Duro Onabule: Why must Nigerians constantly overheat the polity?

by Duro Onabule

Bola-Tinubu-and-two-governor1

All the same, critics of the national conference were the same group all along, pretending to be clamouring for Bashorun MKO Abiola to be honoured and when Jonathan decided to rename University of Lagos after the deceased, the hypocrites were up in arms against the honour done Abiola. Otherwise, agitation for national conference had been stronger in the South. It is, therefore, ridiculous that any criticism, could come from that part of the country, against the national conference.

To keep the governed repressed or unthinking, there is this blackmail or intimidation of heating up the polity anytime effort is made to gear up the government or check the Peoples Democratic Party. For the avoidance of doubt, the governed comprises more than the masses. In this case, the governed includes critical elements in society and within rival political parties.

Making matters worse, the supposed regulating body of political parties in Nigeria, INEC, complicates the situation with its “Big Brother is watching you” partisan and intimidating intervention at relevant times. Pointedly, INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, must be cited for his restlessness and failing to exhibit the neutrality demanded by his office.

Despite his untenable self-assumption of being the best ever to happen to the conduct of elections in Nigeria, Jega is too noisy, far outside his duty and authority conferred by his national assignment. For a repeat, only in Nigeria does the National Electoral Commissioner terrify the nation regularly with riot act. Yet, compared to the Ghanaian or even Sierra-Leonian counterparts, there is as yet no achievement to flaunt in Nigeria. Ghanaian and Sierra-Leonian electoral commissions have recorded feats of incumbent government or/and ruling political parties being voted out several times in fair and free national elections.

So far, this is an achievement beyond Attahiru Jega’s reach. Yet, he shouts down every and any effort made to unseat the PDP in democratic elections. Worse still, eventually, the PDP visited on itself the very electoral malpractice it’s been visiting on rival political parties. Consequently, the PDP split into two. Once again, Attahiru Jega, as INEC boss, and on account of that welcome development, is intimidating Nigerians for allegedly overheating the polity.

In the first place, what power has Jega to deal with overheating of the polity, even if such occurs? He has none. Either within a political party (the only party of concern to Attahiru Jega is the PDP) or among the various political parties, how can Jega define “overheating of the polity” to warrant his sanction if at all he has such power? The impression Jega gives is that he can unilaterally impose such sanctions. Is Jega aware that under Nigerian constitution, a person shall be entitled to right of fair hearing specifically in a court of law (section 36 of the constitution) and not in Jega’s INEC?

That exactly was why a law court declared null and void Attahiru Jega’s unilateral de-registration of some political parties. Politicians anywhere in the world, will always struggle for an edge either among themselves in the same party or with contemporaries in rival political parties. When is there ever a time a virile democracy does not generate various controversies, which in Attahiru Jega’s school of politics, amount to overheating the polity? In Britain or United States?

For the past ten days, government in United States (not for the tenth time) has been shut down because the two major political parties, ruling Democrats, led by President Barak Obama, and opposition Republicans, led by House of Representatives Speaker, Boehner, couldn’t agree on fiscal legislation. Nobody has blackmailed Americans of overheating the polity. What is more, the Americans of overheating the polity. What is more, the American national electoral commissioner has not entered the foray, throwing his weight about, as Attahiru Jega has been doing in Nigeria. This man should just shut up and concentrate on plans for 2015 elections. Ghanaian and Sierra-Leonian national electoral commissioners do not seek local or international headlines and are better appreciated at home and abroad for their achievements.

Why is it that only controversies, concerning PDP or putting President Goodluck Jonathan’s back to the wall or putting the party on the defensive by rival parties like the APC make Attahiru Jega threaten the big stick, the power for which, it is repeated, he does not possess? A major political party, APGA, has been in a prolonged civil war, which has never created a headache for the INEC chairman. The defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) was similarly involved in a civil war, which forced General Muhammadu Buhari’s faction to form the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Still, Jega never complained or warned against alleged overheating of the polity. Even the same defunct CPC was also in a crisis, a faction of which has just joined the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). Why, was Jega never concerned?

