That Political Jamboree In London

A new trend in Nigeria’s politics was observed recently when prominent figures travelled abroad to hold what they refer to as political consultations. Last month and even early this month, the media was wash with reports of some governors holding meetings with presidential candidates off shore, specifically in London, the British capital. The three major candidates enjoyed this condemnable pastime: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

As was widely reported, Governor Nyesom Wike and his political affiliates in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held meeting with the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in an attempt to mend fences in the aftermath of the presidential primary election in which Wike and other contestants lost to Atiku back in May.

It was also reported that the Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike also met with the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in London, to seek areas of cooperation ahead of the elections. Expectedly, these meetings have drawn the angst of a section of Nigerian public who see the idea of holding such meetings in a foreign land as a wasteful act considering the resource outlay, in most cases, drawn from state funds.

It is commonplace to hear of government officials travelling abroad for government business, for trainings and other official reasons. Some travel for medical reasons and for other personal reasons. However, the recent meetings held by politicians and public office holders in London is the first one of its kind since the pre- and immediate post- Independence conferences and the civil war time that Nigerian politicians would leave the shores of Nigeria and travel to foreign countries to hold political meetings.

Also, not a few consider such a decision to have meetings in London a national sabotage in view of the economic crunch in the country, especially when local manufacturers and other businessmen have limited access to forex, yet politicians have them in abundance to junket around the world on meaningless jamboree.

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Returning to Nigeria, the participants in such wild goose chase claim during interactions with the media that the meetings were held to discuss the best interests of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections. If one may ask: on what premise did the crew seen in the London pictures assume that it was their call to decide how Nigerians should proceed in choosing their next leaders? In any case, revelations from public speeches by some key participants in those talks have since revealed the falsity of the claim:  what was discussed in London was less about Nigeria but more about the political actors seeking relevance in the scheme of things ahead of 2023 and beyond.

First and foremost is the concern that Nigeria’s coming election could be exposed to foreign interference in the choice of who becomes Nigeria’s president in 2023. The recent probe into Russia’s interference in America’s election in the Trump era is a pointer to what could happen if a country’s leadership is targeted by another for manipulation.

As a newspaper, we join many Nigerians who have been asking whether there are no places in Nigeria good enough, or secluded enough – in case they wanted to discuss in secrecy – to hold such banal political discussions? How many times have they seen politicians from other countries travelling abroad just to discuss sharing of political offices in peace time? One of the charges against colonialism and imperialism is that the fate of Nigeria and other African countries was decided outside Nigeria and Africa. Does this attitude of these politicians not smack of a hangover from that era?

We observe that year after year, Nigerians have looked on in utter helplessness at the bleeding of the nation’s resources by the political class and government officials who embark on medical, religious and educational tourism with public funds. Now they have to contend with their governors squandering scarce state resources on political tourism that cannot add any value to their welfare. What is even more galling in the whole untidy arrangement is that some of the governors in the London meetings are among those owing salaries and allowances to workers and pensioners for months, claiming they have no money to pay. Have they considered the thousands of workers the humongous sums they wasted on those trips could have paid?

It is sad that at this point of extreme economic challenges, poverty and insecurity in Nigeria, some governors still have no sense of purpose. Such attitude can also expose Nigeria to international embarrassment and ridicule by make her a laughing stock in the comity of nations. These politicians should spare the nation this mindless pillaging of much needed resources.