SOMEONE just said that APC’s defeat in 2027 will be Nigeria’s second independence. That is basically true when viewed at the surface, but on a deeper reflection it is not. Actually, there is an existing state of state capture in Nigeria.
The bourgeoisie are united in draining the nations resources, hurting the masses. PDP In their days was like the current ruling APC. PDP was so confident in its incompetence, cluelessness and misrule that it boasted to the world that it was the biggest party in Africa and will rule for 50 years before power could leave its fold.
PDP introduced a balance in appointments of public officials, tried to give every part and region a sense of identity and belonging. Its membership was organic, but it failed in other areas. When APC sacked PDP in elections of 2015, the fragile sense of unity which was the only single thread holding us together was snapped by Buhari’s Fulanisation and Islamisation of appointments in public offices. No matter how loud Nigerians cried, Buhari stuck to his mode of leadership that only helped to deepen our fault lines.
Our democracy is a free-for-all. It has no ideological base. There is no right- or left-wing. No ideological boundaries. Our politicians gyrate like free and excited molecules in a heated chamber in a chemical laboratory. The political parties are mob groups of power-hungry hyenas. That is why they can devour their opponents alive.
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The only thing that motivate our politicians is self-interest and greed, which gave rise to the concept of stomach infrastructure. Our democracy is not designed to grow our country or solve any problems. The best it has ever done since the first republic till date is to turn politicians into superrich individual.
Our politicians are richer than businessmen. Politics pay more than any job. Electoral victory in Nigeria does not confer responsibility, it only bestows privileges, and that is why it is worn like a crown.
Apart from having access to state treasury, you automatically become above the law. An ordinary local government councillor or chairman who is with the ruling party can send thugs to beat up an opponent and there will be no consequences, even when the councillor has no immunity. One can only imagine what a governor who has immunity can do.
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Our political landscape has fully evolved into a devil’s playground – apologies to Peter Nwankwo. The late Fela Kuti once described our democracy as “demonstration of craze.”
It is important to note that greed, corruption, religious and ethnic bigotry are the principal drivers of our unfortunate democratic practice. It has nothing to do with the nomenclature of the party in power. The defeat of APC will not bring anything good, rather it will only introduce another set of political hyenas.
The Holy Bible made it clear that a stronger-than-a-strongman is needed to defeat the Devil. To defeat a ruling party all that is needed is a more ruthless group of political hyenas.
For a political party in power to remain in office it does not need to perform or even try to make the people happy, all that is required is to be ahead of its opponents in all fronts using the resources of the state.
This is why our democracy is seen as war, creating more enemies, destroying values, establish fears, hatred, horror and deepening our fault lines
Our nation will die if we don’t wake up! Youths, know this: no group or party can dominate Nigeria. Empires crumble at their peak – PDP fell, APC is next. PDP’s demise didn’t birth a better APC, so APC’s fall won’t fix things. Our sunrise begins when we ditch hatred, bigotry, and nepotism.
I pray that APC is defeated in 2027, but not because its defeat will usher in any good. It just to allow another set to come quarry on our resources after APC’s twelve years of feasting.
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Nigeria’s democracy has really proven that a nation in decline, like Nigeria, gets leaders that are even worse than their predecessors. That is why Bishop Hassan Kukah said that “our past always seem nostalgic”.
Of a truth, PDP administrations under Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan are far better than the doleful performance we have witnessed in APC under Buhari and Tinubu.
PDP introduced a balance in appointments of public officials, tried to give every part and region a sense of identity and belonging. Its membership was organic, but it failed in other areas. When APC sacked PDP in elections of 2015, the fragile sense of unity which was the only single thread holding us together was snapped by Buhari’s Fulanisation and Islamisation of appointments in public offices. No matter how loud Nigerians cried, Buhari stuck to his mode of leadership that only helped to deepen our fault lines.
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The Tinubu regime is living up to expectations – worse than Buhari’s.
Buhari concentrated appointments in the North, especially the Hausa/Fulani North. But now, it is like Yoruba has got a monopoly. South-South and South-East regions are ghost areas, getting crumbs that drop from the South-West dining table. Guess the ‘Yoruba lo kan’ promise is real.
Our nation will die if we don’t wake up! Youths, know this: no group or party can dominate Nigeria. Empires crumble at their peak – PDP fell, APC is next. PDP’s demise didn’t birth a better APC, so APC’s fall won’t fix things. Our sunrise begins when we ditch hatred, bigotry, and nepotism.
Comrade Amechi is a Lagos-based trade union activist and pro-democracy advocate.
