HELD DOWN BY STRUCTURE: INEC LIARS, THIEVES, PROSTITUTES

In the Yoruba cosmology, three categories of people are detested in the society; liars, thieves and prostitutes. The liars are the first, thieves and prostitutes are second and third in that order. In fact, the second and third are dependent on the perfection of the first. One must be a liar to graduate to thievery and then prostitution because money is necessary to prostitute efficiently. This cosmology may be true of others in Nigeria, the severity of detest of these vices in other cultures, I may not know. However, all rational being will agree that these are not virtues for any society that want to make progress.

If we relate this to the posture of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the claim of President Buhari that his certificate are still with the Military as a candidate of APC for the 2019 elections as claimed in the 2015 general elections, one might begin to question the integrity of INEC as an umpire expected to operate on the principle of equity, fairness and justice especially when the Army Spokesman made a counter claim as far back as January 2015 that the said certificate is not with the Nigerian Army. Surely it is not the responsibility of INEC as a screening authority to get documents for any candidate, but it is INEC responsibility to collect and verify the authenticity of all candidates’ documents as submitted to it and ensure all play by the rules guiding the entire process of election and outcome. That is why INEC is empowered to a certain extent to take some decisions such as disqualifying any erring candidates in the electioneering process.

Why INEC has not been able to disqualify Muhammadu Buhari can be seen as impunity or something in the semblance by average Nigerian politician. I simply would locate such claim by President Buhari that ‘all his academic qualifications are currently with the Secretary of the Military Board’ as display of arrogance based on power.

Power here, I mean, in the first instance, the Fulani hegemonic power of average elite from northern Nigeria being dominant in the powerful formations in Nigeria such as the Military, the Civil Service, Judiciary and Political Administration. Secondly, the concentration of too much political power in the President of Nigeria is another level of power that has held us down and why many could not challenge any overt or covert abuse of power in Nigeria.

The third power nomenclature is the centralized government that Nigeria currently runs instead of a decentralized administration; where the federating units are supposed to be on equal level freely uniting to complement each other in a united nation. The claim by General Muhammadu Buhari, on this subject matter, in 2015 general elections was based on the Fulani hegemonic power and arrogance as the supposed ‘owner’ of Nigeria whose excesses must be over looked by every other federating units. The claim now as we prepare for the 2019 elections is based on the three power components identified above. It is therefore more difficult to challenge him now as compared to when he relied on just a component of power as used in the context of this piece.

The difficulty to challenge PMB is argued that: the hegemonic power is almost taken for a right in Nigeria by all federating units due to the weaknesses demonstrated by not putting up a challenge to the Fulani excesses, especially as it currently applies to the issue of killings across Nigeria purportedly perpetuated by the Fulani Herdsmen. Certain Fulani powerful individuals have threatened even out of office how blood will flow if anything happened to a Fulani man anywhere in Nigeria. And in office, such individuals have even maintained tougher postures not minding whose ox is gored. The difficulty of challenging him is sustained by fear of the enormous power of the President of Nigeria, especially under a Buhari whose antecedents are known.

No politician or Nigerian will want to challenge the maximum power knowing full well consequences of such challenge that may not lead to any where, especially where the rule of law is considered to be second to other ‘national interest’ as posited by PMB early this year.

Furthermore, it is considered difficult to challenge PMB because of the over centralization of power that puts too much political and financial power in the control of the President of Nigeria. So many people that feels uncomfortable with any idea of the President and would need financial or political support latter would rather keep mute irrespective of how uncomfortable they might be. This explains why incumbent Presidents in Nigeria always come out unopposed in their various parties for party primaries. This was noted in PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan and now President Muhammadu Buhari in APC. All these situations are possible because of the fractured structure of Nigeria as built by an eccentric personality in person of Lord Lugard in 1914.

However, if there is anything to go by in the Yoruba cosmology mentioned above, is the need for a return to the regional organization of Nigeria, lies must be totally rejected in any of our private and public engagement because it is on it that other detestable vices (including corruption) are built to cause further disarticulation of the society. Lying, thieving and prostituting lives are common place among all political parties in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, INEC staff being Nigerians are equally aware of the power composition, content and context could not truly be fair, equitable and justiceable in some of her dealings especially in the dispensation of her duties among the powerful Nigerians. Let me conclude by observing that the power structure as it is current composed has held Nigeria down for more than a hundred year period. Nigeria has not been able to channel a useful development path for herself as an ‘independent nation’. If the truth must be told, the challenge can be found in the structural deficiency and not in elections or lack of it. It is certainly not in democracy or lack of it. The way out is to consider the restructuring of all the contents and contexts of Nigeria as nation for progress and legacies to be left the next generations.

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