By Emmanuel Onwubiko
Asudden but troubling pall of trepidation enveloped the Nigerian climate
justbefore the conduct of the February 23rd 2019 presidential polland
immediately after the long delayed announcement of results was made.
Thelook on the face of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral
commissionYakbu Mahmood depicts a man whose conscience in running riots as
he presideover the spectacular show of shame that was termed national
collation ofresults of the Presidential election. He behaved like a lamb
been led to theslab to be slaughtered by a merciless butcher.
Therewas indeed a general climate of mutual suspicions which characterized
theongoing campaign periods even as these anxieties, fears, apprehensions
and threatsof violence reached the Zenith with the actual conduct of the
election in thedifferent states and geopolitical settings of Nigeria.
Recall that everywhereAPC went for campaigns there were reports of
stampede resulting in fatalities.The PDP also witnessed a campaign full of
climate of fear in that even at apoint the stage collapsed leading to
injuries of varying degrees.
Nigeriabeing a highly fractionalized and divided entity with multiple
ethno religiousprimordial tendencies, the nation usually becomes like a
theater of war duringelections.
Theseatmospheres of violence and anxieties are usually motivated by the
well-knownpractice of winner-takes-it all attitudes of the species of
politicians thatpopulate our civic space.
Politiciansin Nigeria are anything but ideologically principled just as
the politicalparties are mere platforms for the ventilation of the will to
take power by allmeans.
Lookingat the level of greed, avarice and lust for political power by
Nigerian politicians,the writings of Nicollo Machiavelli, The Italian
diplomat, politician and philosopherpales into insignificance.
Thisis because, even as the Italian philosopher envisages a political
scenario thatthrives on violence and avaricious quest of political power,
the tendenciesexhibited by contemporary Nigerian politicians is crude,
primitive and beyondapprehension.
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) dramatically taskedpoliticians to up
their game of politics by calculating even before seeking foroffice.
Hearhim: “How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live
withintegrity, and not with astuteness, everyone knows. Still the
experience of ourtimes shows those princes to have done great things who
have had little regardfor good faith, and have been able by astuteness to
confuse men’s brains, andwho have ultimately overcome those who have made
loyalty their foundation.”
Hethen stated: “You must know, then, that there are two methods of
fighting, theone by law, the other by force; the first method is that of
men, the second ofbeasts; but as the first method is often insufficient,
one must have recourseto the second.”
Machiavelliargued that it is therefore necessary for a prince to know well
how to use boththe beast and the man. “This was covertly taught to rulers
by ancientwriters, who relate how Achilles and many others of those
ancient princes weregiven to Chiron the centaur to be brought up and
educated under hisdiscipline.”
He isof the considered opinion that the parable of this semi-animal,
semi-humanteacher is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use
both natures,and that the one without the other is not durable.
Hethen added: “A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a
beastmust imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect
himself fromtraps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must
therefore be afox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those
that wish to beonly lions do not understand this.”
Therefore,he expressed the opinion that a prudent ruler ought not to keep
faith when byso doing it would be against his interest, and when the
reasons which made himbind himself no longer exist. If men were all good,
he said, this preceptwould not be a good one; but as they are bad, and
would not observe their faithwith you, so you are not bound to keep faith
with them. Nor havelegitimate grounds ever failed a prince who wished to
show colourable excusefor the non-fulfillment of his promise. Of this one
could furnish an infinitenumber of modern examples, and show how many
times peace has been broken andhow many promises rendered worthless, by
the faithlessness of princes, andthose that have been best able to imitate
the fox have succeeded best.
Hearhim: “But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well,
andto be great feigner and dissembler; and men are so simple and so ready
to obeypresent necessities, that one who deceives will always find those
who allowthemselves to be deceived.”
Pathetically,most politicians in Nigerians educated in the best
Universities in the Westoften read this book of Nicollo Machiavelli and
therefore play politics ofvendetta and mercantilism.
AsGeneral Sani Abacha, the late maximum dictator would always use the
words “forthe avoidance of doubts,” may I say for the avoidance of doubts,
that it wouldbe germane to relate our postulation here vis-à-vis the
actual theorizationmade by Nicollo Machiavelli in his infamous political
writing known as “The Princeand relate it with the goings on in Nigeria
with specific reference to thecocktails of electoral heists by INEC and
its political cohorts and partners incrime.
Theadoption and practice by Nigerian politicians of the theory of violent
andcriminal manipulation of the electoral system to gain office as
contemplated byMachiavelli, must be demolished by the collective will of
the people of Nigeriawho must do all within our power to reform the
conducts of elections. Look athow the governor of Imo state Rochas
Okorocha was accused by the returningofficer of abducting him and forcing
him on gun point to declare him as thewinner of the Orlu Senate seat.
Nigerians must rise up and show righteousindignation.
The first step, is for the Nigerian people to reject all formsof electoral
bribery and to insist on doing what is right and just.
Thepeople also need to cultivate and Master the art of resisting all
thesetendencies of buying their consciences during elections and as
acollective, must stand their ground and insist on the announcement
oftheir best choices or ventilate their angst through civil disobedience
if needbe. A revolution is not a bad idea either.
This is imperative if the country must get it right and choosethe persons
who would build the foundation for the delivery of good governanceand
specifically because it is true that “until philosophers are kings,
citieswill never have rest from their evils,” as stated by Plato in his
Republic.
TheNigerian people must begin to clamour for the reforms of the electoral
systemand the restructuring of the nation, to deemphasize the control of
wealth andresources of the nation by the elected politicians but the
national wealth mustbe controlled by the people through the strengthening
of the relevantinstitutions put in place to provide checks and balances.
It is precisely because election into executive officesguarantees total
immunity from criminal prosecution that those who manipulateelections and
are railroaded into offices use the opportunities to steal usblind and
going by section 308 (1) of the constitution, those elected to governwho
decide to steal may be empowered financially after eight years tenure,
tohire the services of the best lawyers to delay the delivery of justice.
Thepeople of Nigeria must begin now to ask for the abrogation of section
308 (1)and to support all legislative frameworks that would make INEC,
EFCC and thearmed security forces, free from all executive encumbrances
and emasculation.
Wemust either reform our elections or be prepared to perish as a nation in
no toodistant time.
*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OFNIGERIA
(HURIWA) and blogs
@ www.huriwanigeria.com;www.hu