Party Primaries: A Choice Between Positive Change Or Retaining A Frightening Status Quo.
By Ebor Cletus Ralph Jr.
As you read this piece, outside politics, not else count in Nigeria at the moment. More so, as general elections beckon. For the records, it is barely a year away. Interestingly, Nigerians have got a big choice to make. An intriguing one though. Intriguing in the sense that, it is a choice between a break with a suffocating past or a choice to entrench a sane society where things work for the common good of the citizenry.
In terms of political platforms, nothing drastic has happened. It remains the same old order. On ground are the same known political parties, viz, the main opposition party, PDP, the ruling party, APC and other fringe parties like APGA, SDP and so on. Accept it or not, the next election remains a two horse race between APC and PDP. As for the political actors, sadly, nothing has changed. They remain the same faces we had known over the last two decades. Same faces that had largely been egocentric, selfish and mindlessly self-serving.
The question is, what has changed? A tough one though! a rhetorical poser at that. In terms of attitude, we could still be where we had always been. Nigerian politicians never change. They play the good guys when elections approach, then, their true nature manifest when power is achieved. Attitudinal change can be effected, only if and when the citizenry or the electorate, decide to say enough is enough. Otherwise, the status quo ante remains. However, there can’t be a better time to see through that genuine change that our nation badly desires, than now. Therefore, now is the time to interrogate the status quo, by making a clean break with the past.
Yes, they remain the same Nigerians, but, perpetuating the same guys who had held us down over the years in power, for the fear of the unknown, is the reason we are the poverty capital of the world. Insanity they say, is repeating one thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome. Logically, an error would always beget an error. Like I said earlier, we have got to try new hands. And this should consistently be our electoral behaviours henceforth, until we find a near perfect mix. It is doable. We only need to hold our leaders to account. When they fail, they are blocked from ever getting close to the corridors of power. It is as easy as that.
General elections are less than a year from now. We have got time on our hands, moreso, as the party primaries are matters of days away. The change that I advocate, starts with the primary elections. If we fail at that, then, we have yet another four years of suffering and smiling to contend with. Painfully so!
At the moment, looking at the field, the aspirants out there, are the regular crowd that had held us down. The question is, are we going with this crowd again? We have got to say a big NO. We need new hands. Yes, we do.
Now, let’s interrogate the status quo against the backdrop of what they had dropped on the table, over the past seven years. What’s the state of the nation’s security? What’s the value of the nation’s currency in relation to other currencies? What’s the the general living condition of the average Nigerian compared to the past years? What’s the cost of doing business in Nigeria? How friendly is it? What’s the state of the nation’s local and international debts? How much of the debt went into investments? What’s the size of foreign direct investment (FDI) the present gang had so far attracted over the last seven years? What’s the image of our nation in the eyes of the international community? What’s the state of the nation’s tertiary institutions especially, the universities as we speak? While the children of the ordinary Nigerian are rusting away in their various homes, the children of political class are daily graduating from their schools abroad, while their parents fly in and out at public expense, to celebrate their achievements. Post 2015, where can one situate Nigeria in all ramifications of life? I ask this because, the security situation in the land, can only be compared with what obtains in a war zone. Traveling on our highways, railways and waterways is like embarking on a suicide mission. Our fuel products are about the most expensive in the world. Terrorism and banditry have become serious business and a way of life. The cost of living and doing business here, is one of the highest and most debilitating in the world. One can go on and on.
These are the issues that Nigerian electorates especially, those who would be privileged or saddled with the responsibility to participate and pick the next sets of contestants should interrogate. To be fixated on the old ways of pocketing a few Naira notes and chant ‘carry go’, would be a deservice to our children and their unborn children. If we are ever going to get it right, it’s got to start now. Good luck Nigeria.
