Consensus, money and godfather politics

Nigeria’s democracy is apparently in crisis over how political parties conduct their primaries. The new Electoral Act has prescribed direct primary or consensus, both of which are very problematic. Direct primary requires every member of a party to vote during its primaries. Apart from being expensive to run, it is impossible that every member of a party will participate in it. Consensus has its problem as well. It is capable of being abused by political godfathers. Nigerian politics has many godfathers, who have the money to have their way in the political parties.  Instead of encouraging party unity, the consensus primaries are tearing the parties apart. The consensus is becoming toxic.

Before now, some parties used to have indirect primaries. That mode of primary has its problems but its advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Apart from being tinged with the buying of delegates, it is more democratic than the current consensus going on across the land with some adults weeping loudly over being denied party tickets by the almighty godfather. Former minister, Isa Pantami of Gombe State and former Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State are some of the victims of the current consensus arrangement of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In almost every state, the APC consensus is tearing members apart. In Katsina State, it led to some defections from the APC to African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In Kaduna State, the story is the same as well as in Imo State and Ebonyi states. Nobody knows the magic the APC will deploy to resolve the lingering cases over consensus in all the states.

Many governors who would wish to retire to the Red Chamber from the South to the North are waiting on the godfather to determine their fate and those who fear they will not be anointed are already weeping and lamenting over what is becoming of our politics. The APC consensus is bound to create acrimony among party members in the state and many others where the godfather is single-handedly determining who gets what and who is left out of the bargain. In Lagos, some politicians are silently grumbling over the consensus politics which is not democratic in any way.

The consensus arrangement is also having its victims in other political parties, though at a lesser level of intensity than the APC, the dominant political party where many politicians believe that getting its ticket is like winning the poll. The factionalized PDP used to occupy the APC position until the 2014 implosion which led to the APC winning the presidential poll in 2015. Let the APC be reminded that where it is now was where the PDP was before 2015 political tsunami. Let APC learn from PDP mistake. How the ADC, NDC and PRP will handle its primaries is yet to be seen. We hope they won’t ape the APC consensus and godfather politics.

It is very sad that our politics is being overtly monetized at a time people are calling for women and youth participation in politics. How can a political party which talks about the inclusion of women and youths in politics explain the N100 million spent on purchasing of presidential form. Even the NDC is also guilty of this charge of monetization of politics even if its presidential form is N60million. Its reduction of such fees for women by 25% does not help matters. The major political parties are insensitive that their party nomination fees will exclude many women and youths from participating in politics.

With high cost of nomination forms, the political spaces are shrinking. The moneybags are doing everything possible to impose political dynasties in the country. The drift to money politics must be checked forthwith before it stifles this nascent democracy. Some people are already selling our democracy to the highest bidder. Democracy is not for sale. Monetization of our politics will lead to full blown dictatorship with far-reaching consequences. The influence of money in politics is assuming a frightening dimension that people without enough war chest dare not near politics. We have witnessed the growing vote-buying during elections and the use of money to determine electoral outcomes.

Let the political parties reduce the cost of nomination fees so that politics will be accessible to many youths and women who will aspire to participate in politics. Some parties interested in participation of women in politics can give the forms free to them and drastically reduce the nominations fees for young people. Irrespective of high cost of nomination forms, the sovereignty still belongs to the people. It is the voters that will finally determine who wins or loses in the elections through their ballots.

Our democracy must be nurtured and made to survive by observing its tenets. We need democracy that will be based on popular sovereignty, the rule of law, protection of human rights and free and fair elections. Without these tenets, our democracy will die. Having a free and fair election depends on the independence of the electoral umpire. If the electoral umpire is not independent or compromised, it will be very hard to have a free, fair and credible election.

This is the major dilemma of our democracy and also our electoral system. As we move towards the 2027 election season, the emphasis should be more on getting the electoral process right. If the electoral process is compromised, the electoral outcome will also be compromised. With politicians promising to deliver millions of votes to their principal in the forthcoming polls, Nigerians should be vigilant and protect their votes. Let them not deliver more votes than the recorded voters and actual votes cast at the election.

Let political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) embark on massive voter education and conduct during elections. Voters must eschew vote-buying, voter inducement, violence, voter suppression and election rigging. They should guard against falsification of election results as well. Nigerians should rise against money politics and shrinking of the democratic spaces.