A Tale Of Presidency 2023:: Youth And Nigerian Politics

Youth And Nigerian Politics

By

Ahmad Murtala

Nigerian politics over the years has been predominantly blanketed by the aged political tycoons, who were once the playboys of the second republic politicians and are now taking over. The atmosphere appears very sterile in holding a promise for the youths in the field, by their level of sagacity and the thirst they have to bye pass wealth accumulation. This of course raises the suspense that if youths are allowed to take the lead, would Nigeria land in the safe hands ?

Some youths begin their political journey from campus in their undergraduate pursuit, copying from the existing status quo—sometimes having no clear ambition than to have the title appended on their names as honorifics, 'President' or 'Presdo' in their peer groups. People take the cue from their leaders, so also the youth—taking the cue from the other side of the Nigerian leaders, having herds of Presidential aids and protocols alike. The recent appearance of the SUG President in Federal University Dutse raised concern.  

Most of the youths are categorized into: highly educated (mostly the elites' children) the privileged  educated and under educated (who are the dustbin where hoodlums are recruited, for political thuggery). The first, who have the smooth ride to inherit their parent in the political arena or probably hook into a jumbo ministries, the second who the hope of future Nigeria relies upon, who took to the cue of the same status quo making it difficult to predict that positive results would manifest from them when given opportunity, the third—the hoodlums. 

The not-too-young-to-run policy that is meant to incorporate youths in the participation of politics is a clear demonstration of sanity which in one hand is a way forward and in other a disguise. Say, the average Nigerian youths of under forty who mostly begin a new life striving to establish themselves venture into politics with little or no dime to possess a party ticket and the fund to sponsor a campaign across the country, what then is the fate of this expensive policy ? the argument remains if the policy is not a disguise for the children of elites to have a smooth ride.

So far, youths have been given the opportunities across the fields, only to be disappointed in the long run by abusing the office. The strong allegation against Kogi state governor where billions of Naira stashed in Polaris bank was found by EFCC translates to weak hand of leadership which the governor presumed by many to be a youth—and the senator a representing Adamawa North Elisha Abbo, who was caught assaulting a lady inside a sex-doll mall, one begins to ponder where to find the vibrant youths who would take the lead.

The inscription in the minds of the youths to enjoy life to the fullest at the early stage by means necessary is flabbergasting—this mindset keeps them derailing from the track, many of which want to be elected to enjoy the same gravy which the system provides. Wringing out this flamboyant tendency from the political office would go a long way in instilling in the youths' mind that a leader is a servant of the people not their master.

Going back down the memory lane after independence, youths have demonstrated a good leadership during the military regime in the country, there was a hope that they hold promise for the country, the likes of Yakubi Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo and even Buhari himself, they were lads when they took power and led by example of their time—the paved-way back then that allowed the youths in offices and power though was due to the less educated populace which today cannot accommodate such stance. 

The amoral practices that constitute electoral processes ranging from rigging, vote buying, result manipulation to some extent diabolism which makes the politics a 'dirty game' discourages most of the youths and thereby most of us become apathetic and lose hope. Nevertheless, there is a new-signed Electoral Act amendment which hopefully, the major filthy part of the processes would be cleansed and it begs for popular participation which the turn out is a light at the tunnel's end. 

A Hausa 'catchphrase' which presupposes looting tendency that says "Ana siyasa dan la'ada ne ba dan lada ba" meaning people go into politics for what they zip off at the end not for divinely reward" this went far and popular in the North and corrupts any idea a youth has to sanitize the system—until then, the time when this virus phrase erased in the youths' mind and have a clear vision of what the country looks like in the future—selfless youths who have country at heart not in brain and Ideology in politics we can say, they are ready to confront the likes of Tinubu who says youths should wait for their time to elapse.

Road to Aso Villa 2023

Road To Aso Villa 2023.

By 

Ahmad Murtala

Ever since, the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu declares his ambition to succeed the incumbent President Buhari, earlier this month, the political sphere: off and online stirred up debates both in favor of Tinubu and the potholes along his way, citing some irrelevant motif that may hinder his success or to any candidate; which are not the paramount of any buyable candidate at the moment; and of course for the electorates.

