By Emmanuel Onwubiko<\/p>\n
Asudden but troubling pall of trepidation enveloped the Nigerian climate
\njustbefore the conduct of the February 23rd\u00a02019 presidential polland
\nimmediately after the long delayed announcement of results was made.<\/p>\n
Thelook on the face of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral
\ncommissionYakbu Mahmood depicts a man whose conscience in running riots as
\nhe presideover the spectacular show of shame that was termed national
\ncollation ofresults of the Presidential election. He behaved like a lamb
\nbeen led to theslab to be slaughtered by a merciless butcher.<\/p>\n
Therewas indeed a general climate of mutual suspicions which characterized
\ntheongoing campaign periods even as these anxieties, fears, apprehensions
\nand threatsof violence reached the Zenith with the actual conduct of the
\nelection in thedifferent states and geopolitical settings of Nigeria.
\nRecall that everywhereAPC went for campaigns there were reports of
\nstampede resulting in fatalities.The PDP also witnessed a campaign full of
\nclimate of fear in that even at apoint the stage collapsed leading to
\ninjuries of varying degrees.<\/p>\n
Nigeriabeing a highly fractionalized and divided entity with multiple
\nethno religiousprimordial tendencies, the nation usually becomes like a
\ntheater of war duringelections.<\/p>\n
Theseatmospheres of violence and anxieties are usually motivated by the
\nwell-knownpractice of winner-takes-it all attitudes of the species of
\npoliticians thatpopulate our civic space.<\/p>\n
Politiciansin Nigeria are anything but ideologically principled just as
\nthe politicalparties are mere platforms for the ventilation of the will to
\ntake power by allmeans.<\/p>\n
Lookingat the level of greed, avarice and lust for political power by
\nNigerian politicians,the writings of Nicollo Machiavelli, The Italian
\ndiplomat, politician and\u00a0philosopherpales into insignificance.<\/p>\n
Thisis because, even as the Italian philosopher envisages a political
\nscenario thatthrives on violence and avaricious quest of political power,
\nthe tendenciesexhibited by contemporary Nigerian politicians is crude,
\nprimitive and beyondapprehension.<\/p>\n
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 \u2013 1527) dramatically taskedpoliticians to up
\ntheir game of politics by calculating even before seeking foroffice.<\/p>\n
Hearhim: \u201cHow laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live
\nwithintegrity, and not with astuteness, everyone knows. Still the
\nexperience of ourtimes shows those princes to have done great things who
\nhave had little regardfor good faith, and have been able by astuteness to
\nconfuse men\u2019s brains, andwho have ultimately overcome those who have made
\nloyalty their foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hethen stated: \u201cYou must know, then, that there are two methods of
\nfighting, theone by law, the other by force; the first method is that of
\nmen, the second ofbeasts; but as the first method is often insufficient,
\none must have recourseto the second.”<\/p>\n
Machiavelliargued that it is therefore necessary for a prince to know well
\nhow to use boththe beast and the man. “This was covertly taught to rulers
\nby ancientwriters, who relate how Achilles and many others of those
\nancient princes weregiven to Chiron the centaur to be brought up and
\neducated under hisdiscipline.”<\/p>\n
He isof the considered opinion that the parable of this semi-animal,
\nsemi-humanteacher is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use
\nboth natures,and that the one without the other is not durable.<\/p>\n
Hethen added: \u201cA prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a
\nbeastmust imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect
\nhimself fromtraps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must
\ntherefore be afox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those
\nthat wish to beonly lions do not understand this.”<\/p>\n
Therefore,he expressed the opinion that a prudent ruler ought not to keep
\nfaith when byso doing it would be against his interest, and when the
\nreasons which made himbind himself no longer exist. If men were all good,
\nhe said,\u00a0this preceptwould not be a good one; but as they are bad, and
\nwould not observe their faithwith you, so you are not bound to keep faith
\nwith them.\u00a0Nor havelegitimate grounds ever failed a prince who wished to
\nshow colourable excusefor the non-fulfillment of his promise. Of this one
\ncould furnish an infinitenumber of modern examples, and show how many
\ntimes peace has been broken andhow many promises rendered worthless, by
\nthe faithlessness of princes, andthose that have been best able to imitate
\nthe fox have succeeded best.<\/p>\n
Hearhim: “But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well,
\nandto be great feigner and dissembler; and men are so simple and so ready
\nto obeypresent necessities, that one who deceives will always find those
\nwho allowthemselves to be deceived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pathetically,most politicians in Nigerians educated in the best
\nUniversities in the Westoften read this book of Nicollo Machiavelli and
\ntherefore play politics ofvendetta and mercantilism.<\/p>\n
AsGeneral Sani Abacha, the late maximum dictator would always use the
\nwords \u201cforthe avoidance of doubts,\u201d may I say for the avoidance of doubts,
\nthat it wouldbe germane to relate our postulation here vis-\u00e0-vis the
\nactual theorizationmade by Nicollo Machiavelli in his infamous political
\nwriting known as \u201cThe Princeand relate it with the goings on in Nigeria
\nwith specific reference to thecocktails of electoral heists by INEC and
\nits political cohorts and partners incrime.<\/p>\n
Theadoption and practice by Nigerian politicians of the theory of violent
\nandcriminal manipulation of the electoral system to gain office as
\ncontemplated byMachiavelli, must be demolished by the collective will of
\nthe people of Nigeriawho must do all within our power to reform the
\nconducts of elections. Look athow the governor of Imo state Rochas
\nOkorocha was accused by the returningofficer of abducting him and forcing
\nhim on gun point to declare him as thewinner of the Orlu Senate seat.
\nNigerians must rise up and show righteousindignation.<\/p>\n
The first step, is for the Nigerian people to reject all formsof electoral
\nbribery and to insist on doing what is right and just.<\/p>\n
Thepeople also need to cultivate and Master the art of resisting all
\nthesetendencies of buying their consciences during elections and as
\nacollective,\u00a0 must stand their ground and insist on the announcement
\noftheir best choices or ventilate their angst through civil disobedience
\nif needbe. A revolution is not a bad idea either.<\/p>\n
This is imperative if the country must get it right and choosethe persons
\nwho would build the foundation for the delivery of good governanceand
\nspecifically because it is true that \u201cuntil philosophers are kings,
\ncitieswill never have rest from their evils,\u201d as stated by Plato in his
\nRepublic.<\/p>\n
TheNigerian people must begin to clamour for the reforms of the electoral
\nsystemand the restructuring of the nation, to deemphasize the control of
\nwealth andresources of the nation by the elected politicians but the
\nnational wealth mustbe controlled by the people through the strengthening
\nof the relevantinstitutions put in place to provide checks and balances.<\/p>\n
It is precisely because election into executive officesguarantees total
\nimmunity from criminal prosecution that those who manipulateelections and
\nare railroaded into offices use the opportunities to steal usblind and
\ngoing by section 308 (1) of the constitution, those elected to governwho
\ndecide to steal may be empowered financially after eight years tenure,
\ntohire the services of the best lawyers to delay the delivery of justice.<\/p>\n
Thepeople of Nigeria must begin now to ask for the abrogation of section
\n308 (1)and to support all legislative frameworks that would make INEC,
\nEFCC and thearmed security forces, free from all executive encumbrances
\nand emasculation.<\/p>\n
Wemust either reform our elections or be prepared to perish as a nation in
\nno toodistant time.<\/p>\n
*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OFNIGERIA By Emmanuel Onwubiko Asudden but troubling pall of trepidation enveloped the Nigerian climate justbefore the conduct of the February 23rd\u00a02019 presidential polland immediately after the long delayed announcement of results…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n
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