National Political Reform Conference in Nigeria: Choosing the Wrong Formulae for Calculating the Political Equation

By

Sulaiman YB Kura

suleiymankura@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

The sudden change of mind by President Olusegu Obasanjo to convene a national political reform conference, albeit against what the ‘free minds’ has been calling for the last five years – Sovereign National Conference. Obasanjo might have his fears for not officially allowing that conference. However, the hard line PRONACO campaigners some of which were officially nominated in view of their political experience and knowledge on Nigerian politics boycotted the ongoing conference and instead threatened to convene a parallel one. Whilst others simply continue to criticise the Obasanjo conference for the hidden agenda with which it was established. Either way the conference is being attacked from all angles: its objectives, composition, character of the participants, nature of issues dominating it, its agenda (both formal and informal) and finally the resolutions will similarly be under serious attack.

 

However, at whatever perspective one is looking and analysing the conference, one will have no doubt entertain some critical reservations. Indeed, initially I had no intension to put these few words on paper, but day-after-day as events continue to naturally or otherwise unfold in the conference, one has no option but to join the political debate. Perhaps that is the only way one could express his anger the way Obasanjo is playing with Nigerian professors of Geography and Law Jurist like a one year baby playing with a toy (I don’t mean here to discredit the principled Jurist and Geographers, but referring to those who throw away their knowledge in order to serve the selfish ego of a man who has no interest in the suffering of the common man).

 

Actually from my understanding there is a very good wisdom in the conveyance of this conference. Whether it is the act of God or Obasanjo to save the Nigerian democracy is an open question left for the future to answer. The National Political reform Conference is merely an expression of many critical problems that have dominated the Nigerian polity since independence and which have been worsened by the unfortunate long period of military dictatorship. The conference indeed is an expression of the (I) failure of Nigerian constitution which contains several ambiguous clauses meant to protect the criminals and looters of Nigerian treasuries (II) failure (or near failure) of Nigerian political structures (III) failure of the Nigerian judicial system to uphold the true principles of the rule of law, which is the foundation of democracy and good governance (IV) failure of both the previous and present executives and the legislature to address issues that are knocking every now and then at the doors of their constituencies, which they are daily claiming to represent (and many of whom could not even have an office in their so-called constituencies), and most pragmatically (V) the conference is two-way failure to Obasanjo’s Nigerian democracy: (1) failure to address the burning problems affecting the poor (just imagine the number of people that are dying daily for hunger and lack of medicine in the hospital, who otherwise could have several years to stay on earth) and (2) failure to come out  with another convincing justification to continue in power beyond 2007.

 

Interestingly, the conference is theoretically assumed to address these issues and most significantly poignant question of the president self-succession come 2007 vis-à-vis blocking whatever chances thereof for ex-military men to succeed him. Obasanjo has the right in his person to protect himself and his treasuries against future eventualities, which he has no control over. The conference is therefore timely. It is a forum that will block Obasanjo’s ulterior motives. The conference at least will explain the direction of the Nigerian democracy.

 

The president’s team of advisers could not indeed master the geographical and law equations very well. Thus the formulae they chose in calculating the political equation is summarily wrong! The Political Reform Conference is getting out of hand. And they can no longer control the psyche of Nigerians. The political machinations are certainly working against the wishes of the anti-democratic forces in the country. That is why I continue to wonder why many well meaning Nigerians either out of commission or omission nominated by the president or their respective state governors boycotted the conference. Shouting and criticising outside the circle of the conference simply remains futile. But participating and deliberating relevant issues and even blocking the hidden agendas of the president is the only way through which Nigerian democracy could be sustained and Obasanjo’s hidden agendas thwarted.

 

Obasanjo’s arrogance and thirst for power are going to consume him. His insincerity to Nigerians will continue to follow him.  The true colours of Mr President and his cohort have started manifesting themselves when recently more informal agendas were smuggled into the conference. One may wonder what has a conference that should address pertinent issues affecting the country have to do with Oputa Panel Report? Or even to do with the outlawing ex-military coupists (both successful and unsuccessful) from expressing their civic and political rights as citizens of Nigeria. Obasanjo seems to have forgotten that he was a beneficiary of military coup in Nigeria. If not as a result of General Murtala’s coup against Gowon regime and if not because of Dimka and his allies Obasanjo wouldn’t have became the second-in-command and military head of state, respectively.

 

What is even poignant is the issue of the draft constitution manufactured by few apologists, surreptitiously being circulated to some special members of the conference. The draft constitution allegedly contains many chauvinistic clauses that may further engender the unity of Nigeria. For instance, it contains issues relating to application of laws in the country. The Daily Trust reported that section 1(3) of the draft reads: If any other law, customary or religious practice, is inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution, the constitution shall prevail, and that other law, customary and religious shall to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.’ Similarly, section 140 (2) of the so-called draft constitution states that: subject to the provisions of sub-section (1) of this section, the president shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six years commencing from the date when he took oath of office.’ There are several other sections that contain mysterious statements. The section on the tenure of office of the president clearly indicates this motives of Obasanjo to continue beyond 2007. The logic (if any) is that if the draft constitution successfully passed through the NCRC, it would be easier to be accepted by the National Assembly and thereby becoming the legal constitution of the land. Thereafter the incumbent will simply declare his intension to re-contest under the new laws, all things being equal. Secondly, the clause regarding the supremacy of the constitution and as the voidance of any law that seemingly contrast the provision of the constitution, is to stop states from adopting and implementing their religious/customary laws. The clause was introduced in order to block further re-introduction of shari’a, after what appears to be the failure of the new attempt.

  

From these, it is categorically clear that Obasanjo has simply proved his critics right, and political mathematicians have used the wrong formula(e) in the calculation of the equation. Nigeria will not be turned into Iyadema’s Togo or Mogabe’s Zimbabwe. The united resolution reached by the Northern delegates to the conference is enough to send good signal to whoever is trying to use the conference to achieve selfish ends. The only option remaining to Obasanjo is to take the bull by the horns by simply stepping down at the end of his shamelessly stolen second tenure in May 2007 or to force the secretariat of the ongoing conference to at least smuggle his favoured clauses of the draft constitution into the final report to be submitted to him (after all this is not new to him). But it still remains clear that according to 1999 constitution, Obasanjo must leave the Aso Rock and go back to his Ota Farm. Nigerians and the whole world are watching!

 

 

Sulaiman YB Kura

The University of Birmingham, UK.