Buhari Legacies And Fate Of Our Nascent Democracy

By Advocates For Good Governance
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Since inception of this current government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, it has been demonstration of craziness instead of democracy. While many thought President Buhari would have repented as an ex-coupist and put on AGBADA that will accommodate all irrespective of our tongues, regions, and beliefs. But it was late for his supporters to believe that no matter how you rebranded a man; a leopard cannot change its spot.

To be candid, we don’t need a soothsayer or a rocket scientist to show us where our democracy is going. From nepotism to dictatorship, dumping of rule of law to bin of history, ember of ethnic chauvinism to religious bigotry, fantasies to rising social inequality, in fact the list is endless.

Our democracy has degenerated to the point that outsiders are now taking us to the cleaner. But to my greatest surprise, there are still people including grandfathers that are bent to portray to the whole world that all is well with Nigeria.

If this regime of change should continue at this pace, 2019 might be a one party affair without any alternative for the innocent public. The congressman of USA, Marino has said it all and it is evident to all. http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/09/04/fg-says-us-congressmans-comment-on-buhari-out-of-tune-with-reality/ .

Minister of Image defence, Alhaji Lai Mohammed should save us some time and stop calling black white. It is not all Nigerians that are under political spells of APC. The spells have bewitched many elites, innocent public and brain drained youth that are going to any length to defend and sing praises of their demi-god.

Considering our diversity and sensitivity to the same course, a democratic government without inclusion is tantamount to annihilation of other components. A situation where Mr. President can only trust his kinsmen and belief’s family tree cannot work in a nation like Nigeria. This government is adding insult to injuries of this nation that is united in fragility through all her actions and inactions across all sectors.

The pointers are clear to all including the most gullible and political illiterates, it is nepotism to put your family members in sensitive position. As at the last time I checked, about 12 close relatives (in-laws, cousins, nephews and nieces) of Mr. President are ditching out commands in his government. It is nepotism of the highest level for him to put his hometown brother as head DSS. There is nothing to call it than nepotism for Chief of Staff to be on the board of NNPC. Many thanks to core Northerners, that came out to condemn this on several occasions. This style of democracy does not fit our current fragile unity.

Another pointer is disobedience to rule of law which Mr. President sworn to uphold, you cannot be the judge, the prosecutor and the accuser at the same time. According to Coretta Scott King, “Freedom and justice cannot be parcelled out in pieces to suit political convenience. I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for group of people and deny it to others.” So it is a precarious situation in a democratic government for a police officer to be throwing thrash to our entire judicial system just because he is bossing over EFCC and nobody has called him to order.

It is wrong for EFCC and her paymaster to be shielding their political friends and families from prosecution despite all evidences. When I heard EFCC will start probing Ex-Governors without Fashola, Amaechi, Fayemi, Ngige, George Akume, and Tinubu on the list, I called it another melodrama. Apart from EFCC, there are other agencies that are carrying out their roles outside the rule of law without any check from their paymasters. Mahmoud Abbas once said "we cannot build foundations of a state without rule of law". It is wrong to be fighting impunity with impunity.

Ethnic chauvinism and religious bigotry are other pointers that are our democracy is under a serious threat. We have no record of arrested and prosecuted Fulani Herdsmen that have changed to blood sucking militias by any of our security outfits yet a man that named his pet was detained and brought before a law court within 7days. We have heard our Airforce fighter jet rescued 55 cows from rustlers likewise security outfits are busy arresting cattle rustlers on weekly basis.

I ask you all to determine who is posing more dangers between Fulani Herdsmen Killer squad and pet’s owner. It is highly insensitive on the part of a government saddled with responsibility to protect lives and property to allow animal grazing to be taken citizens’ lives unabated. I think Ugwuanyi of Enugu should be relieved of his position for failing to protect his people. If it is not an attempt to fan ember of ethnic attrition then what is it?

Same government that allocated N90billion for grazing reserves is asking farmers to pay security apparatus for protection. On the part of religious bigotry, killing other citizens for not practicing same faith has become alarming and yet our government of change has not deemed it fit to arrest and prosecutes any perpetrators. It has always ended at the point of arrest.

I keep wondering if President Buhari is still using Nigerian Constitution to govern; human lives should be more than a mere press release for condemning all these monstrous crimes. Dear President Buhari, you are President and father of all citizens irrespective of their tongues and faiths, please don’t be the last President of Nigeria if God has not destined you to be so.

Now to the Inconclusive National Electoral Commission that prophesied inconclusive elections for 2019, if this is a predetermined agenda to throw us into more political confusion then the current helmsman of INEC should be relieved of his job and APC apparatchiks should buried their heads in shame .

This is not the same INEC that conducted election that brought APC to power. It has been thousands of steps backward since APC has started conducting election. If an electoral body that cancelled elections few months ago can come back to declare ghost result, then our electoral system is sitting on gun powder.

If INEC has not deemed it fit to conduct elections for people to be represented at NASS after 15months of this 8th Assembly, I think we should ask APC what they are doing. Many have been crying that INEC is not constitutionally composed but our government is not seen anything bad about it until eleventh hour. Election is a process and not just for voting and results; let us improve on where we stopped at 2015 general election.

To sum it up here, what Mr. Tom Marino of USA said is a whole true picture of our democracy under 15months of APC and my able President Buhari. Many of us have been painting the same picture since day one of this government but they are turning blind eyes to it. Instead of looking inward to retrace their steps, they are tagging us with unpleasant names. To make it worse for them are sycophants and praise singers that are taking briefs for them at all costs. It is better to address all these now before they become irredeemable.

If our leaders want a better democracy, then they should eschew draconic, dictatorial and political intolerance style of government. Let me quickly add this, no emergency power for economy reform should be granted to the Mr. President as those little ones we bequeathed to him are under threat and abuse. In the words of Albert Einstein, "whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters".

Once again to the highly political illiterates and sycophants that have dominated political space on social media, you should not be more patriotic to your party or demigod than to your nation, it is either they have hijacked presidency from President Buhari or he is not in touch with consequences of the ongoing antidemocratic wind blowing over his government. The law of cause and effect will soon be evident to all. Before APC and PDP there is a nation called NIGERIA and after President Buhari’s reign there might still be a united NIGERIA.

Ifedayo Obi,
(Lead Partner, Good Governance Advocates) He tweets through @IfedayoObi