A column in one of the national dailies with the topic In 2022, politicians ‘partying’ as if it’s 2023 as published early this year craved my attention in developing this piece which some circumstances beyond my control do not allow me to round it off for consumption by the readers until now and perhaps at a time when the whole polity seems to be over heated in the country.
I strongly agree with the writer who said, “A sensible person would wonder why elections a good number of months away are being brought to the front burner, at a time when the nation is under siege from insurgents and many other kinds of violent criminals.”
If God could spare my soul through the 2023 general elections and in good health, I will rather seek divine intervention for the country to overcome its present predicaments amid security threats first before deciding on who to elect as a credible leader to constitutionally inherit the Aso Rock Villa instead of relying on a particular candidate based on ethno-religious affiliation and probably end up facing artificial difficulties not the unforeseen and natural type ordained by Almighty God in manipulating the power steering which is softer than any other in terms of piloting the affairs of the country to the right direction.
It could have been better for fellow Nigerians from 18 years and above who are within the ambit of the law allowed to exercise their franchise to embark on fervent prayers for God to guide us on who to vote for whether a Christian, Muslim or even a pagan since non among those practising any of these religions has attended an educational institution where only the students seem to be from same or a particular religion unless the missionary schools for our Christian faithful or Islamic oriented schools for my Muslim brothers and sisters nor the pagans who are hardly identified by their mode of school.
Without any cause for alarm, these inter personal interest has continued to dilute the mindset of the citizenry to underscore the supremacy of life and that of brotherhood in enjoying the symbiotic relationship between diverse ethnicity unlike the days when our forefathers from the two religions lived like the two sides of a coin by dinning,wining and even clubing together during their leisure time.
Categorically, I can beat my chest and vouch on my stand without any reservations to say insisting on a particular person to clinch the 001 political office nor leaving the wish for God to undergo rigorous screening and final approval which may differ from our selfish selection may end up jeopardising the democratic principle as well as political stability the country was known for.
God forbid any security threat that could undermine the conduct of the 2023 general elections just as how Mr. Orubebe’s shenanigans act who orchestrated the collation of results in defence of his master Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 if not the then INEC chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega as an experienced democrat who had made his name from the leadership of ASUU even before becoming a VC of the prestigious UDUS was skeptical in curtailing the situation. I salute Orubebe for his gut and confidence to stand for his master while others alleged to have collected billions of naira to work for the victory of PDP went back home to sleep with the said money and in hard currency under their pillows without dishing a single dime to anybody due to their self centeredness but still awaiting their party to be announced as a winner for them to claim political appointments as a reward or fruit for their hard labour.
Nigeria with a changing face under PMB’ watch with zero interference in electoral and judicial matters which gave room for some oppositions of the likes of Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River state, Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and former CBN Gov. Prof. Charles Soludo now Anambra state governor and a host of others to emerge winners in their election, thus demonstrating a clear testimony with a rubber stamp by the government in ensuring fairness and equity for not maneuvering election results just as same is expected by the constituents during the forthcoming general elections for Buhari to exit the Villa without compromising his long term recognised integrity in the eyes of the western powers.
Glancing through the last general elections where followers of every religion drummed support for their wish, this time around courtesy demands the electorate to accord priority to prayers or blame themselves on whoever the majority insist to be on top of the country’s ladder for the interest of a particular region not for the unity and progress of the country, plus the betterment of the common man, nothing that God has all the powers to lay off his hands in guarding or leading our selfish choice through the right path at the detriment of our greed.
As for me, so long as the desired goal could be achieved especially in abhorring the rising spate of attacks and other form of security threat which had ravaged the country, I am not against any paradigm shift in governance or power rotation which ever name you call it for peace to reign in as much as everybody will be carried along without fear or favour but one more thing quite a number of people fail to understand is good leaders can be found everywhere not necessarily within the immediate environment we are much more conversant with.
While i am of the opinion that Nigeria should remain as a single entity and say capital no to those agitating for its restructuring to know that even if this is realised we have the northern Christians and Muslims from the western or southern region who could hardly be disowned from their biological ancestors citing example with how Nigeria as a breed from the British colony and Niger Republic that got her independence after weaning off from the French speaking country remains unchangeable, as such we all must continue to thank and accept how God decided the country and its inhabitants to live in a form of one nation one family as a blessing not to challenge him for not making us of same religion as a mistake made while he remains our creator?
Adamu Yalwa Gabi,
Bauchi
on:[email protected]