This Monday, a conference was convened by the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, with other civil society groups, to discuss strategies of strengthening democracy. It was a summit that was attended by leading politicians, pro-democracy activists and academics, among others. It was also an event that provided a platform for some of the out-of-favour politicians to speak up and against the system some analysts alleged was being primed for a one-party state.
Though the focus of the conference was themed around getting participants to speak on the dangers trailing democracy, gradually being replaced by killers of democracy in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, many politicians at the summit resorted to speaking only on issues that pose serious challenges, ahead of the country’s 2027 general polls that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to seek re-election.
Rallying Old Horses
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had in the past harped on the insistence of reviewing Africa’s form of Africa’s weird democracy that is consummated through a flawed ballot system that does not serve the common good. The raging threat against democracy seems real as three countries in the ECOWAS groups – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, have witnessed the flushing out of political leadership elected through the ballot box.
Participants at the Abuja conference included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governors of Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai (Kaduna), and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), among others. Accusing the Tinubu-led government of bribing opposition parties with N50 million each, ahead of the 2027 polls, Obasanjo’s former deputy from 1999-2007 strongly alleged, “I want to make this public. I met with leaders of a political party in the opposition, and they openly admitted that this government gives them N50 million each”.
The spokesman of the Labour Party (LP), Obiorah Ifoh, reacted and accused the former veepee of spewing unfounded allegations without proof. The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described Atiku’s bribery allegations as bogus, stressing that “Atiku’s allegation that the APC-led administration was paying out N50 million to some opposition figures is simply bogus and laughable. Atiku knows that his political desperation is responsible for the PDP’s catastrophic disintegration. Peddling rumours and unsubstantiated allegations should be beneath anyone in the standing of an elder statesman, a former Vice President, and a serial contestant for the exalted office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
el-Rufai’s Fierceness
The “Wazirin Adamawa” was not the only politician that blew hot air; the immediate past governor of Kaduna State also blasted the APC-led government for straying from its founding ideals. Describing the ruling party as one that he could no longer recognise, el-Rufai said, “No party organ has met in two years – no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show. You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”
Citing a poll that showed 75 percent of registered voters might abstain from the 2027 elections, the former governor whose ministerial ambition was truncated at the last minute advised that the minimum academic requirement of a secondary school certificate as the basic qualification for political contest into any office be reviewed in order to enhance the quality of leadership.
Tinubu’s closest rival for the APC presidential ticket and former minister of transportation under the immediate past administration warned Nigerians that his former rival won’t concede power to the younger generation without a fight. Speaking from experience, Amaechi reminded his fellow citizens that politicians would always resort to extreme measures to win elections. Calling for political vigilance in order to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot box, he declared, “None of you here seated can defend the votes. If you have complained, complain, Nigerians have been clapping for you. The only way Ibrahim Shekarau became governor was because people lined up. You are talking and abusing everybody. Nobody has power and will give it to you – not even me. If you want a pastor as president, go and get one. The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time.”
Ultimate Motive
The Monday summit exposed the motive of politicians as basically anchored on capture of power. The vituperations by el-Rufai were inspired by being left in the lurch after he fought so hard to ensure the victory of Tinubu at the polls. One wonders whether he would have maintained the same view if he had been appointed minister by the present government. For Amaechi, of course, it is understandable. He fought for the APC presidential ticket against the president and was forced to kiss the dust. As for Atiku, who is the longest presidency-seeking candidate since 1993, it is always a pastime taking on his political foes ahead of the next general elections.
However, that does not imply that what they said was completely false. Even if what they said was true, what were their motives? For most of our politicians who are never weary of playing the people’s advocate clothed in selfish personal aggrandisement, strengthening democracy is only when they win elections. The performances of some of these politicians are indictments of their tyranny in the name of democracy. Monday may have served as the prologue in starting a dialogue for firming up democracy, but those who spoke are well known demagogues engaged in keeping their political aspirations aflame ahead of the next poll.