The intrinsic status quo of our polity entertains those factors that undermine the democracy and the governance—rating region, tribe, religion, age, school attended, above competency and capacity going even further to dig up the ancestral root of a candidate. The end result we are cultivating under this administration says a lot about the mistakes we've committed in the past: from 2015 to date—by using only those yardsticks to scrutinize a candidate. Can we still pelt with our intelligence to subscribe to the same mistake of the past come 2023 which appears a new dawn to our country ?

We imported the American presidential system of government, which is quite expensive and implemented its only cover-page. Multi-party system that compels too much spendings which a saleable candidate who is capable of taking a lead is hindered to contest by the processions—the ticket, the campaign, and the mobilization, but in this context, two major parties are on the run, which the rest endorses the party that has the chances of winning in subterranean maneuver.

The SouthEast has configured and domesticated PDP as its political party since 1999, while APC appears nascent in the region—the weakness of the ruling party and the deterioration of the security across the country under the watch of APC, makes the nascent party lose its credibility far to the NE. Say, the president is to emerge from the region, two impossibilities may arise. The Northern people have been stereotyped and characterize PDP as evil, callous and looters which most of the states in the region are under; and APC has lost its shining plate before the people based on what appears on the ground since coming to power in 2015. No matter the credit of the candidate from the SE, if APC deem it fit to give the flag bearer to the region to entertain Zoning as postulated by some Northern state governors, the chances are its success would be a bottleneck.

The polarization within the spheres of politics that SouthEast translates to secession if not given the chance to rule, it appears that PDP would have to play the same card of the last election, by choosing the running mate from the SouthEast, here the North would draw a line looking at the indices of the carnage their businesses faced in the region. Meanwhile, APC would play the SouthWest and the running mate from the North, perhaps Muslim-Muslim ticket. The result would be determined by the primaries from the parties in the couple of weeks ahead.  

Those countries that have built the social establishments and have a smooth working systems with literally little or no corruption, the age of presidential aspirant is not a matter of concern as we see Biden of US—not like Nigeria when chunks of domestic battle are entangled yet to be addressed. The age of the candidate matters a lot in this context. Tinubu, who appears to be more powerful so far from those who declared their aspiration, is brazenly feeble, if not a good diet and wealth that make politicians appear strong, most of the politicians at the frontline ought to assume coach duties guiding the upcoming ones. We forbid the like we've seen in this administration by encasing the president in the villa and plunge the country into anarchy.

From the view and the color of the game, Atiku Abubakar the former vice president would swiftly take the PDP flag and Tinubu APC. The dice is, both have been dented by the people's court to have maliciously accumulated wealth—having no other alternative polling box for the electorate. If history is to repeat itself, Buhari contested four times before he won, and now Atiku is running on his fifth time is likely to have a smooth ride on the basis of APC losing its credibility in security across the country. 

The extreme thirst for power to fulfill the 'need hierarchy' is not dangerous to the beholder alone, the motive is only to possess the authority without a sketched-architectural blueprint and clear manifestos which will coalesce with the national need. Buhari came on this platter and the end result is unbecoming. The two giants so far have not made it to the public the what-and-how to attend to the tangled problems agonizing every sector. The currently delicate security and imbalanced economy which are at the top, strangling the country by neck—finding it arduous to breathe. We for now, don't need the so-called 'kingmakers' who cannot heed or take advice from the public opinion but become foreign puppets—since, intrinsically, the presumption of superiority as the number-one citizen is established. 

Road to Villa 2023 must from the parties, play the game card that would sew together the polarization across the region. The Villa in 2023 and beyond begs for a head that heeds and having both stick and carrot in his hands, the one who has a clear understanding of foreign policies, and has immediate treatment to our problems both short and long-term solutions. If to suggest best candidates there are multitude of them from SS, SW and NW, both fit in into position of President and Vice President, but for now, let's see the outcome of the parties convention which is the utmost decider.

