The game of politics in Nigeria at all levels is getting more threatened by hoodlums and vandals so desperate to either access power or to remain in power against the wish of the people.
The tale of Merchant of Venice, one those William Shakespeare’s enduring literature works, draws parallels to theme of justice, equity, and the perils of greed.
Today in Plateau State, these same themes are resonating as the outgone All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by Simon Bako Lalong, recently attempted to cling back to power through the local government elections, desperate to steal the people’s mandate.
Just as Shylock’s rigid insistence on his “pound of flesh” ultimately led to his downfall and doom, the APC’s fraudulent attempt to subvert Plateau people’s will was destined to meet same fate.
What happened to the APC in Plateau State at the October 9th local government elections was a shadow of its former self. The party’s membership was decimated and the leadership deteriorated, losing credibility and relying on life support for survival.
Lalong’s former administration was the last breath of the party that was effectively dead in Plateau and heading into extinction before 2027.
The remnants of what is once APC now consist only of a few following Lalong and his other associates sheepishly, knowing full well that they cannot offer what they do not possess: credible leadership.
For the last eight (8) years (2015-2023), the people of Plateau State witnessed a governor who failed to deliver on key promises: jobs creation, infrastructure, education and healthcare. Billions of naira from public funds was allegedly mismanaged, and critical areas were neglected under the guise of peace initiative.
Lalong, lost memory of how he came to power and presided over an administration marked by mediocrity. An election to the local council had come and gone, won virtually in all the 17 local government areas by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but the behemoth called APC remains a desperate party dreaming of snatching the declared victories again as witnessed through compromised judgments by the Court of Appeal with State and National Assembly elections in 2023.
APC wants to control the councils, through every evil dubious means available. Fundamentally out of touch with reality and the desires of Plateau State people, they cannot reason beyond their nose.
How can a party with no pulse, no vision, and no credible and reliable leadership expect to snatch the ever-conscious Plateau people’s mandate? It is as impossible as a dead body rising from the grave to claim something it does not own while living.
The analogy of Merchant of Venice becomes clear: the Plateau APC is like Shylock, clinging to an illusory claim, hoping to exact something from a people that they no longer owe. Just as Shylock’s pursuit of his pound of flesh was thwarted by the legal system, so too will the Plateau people continue to reject the APC in all elections.
It is APC’s obsession with power that is at the root of its downfall. Rather than focus on serving the people when it held sway, it descended into a party of self-seeking, selfish, and purely anti-people interest individuals clinging to obsolete political strategies that no longer resonate with the enlightened electorates.
Today, the party’s fraudulence is evident in its attempt to undermine democratic processes and snatch what rightly belongs to Plateau people——their voice, their future, their mandate. But the people of Plateau State are not the easy and cheap types to be deceived or cajoled.
Lalong’s sheep-like followers within the APC know that he lacks the capacity and political technicality to lead them anywhere meaningful other than to oblivion.
His leadership has been a mirage, and his promises have turned to dust. Plateau people can see through the APC’s façade and are ready. Their votes for Caleb Mutfwang in 2023 reflects their continued aspirations for genuine even development, unity and progress.
In Plateau State, the APC is already in the intensive care unit breathing its last, and no amount of deceit, manipulation, packaging or political trickery can restore the lost glory of the behemoth.
The mandate of Plateau people has never been for granted or for easy purchase or can be snatched.
The APC may try to invoke legal maneuvers or false promises, but like Shylock, their claims will ultimately be denied, rubbished and hated by the people’s court of justice. No Merchant of Venice can help the APC in its fraudulent quest. The verdict is clear——-APC’s time is up in Plateau State.
Muhammad is a commentator on national affairs
