ELECTORAL VICTORY NOT MILITARY CONQUEST

Source: thewillnigeria.com

I am constrained to speak on this issue as PDP government of President Jonathan prepares to hand over power to the incoming APC government on May 29,2015.

There is an urgent need for enlightenment about what electoral victory really means to avoid misunderstanding and misapplication of victory leading to annulment of the effect and thus surreptitious denial of democratic dividends to the people of Nigeria as envisaged .

Electoral victory is not to be equated to military conquest because it involves leaving the opposition alive and functioning as fulfillment of its essence. Without a functional opposition, there is no electoral victory. On the other hand military conquest involves the elimination of the opposition entirely to create a complete hegemony.

This differentiation has become necessary because the Incoming winners appear to misunderstand what victory means and look set to swallow all opposition through wooing of opposition officials and structures by every means. In the first place the rule of morals is relegated as one would do in the battlefield. Without morals, democracy cannot stand. Without adhering to natural laws, there is no rule of law which is a pillar for building societies.

I am perturbed that lies and falsehood could be employed to destabilize stable state governments just because of the phantom fear that all must be aligned to the same party in the centre to function. It is not true. It is the opposition that ensures check and balance needed to keep successful democracies going globally. If I were the incoming government I would go all out to ensure that the present opposition is strengthened rather than weaken them with immoral application of influence and falsehood.

It is as if we have such short memories of how it worked last time around. If you want a one party government the short comings abound. It means that the position will soon arise within your party. Remember the so called new PDP!

A situation whereby a party will close its eyes to practices such as happened to Elder Orubebe lately where his tweeter handle was hacked into and used to announce his plan to defect to the opposition party only for the announcement to turn out to be false is condemnable to say the least. It is just one small example of immoral application of victory or rather lack of understanding of it.

I do understand the origin of this situation. Western education is such an important ingredient of democratic practice that our decision to deny it in this electoral process by not disqualifying un-certificated aspirants predisposes the system to degradation of values and mass misunderstanding of values. This is just the beginning. How do you understand a constitution that you have sworn to defend when you cannot read it and have to depend on advice? How do you define corruption when you do not understand the term? Or do not mind the immoral means used by aides to attain power and influence?

Look at what is happening to Bayelsa State for instance. This is the home of the leader of PDP, the out going President and he is still in power until May ,29 2015. You want to conquer it. To annex it as a show of strength that indeed you have got it all. But this is a stable state, the home of the man that registered your party even when he could not have been compelled to do so. The man who may have given you victory on a platter of gold without challenging it. The man who may have stopped moves to disqualify you from contesting. This is where he will have his retirement, the only hope for a credible opposition yet you want to conquer it because perhaps you do not understand that electoral victory is no military conquest. Change your attitude not just your military title to help your aides change theirs in this regard -this is the first change that I humble advice.

Wtten by Nwokedi Nworisara.

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