Governor Jang, I Feel Your Pain
When the governor of Plateau state said
he suspected foul play, one would expect he had a valid case of electoral
malpractice in the conduct of the election that saw eschewed Rotimi Amaechi
emerge as the re-elected chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum. He however
sounded ridiculous when he said his argument was based on the promise he got
from 18 out of the 35 state governors because statistically, he didn't select
his confidence interval well and he clearly showed that despite his old age and
vast political and professional experiences, the word "backstabbing"
is still strange to him.
For many like him who don't know what
backstabbing is all about, it is defined in real Nigerian terms as an
unfortunate condition where an individual is cheered on by people who will
later turnaround at the nick of time to renege on their earlier promise. If
that definition still looks ambiguous,
let me illustrate with the true life story that made me decide not to
venture into politics.
It happened to a friend during our
undergraduate years and he was vying for the Students' Representatives Council
(SRC) slot for our class so we rallied around him to support him with the
campaign. Prior to the day of the election, more than two-third of members of
the class promised to vote for our candidate.
Armed with this impressive collective
words of assurance, he went to roost like a chicken. He slept soundly and I
helped him draft his victory/acceptance speech. In the morning, he wore his
best T. M. Lewin shirt and was set for what
could have been his first ever victory in politics.
Unlike the secret ballot style of the
NGF election, ours was open ballot so that everyone would see who voted and who
didn't vote. For the winner, it's an opportunity to know who your true
supporters are, and those you will have to convince that you are qualified to
lead. But for the loser, it's a disheartening moment to see those that gave you
false hopes. My friend belonged to the later as only 5 of us voted for him. It
took him years to have confidence to seek political office again.
It's therefore surprising that the
70-year old governor lacked such experience until yesterday when out-of-favor
Rotimi Amaechi despite all odds emerged victorious. Thus becoming the first
ever politician in PDP history to record success in spite of being on the
president's blacklist.
The reason why many Nigerians rejoiced
last night was that the saga that trailed the governor's flight cancellation
and threats from all angles loyal to the president gave Nigerians and foreign
observers the perfect scenario to understudy the maturity of our rule of law
and democracy that the machinery set in motion to persecute Amaechi proved to
be bastardizing.
Instead of crying foul play, and raising
unnecessary dusts, the Jang team should just bury the hatchet and learn the
lesson I learned as an undergraduate that until the results of an election are
announced, assurances and promises are nothing to rely on because even when
under oath, people can still change their minds when they get something better than what you plan to
offer.
Amaechi has been outstanding in the way
he has handled the forces from above and we expect him to handle his opponents
smartly too. The house is currently divided which needs amendment but is also
a good sign because there will be divergent opinions and an abrupt end would be
put to the incessant wastage of state resources by governors who are united to
swindle the system.
And for the Oga at the Top who Daily
Trust said was receiving live update from Akpabio, I believe he should accept
defeat in good fate and let Amaechi be. If Nigerians can rejoice on his victory,
then Oga at the Top should know that further making things difficult for
Amaechi using federal might will only complicate things come 2015 since many
Nigerians are seeing a David Mark/Rotimi Amaechi ticket as a better option for
PDP over the incumbent which is extensively touted as pusilanimous and
clueless.
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