THE PROBLEM
The weekend split within the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) arising from the special convention of the Party held on Saturday August 31, 2013 and increasing factionalisation of some of the Political Parties on the eve of 2015 election is a dangerous development to Nigeria’s democracy, unity and cohesion of the country as a whole. For some the fun may very well be that the ruling party collapses on account of its lorry load of internal injustices. But the bigger picture is that Nigeria and Nigerian politicians can still not build institutions and agree to disagree. Democracy is definitely about contestation. However, Democracy is also about cooperation among the democratic actors. Nigeria’s democracy is tall in political acrimonies, (not even contestation), executive thugery, bickering, elbowing, exclusion but miserably shot in inclusion, cooperation, unity, friendship and solidarity needed for development of a country underdelivering for it’s people like Nigeria in basic goods and services.
NOT TOO LATE
It is certainly not too late for the politicians to quickly return to the path of democratic process, contestation and cooperation and prevent Nigeria from the acid test of implosion in 2015. Labour and the working people who cannot take a flight out of the country will not watch while democracy fought for with agony and pain is being undermined by new militicians whose ambition is power without responsibility to the people and the nation. It is a sad commentary that almost 15 years after we are not building political parties, one critical success factors in democratic process.
THE SOLUTION; PUT THE PEOPLE AND THE NATION FIRST
The solution is simple. Political Parties and their members must respect their internal democracy. Elbowing opponents out rather than accommodating them cannot build democracy. We cannot criminalize dissidents. That was the discredited ways of the military, not the tested way of democrats world wide. The burden is on the President and Governors as well as party chieftains to reaffirm commitment to democracy or risk loosing the baby plus the mess we unfairly tie to her.
In all this, the missing link is the people and the country. There are so much quarrels and struggle for positions and positioning. It played out during 36 member Governors Forum. The quarrels are certainly not about the universities that remain closed, not about persistent electricity failures that are killing industries, wholesale dumping of goods from China that has killed local industrialization not about road accidents on bad roads. Certainly these executive quarrels and sheer indulgence are not about growing the GDP, halting the insecurity of lives and properties and general welfare of Nigerian masses.
It is high time we returned to development politics. So far the difference is not as clear. Indeed the choices for Nigerian people are limited and narrowing down by the day.
Issa Aremu mni
VICE PRESIDENT NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC)
