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On June 12, 1993 general election, Nigerians gave Chief Moshood Abiola and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe a pan-Nigerian mandate. They were elected President and Vice-President respectively despite the two of them being ardent Muslims. Unfortunately, that pan-Nigerian mandate was annulled by the then military government. About 29 years after, we have not fully recovered from the aftermath of June 12 poll annulment. And since 1999 when this republic started, neither has our democracy fully evolved nor have our politicians internalised the lessons of June 12.
Our politics is still bedeviled by clannishness and exclusion of a certain section of the country. The just-concluded party primaries underscored this fact. We had expected that the major political parties, like the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), should have micro-zoned their presidential contest to the South-East. But that was not to be. The slot for the PDP went to the North-East, while that of the APC went to the South-West. As always, the South-East was completely relegated. Hitherto, Nigeria stood on a tripod. That is not to be anymore. The continued exclusion of the South-East region from the national politics portends great danger and does not augur well for the sustenance of our democracy and the unity of the country.
Besides, our leadership choice has not reflected the wishes of the electorate and the majority of Nigerians. We have seen cases of impunity and imposition of candidates and lack of internal democracy in almost all the parties. Sometimes, voting goes in line with our fault lines without the voters considering their future and that of their children. In most cases, money is the name of the game as political positions usually go to the highest bidder. Many hungry voters are also compromised to vote against their conscience.
Corruption has been institutionalised and that is why President Muhammadu Buhari, despite making strong pledges to fight it, has failed in curbing the monster. In Ministries, Departments and Agencies, one can hardly process any document or contract without greasing the palms of some officials. The suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, is currently under investigation over allegations of defrauding the nation to the tune of N80 billion.
The government continues to wallow in profligacy while the masses suffer acute poverty and hunger. The current war between Russia and Ukraine has worsened our food security as some essential commodities are no longer easily available and affordable. The scarcity of wheat, for instance, has led to a rise in the price of bread. The rate of inflation is as high as that of unemployment. From N21.275 trillion in 2017, our debt profile is gradually inching towards the N45 trillion which the Debt Management Office projected it to be in 2022. Agriculture which could have come to the rescue is bedevilled by the spate of insecurity in the country.
All across the country are gruesome killings that appear not to have an end. We were yet to overcome the barbaric killing of a young female student in Sokoto, Deborah Yakubu, for alleged blasphemy when a group of terrorists invaded St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, killing over 40 innocent worshippers. Many others sustained varying degrees of injuries. So far, no arrest has been made. And none may ever be made. This type of killings with impunity cuts across the entire country.
We do not want to sound alarmist, but the way things are going, the future looks bleak. No democracy can work in the absence of justice and political inclusion. We must ensure that our democracy practice is based on the rule of law and justice. One major way to achieve this is to allow the spirit of June 12 to guide our political activities. We must practise politics of ideology instead of the present money politics for our Democracy Day celebration to be meaningful.
The year 2023 presents us with another opportunity to take back our country from corrupt politicians who contributed largely to the sorry state of the country today and our general misery and unhappiness. We should strive to elect the best among us to leadership positions. We must allow due process to reflect in our democratic practices. Our votes must count and be seen to have counted. For our nascent democracy to endure, the power rotation arrangement between North and South should be passed into law. But it should reflect the six geo-political zones for ease of implementation and inclusiveness.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must ensure free, fair and transparent polls in Nigeria. No eligible Nigerian should be denied the right to vote. The procurement of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) is the first step for any voter to exercise his or her franchise. INEC should consider extending the period of registration or renewal for PVC to enable many people who desire to obtain the card, but are handicapped by certain reasons to get it. INEC should commence the distribution of the PVC to those already registered. The forthcoming general election is so crucial for Nigeria that everything must be done to ensure that the hiccups identified in past elections are rectified. As we celebrate another June 12 Democracy Day, let’s resolve to make our democracy more inclusive, ideologically oriented and people-centred.
