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By Young Erhiurhoro
At the moment, the 2023 political drama of the Nigerian democracy is set to play out with full force. At the scene of the political events, we have three major characters and other minor characters that are fully ready to showcase their political prowess to Nigerians and the rest of the world.
The three major characters in this political drama that are contending for the presidential seat of the federal Republic of Nigeria are Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, flag bearer of the major opposition party, PDP, Asiwaju Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, candidate of the incumbent party, APC and Mr. Peter Obi, flag bearer of Labour Party. These are the major contenders for the presidential seat at the moment.
From our political history, Nigeria is a conglomerate of different tribes, ethnic regions, provinces and communities that legally came into existence since 1960. Before this 1960, Nigeria was administered based on regions and provinces with regards to tribe, religion and geographic location. This system of democratic government was what many political scientists described as true federalism. This was because the regions were independent of the central government. The political system was egalitarian in regards to equity and fairness, no matter how small the region was. All the regions in the country then enjoyed their full political rights in governance as part of the country. There was no political marginalization and economic subjugation by the central government as the practice today. The people were at the control of their natural resources and other means of governance in such regions.
However, this political system which was adjudged as the best form of democratic government for a diverse country like Nigeria was changed in 1960 during the independence with a drafting of a legal document called ‘The Independence Constitution”. With this constitution, the political tide was forced against itself and this true federalism inadvertently failed. Nigeria was thereafter shared into states and a federal capital territory was created. In this new political system, the federal government whose seat of operations is centred at the federal capital territory has all the major keys to power in the country. In fact, the system is a three-tier system of local government, state government and the federal government. The federal government controls the state while the state controls the local government.
Yet in all these new political arrangements, the country still believes on tribe, religion, ethnicity, region and geographic location. At the moment, it’s believed that we have three major tribes in Nigeria which are Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo while other tribes are classified as minority tribes. In the same way, the country is divided into regions based on ethnicity and geographic location. We again have major regions and minor regions in the country.
This new political system has again brought about political marginalization, economic subjugation, internal colonialism and outright political dictatorship. These political anomalies pervaded the entire country, but at the perils of the minority groups. In this case, the minority groups in the country were denied access to federal power and governance. This therefore prompted the military to take over government in the mid-60s to late 70s. Their major reason was to wipe away corruption and strike a balance in the political system of the country. But this again ceded much power to the major tribes and regions and increased the corrupt practices of the government against the poor masses and the youths instead of the status quo.
This military government continued for a very long time in the country with only the major tribes producing the heads of state at the perils of the minor tribes. This however brought about strong agitations in the early 90s against the military being in power. These agitations were majorly fronted by the minority groups like the Niger-Delta and the South-South regions. Fortunately, the sole aim of the agitations was achieved in 1999 when the military relinquished power to a democratically elected government. This was the “New Birth” of democracy in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, this democratic government in Nigeria was just an old wine in a new bottle. This is because it began with a former military head of state who infused and infested that same military blood of corruption, oppression and marginalization into the democratic arrangements of governance in the country. In my earlier article titled, ‘Only Military Men in Agbada Can Be Presidents in Nigeria’, I posited that, only military men have the wherewithal to govern this country. This is because of the line of our political system and operations at the federal level. It’s quite disgusting that we have found ourselves in this political mess. This system of military men in Agbada being the presidents of Nigeria has continued since 1999 till date.
More importantly, the bane of this discourse is therefore to present to Nigerians especially the youths and those from the Niger-Delta and South-South regions a saviour whom God sent to deliver us from this political marginalization, economic subjugation, internal colonialism and outright political dictatorship these minority groups or regions have been suffering over a century ago. He is no other person, but a visionary and vibrant political leader, an articulate and meticulous strategist, a sacrificial and a cool headed activist, a humble, prudent and a truthful young Nigerian with unstained profile, a grassroots and a friendly mobiliser. I want to happily present to Nigerians especially the youths Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party as the only presidential candidate amongst the three major contenders that will rescue Nigerian youths from unemployment, criminality and political slavery.
Mr. Peter Obi, without doubt, from his track records as a former governor in a minority region and one of the regions that was so much marginalized by the federal government in terms of infrastructural development, job creation, industrialization and resource control; he would perform better if voted into power than those two presidential candidates of the two major political parties that have already soiled their hands and Agbada with that military blood of uncontrolled corruption and dictatorship from their bosses of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari.
Another reason why Mr. Peter Obi is more preferable to the other two presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections is virtually on age. Two of them, that is, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar supposed to quit active politics by now and seek respect and honour from the young politicians as opinion leaders in the country. They supposed to be advisers to the young politicians that are coming up at the moment. They supposed to be fathers to encourage the youths to join the political system of this country. But for their power drunk instinct and the myopic mentality to die in the seat of governance, they have taken the government of this country as a hereditary monarchy which their forefathers have created, and have therefore taken it as their sole inheritance. This time, Nigerian youths should wake up from their deep sleep and slumber. Don’t ever die for the peanuts they have been giving to us as empowerments and employments. They are only using the poor youths to create a political space for their own biological children to emerge tomorrow as our leaders. These people have frustrated the dreams and future of our fathers. Now, their children again want to frustrate our dreams and future because Nigeria is their royal stool. Based on this classification, Mr. Peter Obi is young, energetic and vibrant to fight for the youths of Nigeria.
Again, Mr. Peter Obi is out there in the political drama to correct such political anomalies like political marginalization of the minority regions in the country. We shouldn’t forget, Nigeria is not only formed by the tribes of Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. We have other tribes too. It’s unwise and unsafe for only one man to eat the food that is meant for multitudes of people because he’s a giant. One day, power may fail him. I think, this is the stage we are in Nigeria right now. Nigeria belongs to all of us. Whether it’s written or not, equity, fairness and justice are the main ingredients that can make democracy to thrive in a diverse country like Nigeria. Therefore, if this is true, then there must be a balance to carry every part of this country along in the administration and governance of this country. It’s time for the Niger-Delta and South-South regions to produce the president of this country. This is not an issue of party affiliations or major political parties in the game. All what we are agitating for in this country to make Nigeria one is by giving this chance to the Niger-Delta and South-South regions in the 2023 general elections. To actualize this promptly, we must vote Mr. Peter Obi to create the balance and equalization.
Finally, power doesn’t stay too long in one hand. It makes it intoxicating and autocratic. Power should be allowed to change hands. If we, those in the Niger-Delta and South-South regions say no to this because few people are benefiting from the federal might as political errand boys, then the future and destinies of the youths are in jeopardy. Don’t forget, these our evil leaders are only using the youths from these regions to prepare the ground for their children to take over from them as soon as possible. For instance, in Delta state, both Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan, two former governors of the state have groomed and mentored their daughters to take over from them with the support of Delta youths. Should we continue to be political slaves in Nigeria?
Young Erhiurhoro, Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society
