A look at our natural surroundings, atmosphere and the galaxies serves as a gentle reminder to us mortals of an unseen activator and creator of the universe. The ambience of nature and its serenity is a testament to the astuteness of its designer and originator. Be you a believer in faith or not – Christian, Muslim, African traditional religionist (ATR), Buddhist, Hindu, or Atheist, there is no denying the fact that at some stage, someone or something somewhere had a template from which nature and existence came to be. The bang must have been very well banged!
In the times past when empires held sway, Kings and Queens reigned supreme in different climes. There was absolute domination as wars were fought and territories taken over. Powerful monarchs ruled by decrees. As recorded in history the advent of republicanism led to the fall of the once powerful large empires and rise/formation of much smaller entities or nation states. Leadership ascension changed from primogeniture or filial relationships to regional selection and later elections. With it also came the emergence of nationalism, pressure groups formation and think tanks associations which over time metamorphosed into political parties. The latter became the ‘special purpose vehicle’ to ascending national office/positions.
Social scientists affirm that these SPV’s are in different shades and colours. They posit that membership of political parties is an aggregation of like minds within the circumference to the right, left and centre wings. The gravitational pull within the perimeter of this spatial orientation is directly proportional to ideology. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines ideology as a set of beliefs or principles, especially one on which a political system, party, or organisation is based. It is a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. As stated by the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, particular categories of ideology are socialism, communism, anarchism, fascism, nationalism, liberalism, capitalism, and conservatism. It therefore subsists that political parties are cast by clear cut ideological persuasion both in shape and form.
In the United States of America with her presidential system of government their major special purpose vehicle for political ascendency is via either the Democratic or Republican Party. In the United Kingdom, with its parliamentary system, it is the Labour Party, or Conservative Party that are the dominant forces. In Ghana, it is the National Democratic Congress, NDC and the New Patriotic Party, NPP. In South Africa it is the African National Congress, ANC, and their main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) which hold sway. A study into these political parties reveals a strong ideological base. These political parties have their core discernible identity which clearly reflects in their values, system of thoughts, behaviour, body of doctrine, myth, and beliefs. Take a trip to Nigeria and it is game! Can any Nigerian beat his/her chest and tell the ideology of the All Progressives Party, APC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP or even the so-called new kid on the block, the Labour Party, LP? Do these political parties have an ideology? The answers stare us in the face.
At Independence in 1960, the main political parties in Nigeria were the Action Group, AG, National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons, NCNC, and the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello respectively. At the elections, none of these political parties was able to win the majority. The NPC and the NCNC decided to form a coalition to form the national government which led to choosing Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the Prime Minister and Nnamdi Azikiwe as the Governor-General (and later President). Students of history will tell you that each of these political parties of yore stood for something and fought for something.
The generation of that era could with pinpoint accuracy decipher what each of the political parties wanted to do in all sectors. Fast-forward to 1979, we had five registered political parties; National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Unity Party of Nigeria, (UPN), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP) and the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP). Again, each of these parties had very clear ideas on critical sectors like education, healthcare and social services, agriculture, foreign policy, amongst others. In particular, the NPN and the UPN were unique in their very distinct ideologies. Nigerians knew without any equivocation what the NPN or UPN had to offer in education, healthcare, housing etc. This was not just at the federal level but cascaded down to the state level.
A major thrust of that era was the strong structure of the political party leadership in every sense of the word. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was impervious in the UPN. He commanded respect and his followers never doubted his near superhuman abilities. He was a colossus. Elected Governors of the UPN knew what they were in for. They knew that the margin for error was zero. In the NPN, Chief Adisa Akinloye held sway. Like a trojan, he bestrode the party with zest and was respected. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was untouchable in the NPP. He was venerated. Mallam Aminu Kano was in charge of the PRP. He was saintly while Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim handled the GNPP with gusto. He was a statesman. There was regard for party supremacy unlike what obtains in the current dispensation. How many Nigerians today can state in a jiffy albeit in black and white what the APC, PDP, APGA or even the LP ideology is? If you know please show and tell dear reader. These parties it seems are all floating across the river in the same boat. The politicians change sitting positions at the slightest turn of the journey. Once at shore they junket and hop into each other without candour. They are not perturbed. Many get elected on one platform and abandon ship at the slightest of opportunities. They deceive the electorates by playing the victim’s card.
Many Nigerians even refer to the two major political parties in the country as APCPDP, an acronym that amplifies the conjugality between them. Like Siamese twins, the APCPDP duopoly cannot be differentiated by way of their ideologies. They are same of the same. Yes. Nigerians can no longer be cajoled. Nigerians are becoming wiser by the day because of the antics of these politrikcians. They have been found out in their game of deception. The last 2023 elections as flawed as it was shows that Nigerians are getting up to it.
