By the time this article is published, the presidential and national assembly elections would have been over. Possibly also, the results may have become a matter of public knowledge. Successful candidates would be jubilating while there will be gnashing of teeth by losers. That is the typical payoff in a zero sum game. This scenario is more likely to be noticed at the presidential level given the high stakes and bitter acrimony that attended the campaigns for that elated office.
Possibly too, all the predictions of cataclysm of unmitigated dimension that have seen people fleeing back in droves to their ancestral homes may have come to naught or isolated violence leading to loss of lives and destruction of property may be playing out. These are the possibilities that we may have to contend with after the elections. But the last eventuality is the one most dreaded by all given the danger it portends for lives and property and our corporate survival as a nation.
That is why on two occasions, both President Goodluck Jonathan and his rival Gen. Muhammadu Buhari have signed an accord to maintain the peace both before and after the elections irrespective of their outcome. It was very heart refreshing watching the two rivals embrace themselves after the accord to the admiration of people. That is the way it should be. It is not a do-or-die affair since the reasons ostensibly adduced for aspiring to that high office revolves around the promotion of the general good of the people. An election that results in grave harm on the citizens’ detracts substantially from the essence of representative democracy. It gives the sad impression that what counts most is the overall interest of the contenders rather than the electorate who remain the ultimate sovereign. That is the contradiction that comes with violence leading to loss of lives and property.
If commitment to peace during and after elections by the two major contenders from the PDP and the APC are any thing to repose hope on, the election may come out successful. We hope this will be so. It is also hoped that politicians would go beyond the signing of peace accords and restrain their supporters from acts that may lead to break down of law and order. But if the ruinous attitude of our politicians and refusal to concede defeat are still much with us, there is every thing to expect that the outcome of the elections may not be completely acceptable to all.
If this scenario leads to violence, the accord would have come as an exercise in futility. Then, our security agencies will have to contend with restoring law and order in the areas stricken by post election violence. And when this is juxtaposed with the challenge of insurgency in some parts of the country, the energies of the security agencies will be greatly stretched. But where nothing of such happens, Nigerians would have been on the threshold of history. It would portray the country as one that has started learning the ropes in democratic conduct. It will be an unmistakable signal that our people are gradually internalizing the culture of democracy. Then, those who initiated the peace accord would have reason to beat their chests celebrating the success of their efforts. That would be a thing to cherish.
But that will not be the end to it. Soon, Nigerians will begin to contend with the reality of the new dawn. They will have to face the reality of what prospects the future holds for the nation irrespective of who among the contenders won the presidential race. They will begin to look up for the new things to come in the way this country is run. They will begin to look out for fundamental changes in the structure and organization of the country such that can galvanize the creative energies of the constituents to fasten the pace of development.
Promises have been made; hope has been raised to an all time high. And coming at a time the price of oil in the international market has declined considerably with attendant devaluation of the naira, Nigerians will be full of expectations on the change to come either from the PDP or the APC.
We say change because from the way things are, it is obvious that things are not going to be the same again. The consciousness of the ordinary people has been drawn to the inevitability of change in the way things are run in this country. They have been sold to the desirability of change in the conduct of statecraft. Their eyes have been exposed to the fact that every society is in a state of flux and nothing is as constant as change. Change will definitely come given the alternative paradigms that have been offered by the existence of a credible opposition.
If the opposition comes to power, it will likely initiate policies to make the difference and justify its mantra. If the ruling party succeeds, it cannot proceed with business as usual and still hope to be in reckoning. So, something positive will definitely come our way. It is the similitude of dialectics in action; a clash between thesis and anti-thesis that will ultimately give rise to some form of synthesis. That is what one foresees from the chain of events that have been unleashed as the political parties sought to take control of the minds of the electorate. People have been awakened to the reality that our leaders both past and present have not taken the necessary measures to quicken the pace of development without the distractions that emanate from a convoluted federal structure. There is the consciousness that Nigeria in its present form, cannot progress without some tinkering in its structure.
Issues of true federalism: devolution of power, resource control, revenue sharing, state and local government creation and autonomy are recurring decimals that must as a matter of necessity be re-jigged. It is obvious that these are some of the deficits standing against the progress and development of this country. They also relate very positively to the acrimony and bad blood that go with competition for the highest political office in the country. The point has been made before now that we need to whittle down the overwhelming powers of the central authority for us to move fast on the ladder of development.
Despite the allure of this, some vested interests have for very selfish reasons, stood against its realization. They still root for centralization to enable them control the huge funds at the federal till. Yet, they want corruption to be reduced to its barest minimum. This is a remote possibility given the composition of the country and the thinking that political ascendancy is largely for prebendal predilections. These are the issues that face whichever party wins the election. We must therefore proceed beyond the euphoria of electoral victory to confront extant systemic dysfunctions that have overtime, stood against the peace and development of this country. Their handling will make the difference between erecting this unity in diversity on a firm foundation and on sand.
NATION
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