As the 2027 general election is approaching, a lot of absurdities of a very worrisome degree are going on. You see some discredited politicians with abysmal performances making some nauseating and very annoying statements that show how captured and conquered Nigerians have become in the hands of these failed and corrupt politicians.
When I write on any issue, I do not do so to impress anybody or to seek favour from anyone in power or to bring those in positions down, but to point out and speak to the truth of what I know represents the truth of the Nigerian situation. Today, there can be no debate that things are tough for most Nigerians who work honestly to survive the harsh economy foisted on us, not because there are no resources for the good of all, but because those who have access to these resources have cornered them for themselves.
In this era of politics, most politicians tend to muzzle one’s right to freedom of expression. They see you as being in opposition or being sponsored by opposition politicians. Far from it. I am an apostle of good governance. I love justice that is delivered without interference. I want corruption eradicated as required by the constitution. I am very passionate about the fight against corruption, and any step that will support its eradication will have my support.
I believe in the rule of law and due process in governance. But I believe some employ the concept of the rule of law and due process most mischievously to frustrate the battle against corruption. In this vein, the manner in which they shield corruption and corrupt officials gives me anxious moments. Anyone not willing to join them in their thinking and frustrating antics is branded as a saboteur.
I have nothing personal against anyone in power. I have nothing personal against any Nigerian politicians. But I just have everything against the manner in which most of these politicians and their cronies squandered opportunities to give Nigerians good governance. Good governance is far from us in Nigeria. Forget the advertorial and names these politicians give themselves. Go to the places where real Nigerians live and you know that governance is far from Nigeria and Nigerians. Democracy is also far from its true meaning in Nigeria.
I am not an apologist for any of those jostling to lead Nigeria, and I am not their enemy either. Anyone who wants to be the president of Nigeria can do so. I may not like the party, any of them may run on the platform to come to power. So long as the person follows the due democratic process, I have no problem.
In the forthcoming election, I will not vote for parties, but I will vote for candidates of parties that show a clear understanding of issues afflicting us as a nation. Any candidate who has the template of how to fight and abolish corruption and corrupt practices from our nation will have my vote. Any candidate who will truly run a government that has respect for the rule of law and give the judiciary its rightful place in the state of affairs of our country will have my support.
Any candidate with courage of conviction with well-defined determination for infrastructural development all over the country will have my support. Any candidate who will see that our educational sector is run efficiently, effectively, qualitatively, and productively will have my support. Any candidate who shows leadership by example with a track record of probity and accountability will have my support.
I don’t think I have been persuaded enough to see the difference between Nigerian political parties. But I can see the difference between candidates in the various political parties. That is why my votes and that of people I know with patriotic zeal for greater Nigeria will go for good candidates of political parties and not the political parties themselves. There is no political party in Nigeria that is populated by saints or Satan. The political parties in Nigeria are populated by the same Nigerians with different characters and traits. So my choice and that of other patriotic Nigerians shall be determined by the character and traits of the candidates and not the parties upon which they are standing.
The time has come for us as a people to demand accountability from our political leaders. We should be able to ask questions about the pedigrees of the people seeking to lead us at the various levels of leadership. This is my thought, and I hold it dear to my heart. The current adoptions here and there as bargaining tools to be shielded from criminal prosecutions of those who looted our treasuries dry will not work. Let nobody tell me that there is no opposition in Nigeria. In 2027, it will be an election between those who have ruined Nigeria and Nigerians who are tired of the continuous ruining of Nigeria. Just watch it. I am not a prophet of doom, but I am an apostle of the truth.
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
