A major problem for our democracy is how little those who aspire to lead us care about sharing with the electorate and citizens their visions, plans and priorities when or if they are elected. This problem is most pronounced as we move towards the 2011 elections. With barely four months to elections that will produce Presidents, Governors and lawmakers, there is hardly any discussion on issues or plans for dealing with underdevelopment, poverty, insecurity, unemployment especially among our young, corruption, bad leadership, and decaying infrastructure. What we see daily on the pages of newspapers are insults and other damaging information calculated to impugn the integrity and records of opponents. Other opposition parties are silent, either because they have no plans, or no money to undertake expensive advertorials, or no enemies to insult. Even more worrying is the fact that the elections which will hold in April 2011 has no legal framework, since leaders and politicians are busy trying to legislate advantages to themselves in the Electoral Act.
With the way the maneuvers and schemings are going on in the PDP, ACN, ANPP and CPC, Nigerians will not know who will be candidates until well into January, or even February 2011. Until then, the aspirants will fight bloody battles that will do major injuries to their integrity and their chances, and the chances of their Parties, to win elections. The battle between President Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is dirty, bloody, and in the end, is likely to do serious damage to the PDP. They are busy buying up pages in our newspapers to publish damaging propaganda against each other, rather than informing potential delegates why they are better choices. The amount of money they spend in these campaigns against each other would have been better utilized by letting Nigeria know how they will deal with our many problems, and why delegates should consider them better electoral materials. By the time either of them emerges as PDP’s candidate, there will be no time to know why they are better candidates than other Parties. Their battles would also have bitterly divided their Party, and created many enemies for them who may or may not leave the Party, or, as we say in Nigeria, commit anti-Party.
But other Parties are not necessarily any better in terms of convincing Nigerians that they are better options. The CPC which has a major following, has huge organizational problems as week, and the entire energies and attention of its popular leader, General Muhammadu Buhari are taken up with dealing with lower-level issues which an effective organizational structure would have dealt with, so that he can acquaint Nigerians with his vision for change. The Party stands the risk of losing many elected positions due to its many internal, organizational problems, and the dominant position of its leader who is overwhelmed by the centrality of his position. The Action Congress of Nigeria is finding it very difficult to break out of its traditional stronghold, which is the Southwest, and is therefore unable to tell Nigerians its vision for transforming Nigeria. The much-touted and long-awaited strategy for an electoral alliance between the CPC and the ACN has been delayed beyond a point where it will produce any positive result, other than producing a joint Presidential candidate. How much time will they have, after these protracted negotiations, to tell Nigerians why it is the best choice? Are Nigerians going to be asked to vote for a northern and southwestern ticket for the Presidency alone, without knowing how this ticket intends to deal with our problems? In other words, are we going to vote for a Hausa or Fulani and Yoruba man or woman only because of their tribes? The same thing can be said for the attempts to portray President Jonathan as the candidate for Nigerian Christians and the Southern part of Nigeria, and Atiku Abubakar as the candidate of Muslims and people of the north.
Other Parties like the ANPP, UPGA, Labor Party, DPP and the many other smaller Parties are hardly making any visible impact in terms of convincing Nigerians that they have plans and strategies for dealing with our many problems. Many have huge internal problems as well, in spite of their sizes. Rich members in these Parties still dominate them, and are daily manipulating their internal democratic processes to ensure that they keep a firm grip on Party matters and their own interests.
There are many other politicians aspiring to be flag bearers of their parties, who also have good ideas, visions and strategies for dealing with Nigeria’s problems, but they are being squeezed out by the big bosses who control every activity in their Parties. Even if they eventually get tickets, Nigerians are not likely to hear of these people’s plans, and therefore make informed choices.
It is most unfortunate indeed, that in April 2011, Nigerians will be made to choose between candidates who will stand on the platforms of their tribes, religion or wealth, and not on their visions, plans and strategies for solving our problems. Money is being spent in newspaper, radio and television advertisements to destroy the character and records of opponents, and not to provide Nigerians with information that will allow them to make informed choices in 2011. Other parties which do not have billions are not being heard. Tribe and religion are being put forward as issues, not the capacity of aspirants to lead Nigeria with honesty, integrity and competence. The campaigns at State and National levels are being fought with such desperation and bitterness that their fallouts are most likely going to lead to violence and massive disputes both within the parties and between supporters. Instead of looking forward to lively, informed debates and expositions on plans and programmes, we are being dragged into potential conflicts by powerful politicians who believe their only qualifications to elective offices will be their victory over opponents in the propaganda war.
Nigerians want a peaceful conduct of the 2011 elections which gives them the chance to make informed choices among candidates. These politicians who are spending millions in campaigns against each other should spend part of that money to tell us what they will do if we vote for them. We want Delegates who will elect them to know that they represent better choices for their Parties, and not how much they will be paid to nominate them as Candidates. We want Party Primaries to be transparent, free and fair, and to produce candidates which will conduct an orderly and peaceful campaign. We want elections that will not have any casualties, other than those who are rejected by the electorate in an open, free and fair election.
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