hold the nation to ransom.
I wish to remind the military that their role is to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria. The focus is on defending the nation and not the regime in place which seems to be the focus at the moment. No doubt, the military under a democracy requires massive political education. The absence of this education could be dangerous and counter-productive to the realisation of a free and egalitarian society.
It was the late Thomas Sankara (former military leader of Burkina Faso) who said that a soldier without genuine political education is a potential criminal. Nigerian military must decide on the role that it should play; either to defend the nation or its regimes. The military must insulate itself from unnecessary political controversies as it is unfortunately indulging in at the moment.
Nigeria is for all of us and the time has since come when the realisation that what is central and required is patriotism from a cross section of the society. The military must ensure that it retains the integrity that it is made of. That is why it is a critical segment of the society in any nation. It must strive to win the respect and confidence of the citizens if it is to play its constitutional role and retain a pride of place in the society. This politicking that seems to typify the military high command is driving the revered institution into disrepute and it is not in our collective interest as a nation and a people, please!