‘‘ I see a generation of Nigerians fully conscious of their rights; that will not have the patience to wait for another election time before demanding and securing the exit of irresponsible and reckless government officials. After all, sovereign powers reside in the people, not in the so called leaders (looters and plunderers).I see a situation where there will be a mandatory provision in our electoral laws requiring aspirants to elective offices to come before the people and debate issues of governance.’’ – Quoted in Nowinta’s book 2009:WHERE WE ARE (page 173)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
True to widespread predictions and expectations, the March 28th Presidential Election has turned out to be the most tightly contested and rigorously competitive since the British flag (Union Jack) was lowered and quickly replaced with the green white green Nigerian flag on October 1st 1960.
Never in the history of this stunted giant (Nigeria) has a sitting President been badly cornered, drilled and grilled by the opposition political party, like how President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) has done with the just concluded Presidential election in Nigeria.
Today political records are being broken, history is being made and rewritten across, within and everywhere in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a result of the Presidential election.
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Niger Deltan , from Otuoke, Bayelsa state of Nigeria, who has recorded stunning records as the first man ever from the creeks to become President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has dramatically become the first incumbent President to be knocked out of power via a credible, free, fair and transparent election.
If June 12 1993 Presidential election in Nigeria was a watershed in many dimensions, because late chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP) overwhelmingly humiliated Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the then National Republican Convention (NRC),to win ,the March 28th Presidential Election will certainly be a gargantuan reference point for many years to come.
President-elect General Muhammadu Buhari must be applauded riotously for his uncommon resilience and legendary passion to change the status-quo in Nigeria since he was booted out of power in a palace coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27, 1986.
General Buhari’s extraordinary political strides remind me of late Abraham Lincoln of United States of America, who relentlessly surged on with his political agenda despite several crushing defeats.
The President-elect equally reminds me of late President Ronald Reagan of United States who was the oldest guy to be elected to the White House.
In a country that has witnessed sixteen years of People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) reign at the center, where unemployment, corruption, insecurity and economic stagnation etc., have been handled with kid gloves in the midst of stupendous revenue accruing to the nation, the dramatic turn of events as a result of the March 28th Presidential Election is not unexpected.
With the naira ridiculously nose diving before the dollar and Euro, extreme poverty, skyrocketing inflation, appallingly stinking oil sector and all manner of impoverishment hitting the masses left , right and center, this March 28th Presidential is simply like no other.
We must quickly remember that since independence, the South-West and the core North have never really embraced and romanced themselves the way they have done politically today.
Even, the legendary late chief Obafemi Awolowo with his political wizardry and sagacity could not connect positively with the North politically, the way Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Raji Babatunde Fashola and Governor Ibikunle Amosun, etc., have perfectly shattered the jinx blocking the Yorubas and the Hausas.
When APC was born as PDP became absolute victim of their own impunity, the political equations altered accordingly, I told some colleagues and friends that the 2015 Presidential election will simply be like no other one.
I equally wrote profusely on that.
And that is what it has dramatically snowballed into.
When one of the staggering political and electoral champions that has come out of Ondo state, in the person of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko recklessly allowed his Labor Party in the state to be swallowed up by the PDP, in order for him to boost the chances of President Jonathan, I thought that unusual development will make the PDP to clinch the state for President Jonathan on March 28th 2015.
But one of the greatest shocks was patiently waiting for Dr. Mimiko, as the All Progressives Congress in Ondo state rose from the ashes of defeat it suffered in the hands of the Labor Party in the last Governorship election to grab victory for General Muhammadu Buhari there.
Sensing big trouble ahead of the presidential election in the South West because of the political situation that stood in favor of General Buhari, President Jonathan hurriedly used the opportunity of the postponement of the election from Valentine Day 2015 to invade the South West to campaign.
The alleged ‘Operation display of dollars’ in the South West could not prevent the President from losing heavily there.
Even, the last minute gambit to snatch electoral chances using the report of the National Constitution Conference (CONFAB) which was ready since August 2014 failed woefully to persuade voters in the South West.
The President’s overnight bash with Nollywood actors and entertainment gurus also brought no electoral fortunes for him etc.
Today, many so called political superstars and champions have been humiliated via the March 28th National Assembly elections.
Governors Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Ahmed Markafi (Kaduna),Gabriel Suswan (Benue) etc., could not secure tickets to the Senate.
The March 28th Presidential Election has actually afforded the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo the greatest electoral fortunes of their lives with the APC sending a clear message to the PDP that never again will it be business as usual regarding elections in Nigeria.
The lessons to learn by all politicians in Nigeria are not far-fetched. With the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) and the Smart Card Readers (SCR) which was used during the last elections ,the days of habitual impunity, maladministration and reckless abuse of office, misappropriation of our Commonwealth, stark misrule, errant show of stubbornness to the rule of law, building, nourishing, institutionalization of corruption as an ethos of governance etc., are numbered.
With the PVC and the SCR I think the message is more than clear now: cerebral, people-oriented and God fearing characters will be enthusiastic to throw their hats into the political arena.
Finally, Nigerian voters are the ultimate beneficiaries of the last Presidential election; we must always have it at the back of our minds that absolute power rest with the people.
I think that is the biggest lesson.
We must always never sell our birth rights for any pot of porridge to any mischievous politician.
We must always make politicians to respect our sacred constitutional rights to vote them out during election when they lose our confidence due to lack of performance or inability to live up to the great oaths of their respective offices.
Nowinta wrote, WHERE WE ARE-A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA
