By Marcus Ekure
Your candidate won, theirs lost, that is good news to you. Isn’t it? But why are you so excited? Is it because you love him more than anyone else or you are the closest person to him? Or you feel you have just won a jack pot? Yes jackpot as you have already mental photographed your desired appointment and the fact that you now feel a quantum lift in the scalar chain of life in comparison to your equals!!
As pleasant the foregoing may sound, it is imperative to note that any one who supports politicians for selfish gains or interests, has left so much to be desired!!
Yes, many of those who drum support for our politicians today, no doubt do so to either retain their appointments that , most often than not, has not benefitted anyone other than themselves or immediate family members! This no doubt, is where many of us get it wrong!!
The greatest reason for any truly reformed mind for supporting any political party or politician should be centered on the word ” PLATFORMS”. What is platforms? Platforms are opportunities that act as spring board for the benefit of many rather than microscopic few or self. Any opportunity that empowers only you and your immediate family members without splashing on others to me cannot be seen as a platform. Platform as the word implies, connotes opportunity for anyone and not specific persons.
One of the greatest pain in my heart today is how activities of our so-called leaders and supporters have so derogatorily relegated the business of governance to a mere tool of personal angradisement for self and those branded to them as supporters. This very character has been a major bane on development of platforms in Nigeria
In the ideal sense, a Governor, Senator, House of Rep or State House of Assembly member who won election ought to be representative to all and sundry and not to microscopic few in his political party.
The wickedness and selfish nature of man is easily seen in our Nigerian political attitude. Until we have politicians who would be gracious, bold and selfless enough to give appointments across political divide, until politicians are prepared to view state craft through a holistic totality prism rather than sectionalism of few, until we jettison that brand of sham puritanism which views state craft through the prism of malevolence, selfism and omevwe-ovo-le (chop alone) spirit, then the dirty fight for turnism(it’s our turn) and the lamentation of “this is our chance” would continue to ravage our political landscape.
For instance, it is this ugly political behavioural pattern of our leaders that has given birth to lots of self deterministic struggles cum agitations such as militancy, resource control, rotational governance and the likes which have heated up our polity immeasurably in recent times.
These various agitations are more or less functions of failed leadership. If we have competent leaders who view state craft through the prism of equity, justice and fairness in the alocation of resources, appointments, projects and the likes, irrespective of the multi ethnic diversity, people would surely care less about where he or she is from!
It is because of the collective myopia, value deficiency and visionlessness of majority of our politicians and their wrong perception to governance that has made the tussle and quest for power very bloody and messy. There is the general phobia and psychology in the peoples minds that when your party wins election, members of your party maintain monopoly of power and control over resources to the detriment of those in opposition. So with this in mind, nobody is prepared to lose as losing means deprivation and suffering for the next 4 years.
We need administrators who would rule as president of Nigerians and not that of his political party faithfuls only! We need governors for the good, the bad and the ugly rather than a microscopic few perceived to be holy via the prism of political party. Until this is achieved, many would continue to see politics as a do or die affair because no one would want to suffer till next dispensation.