What is Jega’s special interest in PDP to be treating the party as untouchable? The NEW PDP has faulted the INEC chairman Jega for dereliction of duty. Till now, Jega has not responded to the petition sent to him. The allegation is that following a purported amendment to some sections of the OLD PDP constitution, a copy of the new document was not sent to INEC, as mandatory under the Electoral Act.

According to the NEW PDP, any purported convention, congress or elections held thereafter was null and void. Does that necessarily constitute overheating of the polity? Jega must, therefore, defend himself against that implied charge of not rising to his responsible by failing to sanction the OLD PDP, as provided under the Electoral Act. Jega should have taken the necessary action, even before being exposed by the NEW PDP. All these are even an aside.

In reality, if the crisis between the two factions of the PDP has been overheating the polity, Nigerians have no choice than maintaining the momentum. Under a political arrangement, which, all along, rendered prospects for reforms so far-fetched if ever possible, Nigerians must engage in self-praise for the series of concessions (repeat concessions) compelled from President Jonathan within two months of and by the PDP crisis.

The most notable of the hurried concession from Jonathan is the national conference. Jonathan, his administration and the National Assembly under the domination of PDP had, for years, stubbornly resisted any idea of a national conference.

There is no doubt that the national conference had been Jonathan’s plan B in anticipation of failing the chance for a second term. There  might be some pettiness to weaken the centre, if not Nigeria, to spite his political antagonists, especially Northerners.

All the same, critics of the national conference were the same group all along, pretending to be clamouring for Bashorun MKO Abiola to be honoured and when Jonathan decided to rename University of Lagos after the deceased, the hypocrites were up in arms against the honour done Abiola. Otherwise, agitation for national conference had been stronger in the South. It is, therefore, ridiculous that any criticism, could come from that part of the country, against the national conference.

Without any prejudice to the outcome of the national conference, Jonathan can still display better judgment than his critics by instigating a bill for the amendment of the revenue allocation act, to substantially reduce the ratio of Federal Government in favour of big increase for states and local governments.

Afterall, all states in the North, Niger Delta, South-West and South-East are in favour of such change. Only this week, South-West governors demanded reduction of Federal Government share of the allocation to forty per cent.

Another fall-out of Jonathan’s concession of national conference is enhanced prospects for the creation of state police. In the past only South-West governors demanded state police. As of today, even Northern governors are also in support of state police. Indeed, former President Ibrahim Babangida has opted for state police, which, as a military ruler, was unthinkable for him. Similarly, South-South and South-East back creation of state police.

For these two changes, any amendment of the constitution initiated by Jonathan will be supported by National Assembly and all the states Houses of Assembly. Otherwise, it may take over eighteen months to achieve anything from the national conference. On the other hand, it took Nigeria’s federal and state legislatures less than a month to amend the constitution on a nebulous principle of necessity to remove the late President Umaru Yar’Adua from office and (to) install Jonathan.

Again, the PDP crisis has forced Jonathan to cancel plans to rationalise federal ministries and parastatals, which, if implemented, would have rendered career civil servants redundant. Political capital would have been made out of such controversial decision by Jonathan’s opponents in the NEW PDP.

Another fall-out of the PDP crisis is Jonathan’s vote-catching move to re-introduce housing and vehicle loans for civil servants. It is, therefore, clear that if truly as Attahiru Jega complains, the polity is being overheated, there have surely been fruitful results.

On top of it all, Nigerians now know the true state of our economy, as bankrupt. That gloomy assessment is not from rival opposition parties, especially the APC. Instead, it is another fall-out of the PDP crisis in which the NEW PDP is distancing itself from the OLD PDP.

 

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Read this article in the Sun Newspapers

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

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