Despite the brinkmanship of Elder Statesmen, Pa Edwin Clark, 95 years, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, 94 years, and their own flagship cultural platform, Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership to encourage the reduction in the number of Igbo candidates, all of the latter saw themselves strong enough to win the race standing on their own. Indeed, a meeting called by Chief Clark to achieve consensus was rebuffed to the bewilderment of the old man. Perhaps this is a lesson for Igbos who, by the way are among the most educated, entrepreneurial and creative people in the country and have more than enough of persons best prepared to lead.
vi) Relegation of Matriarchy: The aphorisms “train a woman and you train a nation”, “raise a woman and you raise a great country” are time-tested. All across the world, the worth of women-folk as possessing greater presence of mind, commitment and passion for building of the society remain uncontroverted. It is for this reason that women are increasingly given greater roles around the world.
This is more the case in countries such as the United States of America where a woman, Kamala Harris, is now the number two most powerful person in the world. In 2011, another woman, Hillary Clinton emerged as the flag bearer of the Democratic Party which since its founding in 1828, has emerged as one of the most complex political organisations ever built by man. In Europe, the record set by Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) who was the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 20th century remains unmatched. Similarly, Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled Germany for 17 years, and not forgetting the impacts of Indira Gandhi of India, Golda Meir, the mother of Israel.
Around the world, much younger women are also on the saddle in some of the biggest economies. For example, Finland, one of the world’s freest economies and social welfare states is being led by a female Prime Minister who assumed office at the age of 32 surrounded by other young females as ministers, most below the age of 35. The current President of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden as well as former leaders of Ireland and South Korea until recently, are all women. Newly elected Vice President of Colombia, Francia Marquez of pure African descent, is just 40 years old. Even on the African continent, women are being given the opportunity to attain such lofty positions as former President of Liberia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, amongst others.
It is therefore troubling, and rightly so, that none of the major parties in Nigeria considered it apposite to prioritize the emergence of women as Presidential or Gubernatorial candidates. The country seems further declined on the efforts concerning women inclusion which just 6% much below the West Africa sub-regional average of 15%. Indeed, in 2019, the number of women in the Senate reduced to 11 compared to 20 members in 2015. A refreshing exception this year was APC in Adamawa State where Mrs. Aisha Binani emerged as the gubernatorial flag bearer. Paradoxically, this happened in so called conservative, Islamic north and not in the much parroted “enlightened” South West or South East.
It is not in doubt, that if Nigerian women who are about half of the population and active production class are given the opportunity as home and nation builders, they would turn round the fortunes of this country in almost all areas.
vii) The Unending “Majority” Syndrome: The march to 2023 has further exposed a glaring fault line of Nigeria among those who are considered as “the majorities” on the one hand and others, “the minorities” on the other. The truth is that out of the kaleidoscope of diverse groups in Nigeria, the actual majority are not those who are scattered and sandwiched between the troika in various geopolitical zones, a concomitant implication when it comes to the present political structure. This is accentuated by the fact that these various groups that are dissected into states and local governments in a rather capricious manner by the military when they held sway for over 31 years. Besides the Federal level, there are some states where only one or two ethnic groups quite notoriously dominate the affairs, leaving others almost as “second class citizens” in their own native lands. Chai!
The only way Nigeria can remain together which is well-adumbrated and aspired in the national anthem “where truth and justice shall reign”, is to give equality of participation to all citizens irrespective of creed or ethnic origin. It is therefore very disappointing that none of the major political parties could allow someone from any of the small ethnic groups to emerge as electoral candidates despite the fact that not few of them took on the gauntlet to aspire.
Again, just as it was the plight of the Igbos through working in disconnected cells, the people of such smaller groups must show the will and appetite to work more closely together with each other in order to achieve their common objectives of being more relevant.
CONCLUSION
The 2023 elections as watershed in the consolidation of the Nigerian democracy, will also, to a large extent, be a make or mar process for the country. The various elections earmarked for the year will therefore help to redefine what policy measures would need to be deployed to advance good governance and keep the country united, especially in the midst of upscaled terrorist and criminal disruptions, sub-national agitations and restive expressions in different areas. These forthcoming polls in February-March, 2023 could also help advance the overall togetherness of the people.
Ominously, the signs so far from the melodrama of choosing the main flag bearers are pointers that it is not yet uhuru for what many would want Nigeria to be or how it should be governed. Why? Because the drivers to make the country more consolidated and peaceful were given tenuous consideration at the choosing of the flag bearers and old political habits took a more defiant accent in its entire morphological bearing.
No wahala! The burden may therefore, ultimately fall on the shoulders of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which has embarked on a lot of technology-based innovation and the electorate to show courage to choose right. So that whoever emerges as President would rejig not just the political structures but re-craft the leadership recruitment process in a manner that would make it work for all sections of the country. This would especially help Nigeria to build a modern democracy that gives all groups and sections a roadmap out of the woods.
