Even before the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) election held last week
Friday, we all knew there would be drama. Nollywood would be green with envy that
our governors have rivalled the industry in churning out incredible theatre.
What we got was an award winning epic drama. Oscars, look out here we come!
How does one explain that 36 governors, each constitutionally
responsible for running a state, could not sit and decide on who leads them in
an association set up with rules and regulations? 36 ballot papers meant for a supposedly
non-partisan organisation’s election.
These men are sworn to protect our constitution. It is not cheering news
for those of us hoping for free, fair and credible general elections in 2015,
especially when these same actors are going to superintend over them.
Is the NGF a pressure group, political organisation or a non-partisan association?
Since its inception in 1999, the group has never lived up to its creed as a
peer review body among the 36 state governors. Rather than promote unity, good
governance and cooperation among states, the body has only succeeded in
protecting their own selfish interests. NGF has grown to become a powerful
political bloc attractive to political hawks bent on holding on to power at all
costs and covering their tracks from any illegal activity perpetrated during
their tenure or elevating themselves to higher office. It has become the aim of
the ruling party to capture the group or destroy it. During former President
Olusegun Obasanjo’s failed third-term bid and the subsequent party primaries
that brought the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua to power, the battle for the soul of
NGF took hold.
We now have sub-groups such as the Northern Governors’ Forum,
South-South Governors’ Forum, PDP Governors’ Forum, etc. What is certain is that
the PDP is not known for being democratic (see CONSENSUS). It also has not come as a surprise that a
PDP-dominated NGF flouts the rules set and resolves to impose a candidate in
blatant disregard for the provisions of the association’s statute. The danger in converting the NGF to an arm of
the ruling party is the descent to despotism and dictatorship. It is already
happening! We need to protect our democracy.
In our democracy, it is clear that our votes don’t count. Our
politicians have made sure of this. We have decided to accept this. Why? And
why are we denied the right to choose? The
PDP has decided to factionalise the NGF in the most dramatic fashion. By orchestrating
a subtle threat in the form of compelling its governors to sign a pre-election
document and by dragging Governor Jonah Jang into the race, the argument about
not having interest in the affairs of the NGF is exposed. Furthermore, the choice of the Governor of
Plateau state as proposed leader of the NGF came after the cut off date for
submitting names to challenge for the leadership. Na wah o!
Jonah Jang! He is barely able to secure his own state. He has enough
work to do in the Plateau. He should concentrate in restoring it to its former
glory and attracting the kind of industry, agriculture and tourism that existed
before the PDP took over.
Ultimately, all this boils down to 2015. Are we going to again allow
these jokers to conduct sham elections that are not true and give themselves
legitimacy? The signs are clear. Governors who should be giving account of
their stewardship for the people to determine those worthy of further
leadership roles are falling over themselves over who leads an association. This
is because in our brand of politics the people are of no consequence. Those who
control the states decide elections here. They use the state machinery to
defraud us.
Meanwhile they actually do not understand what the title that they so
desperately seek means. “The power that comes with being President, Governor,
Chairman “only lasts as long as the person has that title. If it is taken away,
all the power that was associated with it goes out the door with it. The
influence that comes with having a title can be fleeting at best. There is a
much deeper power and that is the natural leadership power that lives within
each of us. Sadly it is little used within the vast majority of us. This is
real power because it is power that can never be taken away. This is the best
kind of power.” (Robin Sharma, The leader Who Had No Title) This is the
stuff that presidents, governors, chairmen, true leaders are made of.
Spot on! the doomsayers have it right. If they cannot manage an election with only 36 votes in a single venue without accusations of rigging after the fact, how on earth will they manage national elections involving millions of Nigerians!
ReplyDelete