I am not deeply involved in politics, and that started from my dislike for political games. I don't like the way people who involve in politics see things differently from the way ordinary citizens see them. This is why I was not acquainted with the deeds and dealings of past Nigerian presidents until the time of Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure up till today, because that period put the country into a controversial mood due to the way the political game played out.
As much as many people would rate Goodluck Jonathan as one of the best presidents Nigeria has had in modern times, or even of all time, if care is not taken, I would like to talk about Muhammadu Buhari.
That man’s tenure holds a lot of memories in my head. It was during his time that I became exposed to politics, though as an umpire and also a judge, and I saw many dirty games. Beyond that, the controversies surrounding his tenure cannot be easily forgotten. A man who was even said to have been cloned.😅 Oh! Let me explain using subtopics.
Like I said, I did not previously understand or deeply know how the political game was played, but during President Buhari's tenure, he defeated a sitting president who had not completed his then “mandatory” eight years of presidency. I remember clearly, during the first election I was in school at the time, and we were very keen on hearing the announcement of the winner. There were many gimmicks by the election panel (INEC- Independent National Electoral Commission) as they kept declaring the results "inconclusive."
Buhari eventually won, and during the election for his second tenure, I was among the ad-hoc staff responsible for conducting the election. I was posted to an eastern state of Nigeria where there was strong opposition to Buhari because an easterner was contesting as vice president from an opposing party at the time. However, Buhari and his party team had their strategies well planned. We had a series of meetings in uncompleted buildings with his campaign teams in the East, and they were ready to 'take' anyone who refused to comply with their terms. I remember vividly that sometimes I would receive notifications to attend meetings concerning the upcoming election, and I would be scared to attend because the meetings were mostly held in the bush.
On election day, it was like a war. Some of my colleagues had to run for their lives. One of them, David, was taken hostage into their hideouts, where he was forced to enter results in favour of Buhari. He was threatened at gunpoint; there were cans of malt on the table, and after everything, he was given a huge sum of money when they eventually dropped him off. All this happened in a state where the opposing candidate had about 95% support. Now, who were the people that did all that? That is what politics can do.
I will not lie, I fell for the news that President Buhari was dead and that Jubril, a lookalike from South Sudan, had been brought in to replace him and continue acting as president. Jeeez! The whole of Nigeria went mad at that time because the internet was flooded with different versions of the story.
Interestingly, after some time, the whole saga died down, and we were no longer interested in fighting "Jubril" from South Sudan anymore.
Buhari was a very nonchalant president. He hardly listened to the people; in fact, he barely stayed in the country. He was often abroad due to his failing health, and that drained a lot of Nigeria’s money.
I think Buhari was very dogged during his time in office. Although his successor, Bola Tinubu, seems to be following the same path, it is beginning to look like Tinubu may be even more dogged than Buhari. Let us wait and see what the results of the next election will be.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Week 207, Edition 01 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
Image
