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I was in my hometown, Orlu (Kponkwem), Imo State, the greater part of the last two weeks, for the burial of my elder sister, Mrs. Priscilla Nwanze (nee Duruokpo), which took place on Tuesday, September 8. The exit of Pee (as we used to call her), remains a hard one on me and my other two siblings. She was the type you could, from a distance, misunderstand and accuse of being overbearing. Pee insisted on being seen and respected as the eldest child in the family, which often made her want to have her way in virtually all things, to my discomfiture. But beneath that tough carriage was a pool of compassion and milk of kindness. When it came to caring for us and taking up our battles, she was mother-hen personified.
At a point, last February, when I had some scary health challenges, I was told of how she went into serious prayers and fasting for the two weeks. I was particularly touched to learn that, in her supplications, she begged God to take her life and spare her brother (me). I have a feeling that the willingness to submit her life in exchange for mine – a solemn sacrifice of sort, may have accounted for my recovery and her unexpected departure. In African Traditional Religion (ATR), such beliefs are potent. Since her burial, it has been tough contending with regular recollection of the moments we shared together, the fun, the fights, those occasions we disagreed and eventually agreed. Nothing, indeed, pains as the loss of a sibling, no matter at whatever age. The cut is always sharp and deep!
Being off the news denied me the opportunity of following some developments in the lead-up to the 2027 general election. On the flip side, the period equally shielded me from the trauma that comes with the worrisome dimensions our politics. But that was quite temporary – the type of momentary relief that alcohol offers; a delusion that makes one forget his problems but returns to them when the hangover is gone. The truth is that, no matter how one tries to manage or dismiss the fears, the trajectory of contemporary Nigerian politics is disturbing.
With barely four months to the January 2027 presidential election, the electorate and all Nigerians deserve something better than the tantrums and distractions they are being treated to by the political players and their foot soldiers. It is time for Nigerians to be served with real issues, not the current distractions they are being fed on.
Election is a big issue, in fact, a celebration of democracy. Election times are periods for stock-taking, validation, renewal or withdrawal of mandate. Those seeking renewal of mandate are expected to show reasons why they should be returned to office, while candidates seeking to replace office holders need the extra task of justifying why they are better. For the voters, it is the time for introspection, when they ask themselves if their lot had been bettered since the last election. Outcomes of these reflections determine the voting pattern, all things being equal.
That was the trend in the Second Republic and, to some extent, in the beginning of the current dispensation. Unfortunately, in the build-up to 2027, the template has changed. In place of issue-based politicking, propaganda, innuendos, aspersions and hate speech have taken over. Those that dismiss the present political engagements in the country as a charade may not be entirely wrong after all.
In some instances, violence has been visited on opposing camps. With the government and office holders bereft of ideas and the opposition lacking in cohesion, the entire exercise has been reduced to a mere rat race, the type of exercise that is dismissed in the countryside lingo as “motion without movement”. In the process, name-calling becomes the order of the day.
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Nothing in this instance, portrays the piteous level the system has been reduced to as the time and energy being dissipated by the Presidency and its image managers in discussing the cost of the handbag of Mrs. Margaret Obi, wife of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi. Even by his admission, Obi, before entering politics, had been a billionaire in any currency, with antecedents rooted in long years of entrepreneurial doggedness and enterprise. His wife has never served in any capacity as a public official. The office of the First Lady never existed while her husband was the governor.
How she spends her personal wealth or what accessories she chooses to wear should not feature in any serious national discussion. And as my colleague, Dr. Promise Adiele, asked in his robust piece on Wednesday, “how does the handbag of someone’s wife affect the living conditions of millions of Nigerians stewing in the crucible of hardship and penury? How does the cost of that handbag address the rising cost of fuel in the country? How does the cost of that handbag respond to the broken promise of constant power supply by Mr. President?”
These are questions that should bother Nigerians and their leaders as the election approaches. The country is presently on all fours, truth be told. Current estimates of Nigeria’s poverty indexes by both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are disturbing. According to the IMF, 63%, or over 140 million Nigerians, live at or below the national poverty line, while humanitarian agencies estimate that 35 million people will need food assistance during the 2026 lean season. About 3.6 million Nigerians remain internally displaced, largely because of conflict and insecurity. In a related pathetic picture, figures from the NBS, indicated that 40.1% of Nigeria’s population lived below the national absolute poverty line, meaning about 82.9 million Nigerians were classified as poor. These summaries are unflattering by whatever standard of measurement.
The situation is worsened by weak infrastructure, unreliable power, insecurity and the excessive cost of doing business, which continue to mount pressure on households and constrain enterprise. In addition, insecurity has displaced millions of Nigerians and continues to disrupt agriculture, education, trade and investment. The situation is obviously dire and uncertain. In such occasion, you would expect the leaders at state and national level to be sober. But that is not the case. Instead, the people are being presented with phantom figures of a thriving economy, embellished with hyped statistics. Incidentally, while government officials prance about with the bogus claims of humongous accomplishments, the facts are there staring at their faces – the facts of acute hunger in the land, of factories closing shops and burgeoning youth unemployment; of rising inflation; and the facts of insecurity boxing the citizens into a corner. These are topics that should headline the campaigns for the 2027
presidency, governorship and other positions.
Candidates should be able to explain to Nigerians their understanding of the challenges and how they intend to tackle them. Addressing the issues requires the flag bearers mounting the podium, not through proxies. This is not the time for loose cannons as the utterly irresponsible Senator Francis Fadahunsi of Osun East to direct his thugs to kill supporter of opposing political parties as he did in the last Osun governorship election. It is also not a moment for the loquacious Federal capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, boasting that he has already secured the Territory for the President even before the election. The situation at hand does not also permit the juvenile displays of a Dino Melaye nor distractions of a Lamidi apapa or Julius Abure. Nigerians are in for serious business.
What is at stake is the soul of the nation. It is a contest of wits and ideas. Any candidate that lacks the capacity or intellect to stand before the people and present his/her agenda, has no business being on the ballot. Aso Rock Villa is not a rehabilitation centre nor forum for dispensing patronage to idle cronies and fleeting sycophants.
