There was a time when Nigerians actually enjoyed politics. The rules were clear, though some of them were still being developed to keep up with the fast pace of our development as a nation. But it was a level playing ground on the pitch and the game was conducted with a finesse matched by a high sense of decorum. The players were mature men who knew the worth of material wealth as against the value of humanity. They made their choices and each left his mark.
It was so thrilling to watch the passing scene in those days, especially after the exploits of Herbert Macaulay, both in London during the historic Esugbayi case, and after he returned and later began his intensive tussle with the Richard’s Constitution. And then Nnamdi Azikiwe took over the baton and publicly berated the white colonialists any time they fell out of line.
Ah, Zik! The music in the thunder of his rolling words, his towering intellectual height, the overwhelming appeal of his public address and the sheer magnificence of his physical presence captivated all the young ones who blossomed under the glow of his influence, and went on to found a nationalist party named for him—–The Zikist Movement. One of them was Harry Nwanna , a lively , courageous soul who returned to his Maker a few years ago. Hairy was among the so-called “agitators” who were sentenced to terms of imprisonment by the colonial government for fighting for our independence. Only a few of them have been remembered by those who are in charge of national honours. But that is our country.
Zik virtually had everything going his way in the ‘forties especially towards the end, and into the early fifties, because he was almost isolated from challenge. The sketchy opposition he faced was from kindred spirits, like H.O.Davies with whom he had earlier charted the course of the Nigeria Youth Movement. There were several jousts between the two redoubtable nationalists in the newspapers they controlled— Zik, the West African Pilot, and HOD the Daily Service. The newspaper encounters came to a peak with a series of point-and-counterpoint exchanges, which Zik led off with his own captioned, “Political Reminiscences”, while HOD riposted with his “Political Panorama”. These exchanges could very well be characterized as “political literature”, with both sides treating their readers to a sumptuous cascade of delicious prose and cogent information. They were both masters of sophisticated wit and humour.
It was all totally free of acrimony, like a healthy debate, but the tide changed with the emergence of other forces which challenged the leadership, though not directly the course, of national progress. There was first the Action Group in the West, and then the Northern People’s Congress to the North. Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto, squared their shoulders against Azikiwe’s preeminence and claimed a rightful share of the direction of the nation’s advancement. Awolowo was the quintessential intellectual, forthright, analytical and self-assured. The Sardauna was celebrated, totally focused and fully in control. They were an awesome twosome.
These gentlemen and the different kinds of followership from which they drew strengths were to establish a triumvirate of power centre from which the country may never be free. It has always been comfortable identifying our structure along the “three main languages of Nigeria – Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba.” Ironically, the extensive military occupation of the country was partially responsible for breaking the mould of that thinking process, when appointments into leadership positions gradually deviated from the pattern of the “sole majority” of the nation’s ethnic groupings to embrace the “minorities.”
The political scene has passed through a lot of changes. Assassinations once featured prominently in the proceedings. The sub-culture of “coup de etat” seems to have been fortunately abandoned. Women are now finding space to play a prominent role. But along the way, the political process has picked up some legacy from the military mode of address which has only been mildly affected by time….like, “with immediate effect”, for instance— an ugly phrase sometimes still applied to the actualization of an ugly action.
Some other disquieting baggage was dropped by the military occupation from one administration to another, whilst that form of government was in vogue in the regional enclave of West Africa. One was the “stay put” syndrome. After the anguish of military rule, the citizens of this country firmly rejected the third-term proposition when Olusegun Obasanjo sought to remain in the saddle as the president beyond the constitutional term of two administrations. The supposition that President Goodluck Jonathan had exhausted his own two-term allotment also created ill-feelings at the beginning of his present tenure until a court judgment ruled in his favour. But that seems to have laid the foundation for the disaffection of elements of the North which has lasted through this term of office. It has also heightened the tenor of opposition from those who insisted that the presidency should have stayed in the North in keeping with the arrangement of zoning in a particular political party. That did not happen.
And so we are as we are today, on the brink of another experience in the ordering of our national life along the norms of democracy. This nation has never seen the tone of desperation on all sides in a season of political campaign, as has been witnessed during these past few months. There have been defections from one political party to another. There has been a series of falling out between close associates and friends. There have been acrimonious statements flying from one corner to another. The atmosphere is fully charged and the tension mounts with every moment. All the political parties have individually and collectively pledged their loyalty to the cause of non-violence. From Ghana to the United States, Presidents and Heads of State have taken time to plead for a “free, fair and credible” election. President Barrack Obama went a dimension further to ask for a “safe” one.
Every Nigerian has his or her part to play. The argument about the deployment of the military would arise if we were law-biding citizens, but we are not in all honesty. That is why the Inspector-General of Police says one thing and the law courts are saying the opposite. The point at issue is what a voter should do after casting his vote. The police say he should head for his house. The law courts in two separate pronouncements, say he need not go anywhere; it is within his right as a citizen to stay around the voting Centre. But the IGP is adamant. He says you will be arrested for “loitering” if you do that. Let us then wrap it all up by saying, go out and vote, and please go back home thereafter. No one needs any undue confrontation with the police on this special day.
Time out.
VANGUARD
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