by I have witnessed couple of federal elections from 1979 till date. No other compares to the 1983 presidential election, the last Chief Obafemi Awolowo participated before his glorious exit in 1987.
What were the threats of the time?
A non performing government that had the desperation of the party, the NPN, to win election again through the same leader.
The party was desperate and determined to overawe other political parties and win the presidential election.
Other political parties like those who were strong in their regions were determined to wrestle power from the inept NPN.
There was a GNPP (Great Nigerian People’s Party), headed by Waziri, an accomplished entrepreneur and apostle of “politics without bitterness.” The GNPP came into being by breaking away from the NPP.
The PRP ( People’s Redemption Party) headed by the leader of the Talakawas, Mallam Aminu Kano was active then and dominated the politics of the then Kano and Kaduna states where two equally radical individuals were governors; Abubakar Rimi (d. 2010) and Abdulkadri Balarabe Musa (d. 2020).
The NPP (Nigerian People’s Party) had Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (d.1996), a colourful politician and first president post independence Nigeria regional system of government.
Dr. Tunji Braithwaite(d.2016), headed the Nigerian Advance Party, NAP, formed in Ibadan in 1978.
NAP leader preached new order against the old order but his party did not make a good outing in the 1983 presidential election.
The Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, headed by Obafemi Awolowo (d.1987), was the most active opposition party that engaged the NPN in the second republic.
Some of the parties, especially the NPP and the UPN were close to merging for the sole purpose of defeating the NPN.
The NPN had a cast iron determination to retain power. The opposition was determined to dislodge it. The NPN refused to measure it full and the opposition rejected it half full. The process of the election was faulty, and the outcome was dubious.
To underscore the perturbation of the time, one of major dailies subsistent at the time reported a foreboding news item that a popular brand of signature axe, “Àáké UTC” was sold out the shelf of the United Trading Company, a major factor concern then.
The “Àáké UTC” then was portable and easily concealable in the body and handy in case of gang fights as prevalent in Lagos then even though it was designed to ease the jobs for the butchers. (Note: This platform abhors violence in its entirety).
The NPN had its way but it was long before nemesis caught up with them. Ironically, nemesis the NPN bragged about as the only opposition in one of their intimidating campaigns, the military, became their plague.
Three months into pyrrhic victory, the military dislodged them in a coup d’etat on 31 December 1983. The military must have gauged the mood of the citizens then; they were easily accepted.
It was a period of nightmare for most of the second republic politicians across the political divide especially those that were in government between 01 October 1979 and 31 December 1983.
A slight reprieve came their way when there was a palace coup that removed the leadership of Muhammadu Buhari and the the late Babatunde Idiagbon and were replaced by Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB who adopted the title of a president.
Curiously, the man who was anointed by the military to replace the “inept” administration is the current elected president who was a Dictator from 31 December 1983 till 27 August 1985.
Muhammadu Buhari benefitted from a free and fair election to become the elected president.
With all the above adumbrated, it is clear even to the blind and loud enough to the deaf that the election portends more of rivalry, mutual suspicions, jealousy, hate, hatred and selfishness than the intent to make a Nigeria that works for all.
It promises
Gauging the present mood of the supporters of different candidates, the 2023 presidential election portends a foreboding unless the government and the electoral umpire, the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC get proactive to stem the tide of negative activity in the guise of support for one candidate or another.
A thorough analysis of the political activity thus far that encompasses utterances, social media engagements, gravitation towards faith and ethnicity issues, and blackmails calls for concern among all stakeholders.
It is even more apprehensive because two of the leading candidates’ eleventh hour. Suffice it to say that the duo will do the best permutations to emerge victorious at the polls.
If either or both of the old horses lose, they should take solace in a quote by Cassius Longinus that “In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.”
Like never before in the annals of our voting, a demographic unit has shown more than the hitherto lacklustre and apathy by showing determination to make a difference in the coming elections.
In two weeks time, the political campaigns assume legality; a time when we shall be able to extrapolate on the direction of February 2023.
If the current shenanigans persists and the virulent bickering of supporters percolates till real time election, there will be a winner that may not have the goodwill of many no matter the overtures.
Yet the new leader needs the trust, support, and cooperation of all.
Truth must be told; there is never going to be sufficient toilet paper in the country to clean up the accumulated crap created, unless the people stand with the elected president and not the defeated candidates.
No doubts, supporters of the defeated candidates will flip into the five stages of grief in the order of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
The only panacea to quick resolution is for the new president to identify the deeper pathologies of the aggrieved and apply intravenous therapy.
In addition to the above, the new president must be a leader by being broad minded, by being fair to all, and by being magnanimous in victory.
The losers should be gracious in defeat, refrain from incendiary remarks in post election defeat. They should also pledge cooperation and constructive engagements with the winner in the overall interest of Nigeria.
The federal Ministry of Information and Culture in one hand, and INEC must be holistic and proactive in reinforcing the vibes of positivity to calm frayed nerves pre and post elections.
The electorate must be made to internalize one of the tenets of democracy that the majority have their way and the minority their say.
Security agencies must live up to their callings in the discharge of their statutory functions without fear or favor.
President Buhari has promised a free and fair elections. He should etch his name in gold. He had been an arbiter in a flawed election. And he has equally been a beneficiary of a free and fair election which an incumbent/contestant superintendent to lose.
The persuasions here become necessary because of politics of intolerance; the penchant to hate those with alternative opinion; distortion of facts; blackmail; cyber bullying; threats to life and existential threats; and agenda settings for ethnic and faith related politics.
Those represent the precursor and the afterbear more often than not is disruption of peace.
The parts of the lyrics of the song of USA for Africa becomes handy here; “There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives…”
How do we save our own lives?
We do, by not shredding the fragile fabrics of democracy through charged emotional state of the mind.
A child will be naive to assume he will find his lost calabash because the special identification input. May we remind the child that it is only when he finds the calabash he can distinguish with the marks.
A Nigeria that works for all is achievable, but we must first have a Nigeria that belongs
