Let me quickly remind Nigerians that their president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is contemptuous of Nigerians whether they are friends or enemies. He cares more about nobody else except himself and his nuclear family members. That explains why he is who he is. If faking a name and an identity that’s not his, but will advance his selfish interests, Tinubu will do so without troubling an eyelid or shame.
If he serves his purpose to claim an alumnus of a foreign or domestic tertiary institution of which he is not conventionally, he will readily do so without shame. Will his claim of being an old pupil of any primary school or old boy of any secondary school feather his nest? If yes, then Tinubu has done it. He is not deterred by the possibility that he could be caught sooner than later so long as he has the ready- made cash to offer as bribe for escape. This has been the life of who’s currently the president of Nigeria, a country of over 200 million people. For Tinubu, nothing is sacred. For him, the end justifies the means. Everything is profane. He is the leader of the ruling party in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress (APC). That is the party that survives on hypocrisy, deceit, betrayal, cultism and corruption. How then can Nigeria achieve its full potential under such characters in power?
Today, Nigerians in unison are crying to high heavens for the immediate exit from power vide resignation or impeachment of the nation’s albatross to a corruption-free country, unity, security and even development, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling cobbled party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Since Bola was sworn-in on May 29, 2023 as president, Nigeria seizes to be a peaceful and united country. Nigerians have suffered enough of regional discrimination, lopsided developments, artificially created hunger combined with abject poverty and insecurity. No part of the country is safe!
All is indeed not well with the country coupled together in 1914 by British colonialist and declared independent in 1960 by same colonialist.
Today, beyond America’s Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and a disgraced entity, the hitherto giant of Africa is facing serious existential threats from terrorists, bandits and kidnappers for ransom, allegedly imported into the country by APC in 2015 for support to access power. The country is in the most unfortunate situation due to cluelessness of those in power, and also facing imminent hunger threat, food insecurity and massive unemployment and excruciating poverty at all levels.
Blue-chip companies have since closed shop and relocated to safer environments. Investors are departing our shores for greener pastures elsewhere in droves. Some of the best brains in different disciplines have relocated and deserted the country. Safety of lives and property is no more guaranteed. Nigeria is in sorry state.
Nigerian present leaders seem to be extremely comfortable with the worrisome situation threatening the corporate existence of the country while the country is at war with its enemies. The nation was grappled with the kidnap of 25 female students of Government Girl’s Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State master-minded by bandits, who murdered the school’s Vice-principal Hassan Makuku, and the loss of some gallant soldiers in Borno State, including their Commander, Gen. Musa Uba in a gory ambush by ISWAP terrorists and the murder of five Police men ambushed by unknown gun men in Sabon Sara village, Darazo, Bauchi State, apart from several other daily unreported cases of kidnaps and gruesome murders across the country.
Sadly, we are passing through another Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls’ abduction saga under the watch of APC that claimed the power to rescue those abducted Chibok and Dapchi students in 2015 once trusted with power. The trust was sheepishly given while the girls remain in captivity till date. A typical case of deceit and foolery!
All happenings today are clear signs of leadership incapacitation that things are gradually falling apart in Nigeria, the touted largest democracy in Africa.
Beyond those ills, the recent drama of shame by a factional group of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Nyeson Ezenwo Wike, and stiff resistance deployed by the authentic faction of PDP led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN, is commendable and in the spirit of genuine democracy and rule of law.
The role played by the Nigeria Police Force in that show of wits at Wadata Plaza penultimate Tuesday deserves thorough investigation. It was apparent that the Police acted openly in support of its most favored faction in the saga where tear gas was liberally used to ensure that the Wike-backed faction occupied the party’s national secretariat against natural justice.
Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State stood his ground against the sponsored humiliation which forced Wike out of the secretariat in a lightning speed to save what remained of his integrity after sensing the danger of repayment approaching. Bala deserves commendation for standing firm against a tout, betrayer and destroyer of the democracy who rates himself as the most stupid clown on the political turf enjoying executive cover.
The behavior of men of the Nigeria Police was unbelievable and condemnable. The Police Force is meant for all Nigerians just like any other security organization. The Police shouldn’t be seen working only for those in the ruling party APC, or working for the Tinubu administration against those Nigerians in other political parties or working with state governors. The cancerous development should be condemned by all democrats striving to sustain the democracy. The ongoing agenda, allegedly sponsored by the Tinubu administration to muzzle life out of the PDP, Labor Party and all other opposition parties with reasonable membership, is bound to spell doom for the stability of the country and the nascent democracy.
The recourse to jungle justice by the Wike PDP faction at Wadata Plaza, reminds me of the Hobbesian state of nature where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and extremely short. The police use of force, tear gas and other arsenals in an internal party affair was uncalled for and condemnable. It amounted to undue interference in the internal affairs of a respected political party that endured the rigors of nurturing the democracy to its present stage since 1999.
The locking of the party’s national secretariat by the police because of the crisis is totally uncalled for and a denial of right. The police should allow legitimate members of the party access to the facility to settle down for business. The Nigeria Police Force should not be seen to be siding in any matter. In the same vein, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary should be seen to be impartial in all political matters if the democracy is to be cherished.
