#APCVPCChoice: The democracy tyranny that must not succeed…

As a governance enthusiast and a student of politics, there are inherent properties in the concept of democracy that are necessary for analysing the choice of APC’s Vice Presidential candidate.

First, Sen. Kashim Shettima as a person is very well educated and has rich private sector experience haven worked for more than two decades in the banking sector of Nigeria amongst other positive exposures.

Listening to him speak, one can grasp his experiential brilliance and knowledge of the country’s dynamics from the prism of our unanswered national questions. But how true and sincere are these manifest knowledge of the system espoused by him?

He is a devout Muslim and has deliberately over years courted deep relationships across the country politically to enhance his national political visibility and opportunities.

However, as Governor of Borno State, North-East Nigeria, available public records show that while he worked hard to advance governance in the state but unfortunately he used his religion extensively to rally political support and also deliberately politicized the fight against the insurgents by former President Jonathan as opposition Governor. He rallied against the horrifying insecurity and insurgency activities that took over 20 out of 27 LGAs in the state and saw many innocent lives, properties and businesses killed and destroyed for personal political capital.

For him at the time, the tragic insecurity situation in Borno state must be used against President Jonathan’s administration rather than work with the ruling government to solve the problem and save lives. This is the reason, again he ignored the letter of the then Minister of State for Education that eventually led to the unfortunate kidnap of 276 Chibok girls in 2014 and many other tragic incidences. The state government has no reason not to work with the ruling government to deal with the issue. Because there is something greater than politics and that is the security and welfare of the people.

The weaponization, mismanagement and politicisation of the barbaric insecurity situations in Borno when he was Governor that led to the killing of many soldiers, and civilians and destruction of the economy of the state and her people was politics of opposition taken too far and potentially portrays Sen. Kashim as one who is more interested in the pursuit of power, and control rather than the security and welfare of the people.

On the issue of religion, and the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the APC. It must be noted that from the era of imperialism, occupation, colonialism, neo-colonialism and today’s globalization ideas, Nigeria has always existed and operated as kingdoms, caliphates and settlements with the tribe, ethnicity and religion being the fine dichotomy. Northern Nigeria is made up of mostly Muslims, while Southern Nigeria is dominated by Christians and a fraction of traditional worshipers.

In the politics of Northern Nigeria, politics is relatively fused with religion, because of the centralized system operated by the people in history. This fusion is also why the politics of presence, ethnicity and identity is celebrated and pursued in the Muslim-dominated North. Politics, and power reinforce faith and faith reinforces politics and power.

In Christian-dominated Southern Nigeria, secular politics and religion are often mutually exclusive with one accusing the other of sin and sinfulness until recently when there has been a resurgence of understanding of secular politics as a tool for the advancement of the righteous cause of God in society. This resurgence, however, has not been able to match the fusion idea of Islam and politics in Northern Nigeria which fuels their numeric advantage over the South in participatory politics and voter turnout. Etc. Southern Nigeria in recent times has also experienced a new resurgence in traditional worshipers, especially amongst young people who have spent their time challenging the Christian faith of being imported to erode their traditional identity. The liberalism and personal/direct connection to God Almighty offered by the Christian faith and guided by the Spirit of God is another reason for the republican and egalitarian disposition of Southern Nigeria.

A careful observer of the project ‘Nigeria’ would notice that religion has been essentially central in the fabric of the country. Almost every public institution in Nigeria today has Mosques and Christian Fellowship centres and praying arenas. It exists in most Federal Universities, it is in the Aso-Rock villa, in National Assembly, there are two mosques while the Christians use some large hearing rooms to conduct their worship activities. It is the same across almost all Ministries, Departments or Agencies of Government. Muslim students leave exam halls to go out to conduct prayers when the exams conflict with their praying times. Recently the House of Representatives controlled by a Muslim Speaker and Muslim Deputy Speaker passed a special resolution for the House of Reps to be going on hour recess each plenary day to enable Muslims to go and observe prayers. Governors and MDA heads are known to be huge sponsors of religious activities. The federal government also recognised this and created two pilgrims commissions, one for Christians and the other for Muslims to help coordinate and manage religious pilgrimage and welfare activities of these two dominant faith activities.

Today in Nigeria, in most of the MDA and institutions of government, if you visit, from the gate you could tell whether a Muslim or Christian is in charge and the tribe or ethnic origin of the head of such MDA or institution is also manifest from the gate. This orientation influences even the language used for official business in such government institutions and the sensitivity of responsibility given to workers. If you visit where a Hausa or Fulani man or woman is in charge, they will be using Hausa/Fulani language to conduct official business, the same with Yoruba and Igbo. The visible and dominant staff community found in these places are also influenced by the tribe, religion and ethnicity of their head or the supervisors of their heads. In Nigeria today, our public institutions are a reflection and conglomeration of Nigeria’s ethnic, religious and tribal sentiments to the extent that due process and the so-called federal character are often jettisoned to satisfy the whims of the tribe, ethnicity and religion of the leaders and their sponsors.

Most people in our public institutions and even in most private organisations are still praying and waiting for the turn of their own tribal or religious person to assume office for them to have a breath of fresh air because of the endemic level of ethnic and tribal sentiments that have forced excellence and meritocracy to take emergency flight out of these institutions. This is also the reason most of these institutions simply serve as cost centres for government expenditures with near-zero productivity and contributions to the development of the country.

Premised on the above discussions, it is my strong belief that Nigeria’s political elite especially the ruling party should have dared to rework, remake and reimagine Nigeria where everybody irrespective your tribe, religion or ethnicity should feel the vitality of the country and have a free sense of patriotism and nationalistic spirit in line with both the Nigerian constitution and the APC rule book. We have the best of Christians and Muslims in both North and South and the idea always shouldn’t be about just winning an election.

I, therefore, conclude that the Tinubu/APC’s Choice of VP panders more to a winning formula rather than national unity and national renaissance. The Presidency is meant for the country and her people and not the country and her people for the presidency.

The choice of Muslim/Muslim ticket for the APC at a time when the memories of the likes Deborah who was killed in the Sokoto North for being a Christian and Fatima, a Muslim killed in Anambra for a similar reason, same in the West, South-South, North East and North West will not guarantee the inclusion, sense of belonging, safety and sensibility of Christians in the North and same in the South. It will further proliferate our fault lines and demoralise our public service and institutions of governance and government which will yield nothing but low productivity, entrench a new sense of slavery, and enthrone an internal colony and imperialism within the country.

This is nothing but the evil and tyranny of democracy. The resurgence of the tyranny of democracy in Africa and particularly Nigeria where facade elections are all that matters must be checked and controlled.

Nigerians must resist the #APC and their efforts to focus on just winning elections rather than building the country and prospering the people. This is not just about religion but leadership for nation-building. I don’t belong to those who think that a Muslim/Muslim ticket will Islamize the country, no, far from it but democracy offers freedom of choice and not a conspiracy of choice. Well-meaning Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims across North and Southern Nigeria must rise together in one accord to resist the #APC and show the #APC that all that matters is not just to win the election, and take control of political power but rather to provide leadership to build a nation that is so visibly divided.

This resistance must not be done by just outpouring self-fulfilling emotions, acrimony and anger but with the ballot. Remember, this has been in the works for a long time now and a lot of structures have been put in place for this to happen, those who believe in one Nigeria must now end the hypocrisy of the #APC. I urge President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President of Nigeria Professor Yemi Osinbajo to join Nigeria from the #APC.

God bless Nigeria.

Amb. Chibuzor Okereke is the
Convener: National Political Equity Movement -Nigeria and can be reached at
scokereke@yahoo.com, 08063019132