By D.
S. Dauda (M.D.) [UKRAINE] Any keen observer of
recent events in Nigeria’s political scene should not fail to notice
the alarming trend that has come to characterise contemporary politicking in the
country. One must admit that every
politician (particularly the Nigerian species of the genus) is to a certain
degree ambitious, even egocentric. This probably explains why politicians
everywhere are not keen on relinquishing power voluntarily once they can lay
their hands on it, the only difference between them being the ways and means
used to perpetuate themselves in office. Violence, intimidation, character
assassination, mud-slinging and a variety of other means are employed as tools
to achieve this.
It is common knowledge that the term “tazarce” was coined and successfully incorporated into our lexicon during the ill-fated Abacha years. Since then it has come to represent the sophisticated political maneuver by the incumbent to perpetuate himself in office by “humbly accepting” to contest elections under pressure from “patriotic” organisations and movements purportedly representing the masses. It was an open secret that General Abacha harboured an intention to succeed himself in office at the end of his transition programme. Nigerian politicians, then scattered in the five political movements participating in the transition, fell over one another in their haste to adopt the dark-goggled General as their candidate. Various traditional rulers and “well- meaning, patriotic Nigerians” under the guise of one organisation or the other were not left out in that unholy crusade. Those not in the junta’s good books were either silenced forever, sent to cool off in gaol or cowered into silence. The more fortunate ones amongst them went into exile from where they exhorted their equally “well-meaning” hosts to impose sanctions on the poor, hapless masses of Nigeria.
Meanwhile back
at home, being the “God-fearing” nation we are,
all manner of marabouts, false prophets, priests and traditional
medicine-men were contracted to
pray, fast and perform rituals to ensure the success of their plans by those who
had a stake therein. We all know how and where that all ended.
So it comes as a surprise to hear incumbents and their
sycophants canvassing for “automatic tickets”. Had such tickets been given
in 1998, these same “defenders of democracy” would have been the first to
cry foul. For the Afenifere led AD to contemplate granting automatic
endorsements to their incumbents,
the million-dollar question remains: to whom are you giving the ticket? Is it
the same Akande-Omisore or even Tinubu
and Akerele-Bucknor who have been washing their dirty linen in public you
The PDP, or at least some parts of it, seems determined not to be left behind in the tazarce circus. Indeed one of the very first shots to be fired in this battle was the retort from none other than Obasanjo’s reputed Mr.Fix-it, Tony Anenih, that there was no vacancy in Aso Rock. Then we began hearing stories of governors keen to strike a deal with Aso Rock to render their support to Obasanjo’s tazarce in exchange for automatic endorsements. If PDP governors had the excuse of belonging to the same party (at least on paper) to back Obasanjo, then Ahmed Sani Yerima of APP and Lam Adesina of AD amongst others deserve a special mention either as “patriots” of an extraordinary order or something else. With the unsuccessful attempt to pass that bastard electoral bill into law still fresh in our minds, Mrs. Anenih (Mrs. Fix-it?) led the women’s wing of the PDP to Aso Rock to urge Uncle Sege to continue the good work. The President then replied that he was still waiting for that sign from up above. If that event didn’t attract much attention, Kashim Ibrahim (Presidential Liaison Officer to the senate) certainly did. Many stood up to dissociate themselves and indeed the North-East Ibrahim claimed to be representing from his outbursts. So also did other parts of the PDP after Mr. Fix-it (again?) led another delegation to the President, this time claiming to represent the PDP in the South-South.
This time around, it is either our Messiah
has already received the endorsement he had been long awaiting or he has already
taken a tentative decision, for he replied that there would be
“consequences” should he not run in 2003. One is tempted to compare this
type of mentality to that of the Abacha years, the only difference being that
Abacha let others threaten and
intimidate us with the consequences on his behalf.