BY REV FR WILLIAMS KAURA ABBA
The people with ideas have no power and the people with power have no ideas. – Harmon Okinyo
Introduction
We are back to another election circle. 2019 is in the air and political activities now are gradually picking steam. We are witnessing a beehive of activities in practically every party secretariat across the nooks and crannies of the nation. From the remotest village to the most urbane of cities, one cannot but notice politicians, associates and political jobbers loitering around and doing what they know how to do best: canvassing support for their principals.
Direct and indirect primaries
Section 87(2) of Nigeria’s electoral act specifies that political parties are only allowed to choose candidates for office in two ways: direct or indirect primaries. In a direct primary, all the registered members of a party simply vote for the candidate of their choice and the most popular candidate emerges. This is usually rancor-free and the candidates who seek the mandate of the people do not feel like they have been rigged out of the system. Winners win gallantly and losers loose graciously. It is harder to procure a ticket using money in direct primaries as a candidate cannot possibly and conceivably bribe everybody. The candidate must simply be popular to win.
This process is transparent and in my opinion, the best for a fledgling democracy such as ours.
There is also the option of throwing up party flag-bearers through indirect primaries. Section 87(4) a-d of the electoral act goes on to describe in greater detail how indirect primaries should be held by parties. The process is different for president, governors and lawmakers. On the face of it, it is a lot easier to conduct direct primaries because it is cost effective, transparent and credible. Yet, political parties and powerful politicians suspiciously prefer the indirect method of throwing up flag-bearers over the direct method. The APC leadership for example, has recommended and encouraged direct primaries across the nation. Some states have adopted it while others have flatly rejected it. Why is this so?
Why preference for delegates?
The answer clearly is that the indirect/delegate system is easier to manipulate by those in charge of parties. And when you think of the way it works in practice, it’s actually undemocratic. The handful of men and women who end up choosing a lawmaker or governor are the “delegates”. These delegates are often not elected and they have become delegates by virtue of holding a post at the ward level or having some political post in the past. So when the time for primaries comes, they are freely able to ‘prostitute’ themselves to the highest bidder. So, money bags and candidates with huge financial muscle and wherewithal can easily manipulate their way and win votes from these delegates. Money plays a huge role and there is hardly any incentive by which candidates who seek elective office, campaign based on ideas, ideology or even persuasion.
Compare to the American system whose model of democracy we have poorly copied and pasted without sense, delegates are also sent to the party convention to vote for the party’s presidential flag bearer. In reality, the delegates are merely a formality as they already know who the flag bearer is from all the primaries that have taken place before the convention. A delegate cannot get to the party convention and then start offering his vote to the highest bidder.
In Nigeria, political parties seem to prefer the indirect system and all of us Nigerians are paying dearly for the output of that system. It is my humble suggestion that the electoral act should be amended to allow only for direct primaries. This, in my opinion, will force political parties to clean up their registers and improve their organization, and most importantly too, get rid of the handful of delegates who disproportionately influence the outcome of politics in Nigeria.
The way Nigeria’s electoral act is set up means that primaries have to be done in one day. When you add this to the delegate system of indirect primaries, it means the process of selecting candidates is done away from the view of voters. Femi Fawehinmi in his editorial of July 4th 2017 cynically submits that all the time is spent ‘securing’ delegates (buying them) so that by the time of the convention which they show on TV, the result is more often than not guaranteed. In other words, staying up to watch the conventions overnight, like many people did in 2014 for the APC remains one of the biggest scams and waste of time. The actual campaigning itself is just an exercise in going through the motions where candidates simply compete to make the silliest promises to voters.
The task before the delegates in the coming days: You must act right!
Going into 2019, it is pertinent we remind delegates of all political parties that as they go out to perform that ‘sacred duty’ of electing flag bearers for 2019 in the coming days, they must remember that they carry with them the burdens, aspirations and anxieties of over 180 million Nigerians. They must be reminded that the rot in our society today is largely accounted for by the caliber of people we have trusted with power in the past. The greed, the behemoth of corruption that stinks to the highest heavens, nepotism, and sheer rascality with which political leaders have sauntered into public office must never be allowed in the next dispensation. Delegates can end this!
What delegates must do?
Delegates from all the political parties must elect only people who have character, competence and capacity. Then, from their choices, arising from good intentions for country and society, the electorate at the polls will now be able to elect, from an array of credible flag bearers from the many political parties there are in Nigeria. Delegates must ‘strangulate’ their insatiable appetite for money for votes. They must realize that the hundreds of thousands of naira they receive in exchange for their votes is nothing compared to the large scale suffering which will be visited upon us all by politicians who clearly don’t know what governance or legislative work is all about for the next four (4) years. Even if a delegate receives a million naira to vote in someone who clearly is not popular and does not care about the people, they should know that they have just traded their individual liberties, peace and prosperity for a pot of porridge. Delegates must perform their duty with every sense of responsibility realizing that our peace and progress as a people in the next political dispensation lie in the choices they make available to us.
I know, given the level of suffering Nigerians have gone through these past years, we all are desirous of good change that will impact positively on the lives of people. It is your duty as delegates to help the nation rise through these difficult times. Do not align yourselves with politicians who have tons of money and want power at all cost, but do not have the faintest idea of what good governance and legislative work is all about. You are better off with politicians who have got ideas, but don’t have deep pockets to compromise you. You are better off with credible and electable politicians.
Delegates must realize that we get what we vote for. Give your votes to clueless and business-oriented people because they have power and influence and be prepared to suffer for a life time. Delegates should approach the forthcoming primaries with a righteous anger. That you are aggrieved because you have been deprived the avenue to explore the full dividends of democracy and good governance and that you have been robbed of a better future. Now you have the opportunity to act right. DO NOT ALLOW THE LOVE OF MONEY TO ROB US OF OUR COLLECTIVE GOOD AND PROSPERITY. Go into the primaries with your consciences untainted and do the needful. And we will be glad you played pivotal roles in helping to take back our country. Please, do not betray us!
Rev. Fr. Abba is a priest of the Kafanchan Catholic Diocese in Kaduna State