The tsunami wave that greeted the candidature of Mr Peter Obi was monumental. If our constitution allowed independent candidacy, Peter Obi would still have sailed. It wasn’t about political party. The anthem, `carry me dey go, peter obi carry me dey go for a better naija` was loud in every corner of the country. He received massive support from across the political divide. Nigerians didn’t really care about the SPV (political party) he was in. We recall how he left the PDP at the midpoint of the primaries campaign to pitch tent with the LP. For many, even if he had gone to YPP or XYZ, people were ready to align with him. The atmosphere was electrified as prominent members of both the PDP and APC openly threw in their support for Mr Peter Obi. Although in the Labour Party, Peter Obi garnered unprecedented cult followership both within and outside the shores. Reason was simple, Mr Obi was seen by many people as a breath of fresh air, and torch bearer capable of turning the country around for good. His message of character, competence, capacity, and compassion resonated greatly with the citizenry. People gravitated towards Peter Obi as a result of his pristine persona, spartan discipline and the simplicity of his message. They could relate to him. Although a billionaire, he understood the situation of the ordinary man and woman and engaged with them.
This is not to say that Peter Obi is a flawless saint. Certainly, he is not. However, there was something about his personality that reverberated in the minds of Nigerians especially the young people. This is also not to pontificate that the political party from which he ran for office was sanctimonious. Definitely it wasn’t. We can all see the shambles and a show of shame which that party has become at the moment. They too like the others are just same of the same. What then is the way forward from the quagmire that is our lot in party politics in Nigeria? The solution is legion. If we take a cursory look at the current political parties in Nigeria, there are some humane, compassionate fellows in there. Some people who exhibit characteristics that ignite a flicker of hope. We cannot keep generalising and lumping all politicians in the same pot of `all of them na thief` or that political party na thief dem be`. This wholesale approach has not done us any good. It has only helped to isolate and alienate the few `good` men and women in each of the major political parties from the ordinary people. Time is now, when the people of Nigeria need to restrategize. We must understand that we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome. It is time to make a U-turn and change our trajectory. The import of my submission here is that we need to put on our lenses and try to identify the few good ones amongst politicians in the political parties and support them.
Nigerians must move away from the stereotypic view of ‘my thief is better than your thief’ politics. There are some good people in our main political parties. You certainly can reel out some names dear reader. We the people must find a way to sift the wheat from the chaff. That way we may be able to build a mass of kind-hearted compassionate politicians. Did I hear you say impossible! Nothing my friend is impossible if we all make a conscious decision and effort about it. There are some steps we must take to change the dire situation. As Nigerians we must begin to join any of the political party of our choice. We must realise that we cannot win by shouting or ranting from the outside. We must take our seat at the table. Our destiny lies squarely in our hands. Imagine a scenario where 15 million good, honest Nigerians each join the APC, PDP, LP, APGA or whatever party. This mass of citizens will have the power to nominate, select, and elect reasonable persons at party primaries at ward, local government, state, and federal levels. That way pragmatic ideas and innovative policies will permeate the political space. The politicians wasting our time and resources in Nigeria in the last few years are an infinitesimal quantity. In all modesty they cannot be up to 50,000 men and women. So how can the rest of us – several millions be held down by just a few.
The difference between a society that works for the happiness of majority of its citizens and societies that punish its citizens is strong institutions ipso facto. The people of Nigeria must coalesce, advocate and push for an egalitarian society where fairness, equity, and justice reign supreme. Those lines in our national anthem (2nd stanza, which many of us believe should actually be the 1st stanza) “…. To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign” must become a reality. The political parties should stand up properly and truly be political parties with a mission to serve the people and not just be a Ferraris or BMWs to drive them into political offices/positions. They should rise above the ashes of pettiness, develop and craft ideas that can elevate the good of all in society. We the people of Nigeria must beam our searchlight on political office seekers and expose those with questionable character. We must not allow them to cajole us with peanuts and crumbs. It is true times are hard but certainly we have to find ways to stop it from getting harder. Those who govern us matter. The decisions they make affect our lives greatly. After God, the next most powerful force on earth is Government. A force that should be propelled by the people who scrutinise the political horizon for the persons who truly engage with the masses. The wind of evolution has blown, and a revolution is now upon us where we the people should not be distracted by the special purpose vehicular parties in which those seeking to govern are riding because in Nigeria, the parties are all smeared, and it is our task to seek out the few good persons across party lines who can add value to Nigerian lives. I rest my case.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Agbons is lead, Institute of Leadership and Good Governance at www.twin2.org