Incessant Defection and Electoral Sanity

Incessant Defection and Electoral Sanity 

By 

Ahmad Murtala

Ever since Nigeria turned over to the third republic, on the eve of the 21st century, there have been political parties—which the arena experienced the storm-and-shift of politicians from one party to the other like birds on forest trees. With the absence of national ambition in the defection, conniving with one another which the politicians depict over time, Nigerians in general and the electorates in particular are steeped to pay the price and still paying unconditionally. 

From the time we evacuated from Military Government to Civilian Rule, 1999 to date, there were enormous political parties created and died—some transformed to other acronyms which makes the ballot paper lengthy like a roll of tissue paper. Muhammadu Buhari, who was in APP before transforming to ANPP then CPC and now APC the merger of all the three—PDP for instance, remains till date which gave birth to all the presidents except one. One would ask, with all these chunks of parties some have no offices or heads at the national level, let alone state, what are their intrinsic 'core values' ?

For a professor in academics, dumping the field for politics has several reasons. Some would say he delves into the system with his sanitary towel to clean some dirt. Perhaps the ASUU versus FG in the frontline would be clean—but  what we see across board is contrary. Adamu Adamu who talks about ASUU over time is now the man in charge, he proves us wrong: or they delve into politics to taste the grandeur of national gravy which their taught-students are merrying and determining the affairs of the nation which is close to our motion for what we see.

The incessant defection occurs when two interests clash in the political party—sometimes dumping the party that brought a seating office holder into power, like we see in Zamfara state. This tells a lot about the filthy politics we run in the country. Deep down the well, there is a motive behind these defections, which of recent serving as a safe-haven for the crooks under the promise of a former APC leader who says "if you join APC all your sins are forgiven" that was not a joke, it's being practicalised.

If a policy should be put forth to regulate social media contents which according to the government is seditious in nature and insubordination then—the right to associate should be reviewed in this aspect, since it determines the future and well being of the country. It isn't sardonic to say, regulating party defection limiting it to minimal window is a violation of right of association. The window of right to associate should be left open so long as it rhymes with the national regulation. Every politician should have two access to defects in a lifetime. Say, he joins a party for the first time and he defects twice making it three political parties, by and large, anything outside this is a monkey play. 

The electoral act 2021 that seeks to panel beat the electoral process appears to ignore this tentative aspect. The credit and quality of a candidate should be determined if he has a clear path he traces, if he loses he loses not to deviate and he should restrategize for the next election. But what we see is once the power is gone, and he is outside the center table where the national cake is baked, the calculation to join the terrain of rolling trains on the rail is what dangles in their minds. Orubebe who disrupted the collation process in 2015 and FFK who spitted venomous and belligerence utterances against the ruling party and some of its members, he even went further to say, he rather die than to join APC have now defected for the ruling party—he is perhaps waiting for the nemesis of his words paving to his grave.

The clash of democratic values; the freedom of association and electoral sanity, which one is limited to individuals and the other concerns the general mass, one has to be subdued for the other. To do so, it begs for collective sweat to ensure the intended by-product becomes unattainable by extracting out the milk and honey in the political offices. No country would develop when its governing establishments become an industry that produces rich people overnight. It's the tallest branch of the tree. If everyone forsakes his profession for politics to lick the gravy it cannot accommodate us.

Every political party should be mandated by INEC—a provision of party constitution to include (each new member must spend at least 4 years before contesting for an office). This has two ends: it would instill the core values of the parties to its members and thereby a clear ideology would be intrinsically installed, and it would wedge this horrendous tendencies of defection from one party to another, since 4 years each tenure elapses.

The leverage in the hand-made poverty that is forcefully domesticated through sky-and-ground salary of politicians, makes it opportunistic tendencies that warrant the candidates to swift through political parties and conniving among each other spreading across parties is what I can call 'political apostasy'. Some even change the party from APC to PDP or vice versa four times in a tenure, can't we mature as humans ?

Nigerians have suffered the consequences of party defection over two decades. 'The way forward is the way inward' this country is owned by Nigerians and Nigerians must device means necessary to surmount this chronic mentality—this endemic that is brazenly dragging us back compelling us to walk one-step-forward-two-steps-backward can only deteriorate further the economic and developmental race in our polity and portrays Nigerians as incredible leaders before the international community.