Politics in Nigeria has always been gimmicks and fanfare. The political space has always been a cocoon for mediocre minds, out of which reverberates this eerie cacophony of ineptitude.
Elections are supposed to be issue driven, backed by solution proferring to woo the minds and gain the support of the populace. Campaigns are meant to reveal those who understand the ever present needs of the people, feel their pains and showcase the problem solving abilities of the candidates. The yearnings of political office seekers to serve should resonate with the wishes of the people for better well-being and improved living standards.
Suffice to say, that those in government and political positions should be a reflection of the needs and wants of the people. The people’s heartbeat. And as such, their aspirations for the hallowed halls and chambers must be in tandem with the wellbeing of the people.
This should be felt from well drafted manifestos which explain in detail, what a candidate has to offer and how they intend to achieve it. This is the ideal.
On the other hand, we have a real situation that screams just the opposite. An election culture were candidates, just before election go to the streets and take pictures with the less privileged and homeless children. A culture where candidates go to market places, pretend to buy the wares of poor market women, help them to carry and feed their babies, strap the babies to their backs and pretend to help them roast corn and sell their wares.
A culture were candidates abandon their posh cars for a few minutes to hop on motorcycles and tricycles, just for photo props. They do this to hoodwink the people that they are part of their everyday sufferings and as such understand their plight.
This has always worked as the people fall for the mind games. The lack of a healthy debate for these candidates to showcase their myrtle. Another factor is the choice of the candidates to always play the ethnic card, Nigeria being a conglomerate of ethnic nationalities. Believing that one who shares their pain, and understands their situation will make things better. How many times has this white lie been been proved to be a lie? Once in power, these candidates abandon the people, only to return to them at the expiration of their tenures to repeat the same gimmicks with poor showmanship.
Many a time, the people see through it as it has become a norm but can't do much because they have to choose between two people who both sell the idea of collective poverty. Either the man who goes to a government primary school, pretends to eat "ogi and moimoi" with the children of the poor or the man who visits vulnerable almajiri children and pretends to share a plate of rice that looks like it underwent fractional distillation in its cooking process.
In the light of all these, it's funny to notice how these manipulators have failed to employ their old tactics in this campaign season. A verse from the Holy book, John 1:5 says, "And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
The entrance of a particular candidate in this presidential elections seems to be the game changer. An election which would have otherwise been a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, a choice between poison and venom, a choice between Hades and hell. An election and campaign which would have involved the usual gimmicks and rhetoric, stylized by an unstealthy and uncouth mediocre crop of politicians has taken a wild turn.
Whether he wins or not is inconsequential. The entrance of Peter Obi in the presidential election has brought a ray of renewed hope. His style of issue based campaign, international and local consultations with both Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, diplomatic consultations and bridge building with other countries who have a lot to offer Nigeria even when he isn't the president speaks volume of one who has a lot to give. His progressive views and aggressive "pan Nigerianism" puts him on a pedestal, in a class, a league of his own.
He has raised the electoral bar so high, the other candidates are finding it difficult to measure up, and are, in the usual Nigerian style, beginning to think of how to cut corners and subvert the electoral process. Any attempt to employ the tactics of the magician, performing before a crowd to appeal to their fantasies instead of their critical minds would spell doom and be tantamount to political suicide.
Whether he wins or not, the mere fact that these political con artists can no longer apply their garri and soup approach of collective poverty is a big win for democracy.
THE GAME CHANGER: A BIG WIN FOR DEMOCRACY
By
Tari Ogbowei