POLITICS OF DECEITS, GREED AND SQUALOR IN NIGERIA.

In a proximate view, the unanswered questions of who would rule Nigeria after securing her unripen independence and what would be the administrative structure among other relevant reasons prompted the conduct of the first General Elections in Nigeria, on the 12th of December, 1959. The Northern People's Congress won 134 out of the 312 seat in the House of Assembly. A coalition government was formed by the NPC and NCNC, with the former having been greatly favored by the departing colonial authority. The coalition provided a measure of north-south consensus which made Nnamdi Azikiwe (NCNC) to become the first indigenous Governor General, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (NPC) was named Prime Minister, and Obafemi Awolowo (AG) had to settle for leader of the opposition. The regional Premiers were Ahmadu Bello (Northern Region, NPC), Samuel Akintola (Western Region, AG), Michael Okpara (Eastern Region, NCNC), and Dennis Osadebey (Midwestern Region, NCNC).

The 1964 General Election left a memorable footprints on the political tracks of Nigeria. The elections saw most political run as part of alliances of two major blocs. The NNA (with NPC, NNDP, MDF, DP, LSUF, NDC and RP) and UNDP (with NCNC, AG, NPF, KPP, NEPU, UMBC and ZPC). In the elections marked by manipulation and violence which led to wanton lost of valuable properties and lives was a victory for the Northern Peoples Congress who won 162 seats, while NNA held a total of 198 seats. But, the unresolved issues that transpired before, during and after the elections wrote a bloody letter to Major General Kaduna Ezeogwu to stage a coup on the 15th of January, 1966. Alongside Major General Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Ifeanyi, Ademokoya and one other person in the rank of Major, the coup plotters invaded residences of political and tribal leaders majorly from the North and South and assassinated Sir. Tafawa Balewa, Sir. Ahmadu Bello, Samuel Ladoke Akintola etc, but because Obafemi Awolowo was in prison on account of treasonable felony, he couldn't be awashed by the deadly erosion of the war. But for reasons best known to the Five Majors, the incumbent President, Nnamdi Azikwe who failed from the East was left as a sacred cow, with an excuse of a purported trip to the West Indies.

But the demonstrations that followed or a revenge by the Northern Army of the Nigeria Military Council marked the assassination of Aguiyi Ironsi, who was installed after the first Couple d'etat. Disagreements between Yakubu Gowon and Odimegwu Ojukwu led to a 30month old civil war between the Nigeria Military Government and a self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra (1997-1970). General Murtala Mohammed ousted Gowon as Head of State in 1975, but a coup led by Colonel Bissala and Buka Suka Dimka on the 13th of February, 1976 made Murtala to live no more. Major General Olusegun Obasanjo ascended the throne and agreed to vacate the seat for a civilian President in 1979. Luckily, Sheu Shagari of NPN defeated Obafemi Awolowo of AG and Aminu Kano of PRP and become the first Executive President of Nigeria. Not long enough, in 1983, General Muhammadu Buhari and Idi Agbon in a bloodless coup took the helm of affairs. In 1985, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida hijacked the power.

With a promise to return power to a civilian government in 1990, Babangida for series of uncleared issues decided to play prank with the emotions of well meaning Nigerians. Was it for the case of Samuel Kanyon Doe's Liberian Looted Funds or the sexual allegations that involved Mariam Babangida and Mashood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola led to the annulment of the 1993 General Elections. With a three million of votes difference, MKO Abiola had defeated Bashir Tofa in an election regarded as the freest and fairest in history of Nigeria and made MKO, "A President That Never Ruled". With his Epetedo Declaration, MKO Abiola was arrested and jailed for treason by the government of Gen. Sani Abacha who dissolved the Interim Government of Ernest Shonekan. In this struggle, the death of Abacha in 1998 was followed by the assassination of MKO Abiola in detention. Ask Al-Mustapha and the government of General Abdulsalam Abubakar what really happened.

In May 29th 1999, in an eventful political stride, Nigeria returned to democracy. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (PDP) after his safest journey from the prison defeated Olu Falae (AD) with about seven million votes. The latter had emerged the flagbearer after a perceived irregularities in a primary election where he defeated Chief Bola Ige who was later assassinated in the year 2002. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was re-elected in 2003 and served till 2007, even though he sought for a third term in office as the President before giving the mantle to Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'adua (Late). The announcement of Yar’Adua as the winner of the presidential elections sets the stage for a volatile period as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, largest oil producer and second-largest economy, tries for the first time to hand power from one elected civilian government to another and seal its transition to democracy. The European Union election observer mission sharply criticized the conduct of the election and questioned the legitimacy of the results, which handed huge victories to Yar’Adua who won with 24,638,063 votes while his nearest rival, Muhammadu Buhari, won less than one-fourth as many votes. The Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization claimed that the INEC deliberately left 70 percent of the ballot papers in a warehouse in Johannesburg, South Africa. They claimed that the contractors could have freighted the entire 200-ton consignment into the country three days before the election (Thursday) but the INEC told them to bring only 30 percent of the ballot papers. I'm leaving this rhetorical question for Maurice Iwu, the then INEC Chairman to answer.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became the President on the 6th of May 2010 after the demise of Yaradua. He ruled till 2015, when he became the first incumbent President to be defeated in a Presidential Election. Under his watch, there were series of allegations of fund misappropriations, mismanagements, money laundering, illegal accumulation of wealth and properties with government funds and other corruption related cases. Members of his Central Executive Council were alleged to had carted away all the treasuries of the country. Persons like Diezani Alison-Madueke, Stella Oduah, Colonel Dasuki, Sule Lamido, Olisa Metuh etc were charged for corruption. The political, economic, social and religious institutions experienced serious setbacks during this time, although the economy was not as epileptic as this. The foreign reserves was totally drained and cautions made by Lamido Sanusi Lamido over the NNPC inabilities to promptly remit their accounts and give proper financial records to the CBN led to his removal as the Governor of the apex bank.

Muhammadu Buhari became the President of Nigeria in 2015. We could all see what and how the 'change' they had promised keep changing the faces and reforming the country. Could we actually blame it on the erswhile government, who left a drained account? Or the succeeding government with poor economic policies? Politicking affairs during this time had set a new pace. I was thinking if the truly the love of Nigeria made Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar joined hands together to oust Jonathan, same condition should force them to continue embracing and supporting Buhari as much as they can. Meanwhile, Obasanjo has created what is known as a Coalition of Nigeria, after withdrawing his support for Buhari, while Atiku had earlier announced his return to the PDP to run for Presidency in 2019, ready to battle with Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, Tunde Bakare, Ayo Fayose, Donald Duke, Sule Lamido, Rabiu Kwankwaso etc. I am still not convinced that the Messiah in which Nigerians have been clamoring for is anywhere around. When 2019 sets in, let's change our mindsets, what we have seen is enough to decide who will rule us again. Between party and personality, let's choose wisely what's good for today and a tomorrow, unseen to nobody. We all need to remember or know that "if elections are poorly managed, fraudulently conducted and characterized by intense conflicts and violence, they become mere procedural ‘democratic’ rituals of with no positive consequence."

To stop recycling the bad occurrences ravaging our country, let's stop considering the bad selfish and greedy old chicken, for the new chicks who had been hatched for long, and have gone far and near to get what it takes to lead the country and enjoy their turns.
I advocate for a better NIGERIA.