Those bent on instigating the ongoing crisis in opposition parties, and defections to the ruling party for greener pasture running away with the mandate of opposition parties, are the real enemies not comfortable with the survival of the democracy. APC was rejected at the 2023 gubernatorial and other elections in some states. Funny enough, some governors and other elective office holders mandated by the electorates on opposition platforms are now defecting to the very party rejected by those electorates as hypnotized politicians hurrying to join the chorus to sing Omologo and On Your Mandate We Stand instead of the National Anthem. What does that signify to a democratic mind? Where does the pendulum seem swinging to? Swinging to one party system with an imposed sole presidential candidate in 2027 without opposition? Even in the monarchial system, there are oppositions and contestants for the stool once vacant. But are Nigerians the conquered slaves mischievously believed by APC in a democracy, or they rate every Nigerian as cheap commodity with a price tag for purchase? 2027 should provide the answer.
For instance, in Plateau State, there is an ongoing sinister plan against the PDP by the troubled APC that was rejected at the 2023 general elections despite the power of incumbency. The enlightened electorates stood their ground against reelecting APC to power to avoid a repeat of the dark days of underdevelopment and cluelessness that messed-up the state for eight years (2015-2023) in the midst of plenty.
The electorates of Bauchi State had to consign APC to the backyard dustbin in 2019 for the poor performance of the Federal Government in the state and the artificially created hunger, poverty and unemployment with dilapidated federal infrastructures littering the state unattended. And sadly, today, the same APC has refused to see reason and be remorseful. It is parading some gubernatorial aspirants with clear questionable character for the 2027 race for return of the state to the dark days of underdevelopment.
It is pertinent to draw the attention of genuine and committed democrats to the dangers ahead if one-party system is allowed a stay.
Genuine democrats and apostles of human rights and other activists should stand their ground against the attempt to turn Nigeria to a country of one-political party.
Although, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vehemently pretended denying the move in his usual character of deceit and pretence, but he admitted to observing opposition parties engulfed in internal crisis, and even in tatters. The ambivalence is not helpful even to the sponsors of the defections. Let all politicians be conscious of what is systematically placed on the burner to the edifice called Nigeria. If the roof finally collapses by the actions of the APC, it will surely affect all of us as we are presently counting losses from banditry and kidnapping for ransom created by the desperation of APC for power in 2015.
As a diverse country, Nigeria will be better administered under multi-party democracy. Our founding fathers and mothers birthed the country at independence under multi-party system as there was Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), Action Group (AG), National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), United Middle-Belt Congress (UMBC), Ilorin Parapo, Habe Tribalistic Union and few others.
These parties controlled the political affairs of the regions respectively. Apart from military rule which is unitary in nature and concept, Nigeria since independence has been under multi-party democracy. APC as the ruling party at the centre has transformed itself to a tested anti-democratic norms and ardent believer in one-party system for ease of manipulating the electoral system and imposing chosen laggards on the people as leaders.
Therefore, Tinubu should for the first time be seen attempting to be honest with Nigerians by allowing the survival of opposition parties for a healthy competition if he believes he has the capacity to be reelected.
Nigerians are fully aware of APC’s fear of the numerical strength and acceptability of the PDP in the Nigerian Project. APC lacks the technical mechanism, expertise, respect and recognition enjoyed by the PDP hence the deployment of huge public resources to destroy the structure of the PDP for ease of electoral manipulation in 2027.
APC in 2014 allegedly imported mercenaries from neighboring countries to fight its war against the mighty PDP to access the 2015 presidency of Nigeria. That proves the level of fear disturbing the sleep of the APC till date. APC knows it has woefully failed Nigeria, Nigerians, Africans and the international community. It has finally resolved to deploy public resources to destroy opposition parties for easy access to the presidency in 2027 to bury shame and twist facts.
Today, the blood is yet to dry in Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Katsina, Plateau, Bauchi, Kogi, Kaduna, Borno, Yobe, Benue, Nasarawa and other areas under persistent attacks by bandits, separatists and terrorists under the watch of an APC incapacitated led administration.
While Nigeria bleeds from the bullets of imported and domestic bandits, kidnappers for ransom and the APC mal-administration, the ruling party busiest itself robbing opposition parties of their elected members, politicking and celebrating defections to improve numerical strength that has been lacking despite the claimed presidential victory of 2023.
APC knows that the death of opposition parties will mark the exit of the democracy from our shores, and prefers that to its defeat. APC has refused to learn from history and the factors that led to the collapse of the First and Second Republics. APC members are busy dancing Omologo while the ground gets fertile for the death of the democracy we all claim to cherish. Politicians of the APC divide are daily planning evil against survival of the democracy in Nigeria as they toy with security of the nation and speaking condescendingly on other Nigerians and acting above the law just like emperors and dictators on conquered colonies.
All those defecting to the APC as captured subjects must do a rethink of their actions. PDP as the strongest and largest political party in Africa is not appealing for return of the defectors to its fold. No, to the PDP, it is a good riddance of betrayers of public trust who so much believe in stomach infrastructure than service to the people.
If not, why should a performing governor who knows where the shoe pinches defect from his party of origin to a party he gallantly defeated earlier and still expect respect and recognition for the betrayal of the people’s mandate? He must living in a world of foolery and deception.
So far, it appears the APC has lost the direction to good governance anchored on its claimed 2015 credibility that brought it to power. It has now opted to maximum use of state powers to suffocate the democracy, threatening the existence of opposition out of fear.
Nigeria MUST survive the plans of annihilation and suffocating the nascent democracy. We must join hands together to confront the challenges posed by APC with courage. We Must, rescue Nigeria from the hands of its detractors busy cartooning themselves as leaders. A Better and Prosperous Nigeria Is Possible!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
