Democracy Or Democrazy In Danger?

Our collective, selective amnesia makes it potential for characters from yesteryears of management to hold forth and assume inclinations of the Aristocracy and morality; showing to distance themselves from the uncharitable, undemocratic, and immoral acts they dedicated whereas in positions of management. Had they, the ethical standing or uprightness, they might have behaved or acted otherwise.

Right now they’re gesticulating arduous, attempting to rewrite historical past, change their wolf garments to sheep clothes, in a daring and shameless declare for management values, desirous to turn out to be ethical compasses for the plenty. Embarrassingly, as soon as out of energy, our leaders are unable to stay on the sidelines like the remainder of us, and proceed to angle for energy or some kind of relevance, making commentary and issuing positions to fulfill their immodest minds, whereas hoping to curry public favour and relevance.

Not too way back, “Ghana should go” was a innocent bag for journey when one was not travelling gentle. In OBJ’s tenure, it turned a veritable instrument for ferrying illicit cash, meant for illicit or sinister actions. Don’t you keep in mind how baggage of “Ghana should go” have been on show within the Nationwide Meeting (NASS), which was used for bribery?

Don’t you recall that it was throughout OBJ’s tenure that constituency initiatives have been initiated within the Meeting? For what objective then, apart from to pocket the legislative to do his bidding? Right now, we’re caught with tonnes of uncompleted constituency initiatives throughout the nation, with Tracka and different transparency businesses, burdened with monitoring and assessing the completion of those initiatives.

It’s one whistle blow after the opposite, as increasingly uncompleted constituency initiatives are fished out. Would you might have additionally forgotten so shortly how OBJ put in and eliminated completely different Senate Presidents at will, registering a minimum of 4 throughout his Presidency. Enwerem, Nnamani, Wabara, Anyim and co. have been all Senate presidents, courtesy OBJ’s gimmicks and antics, all to make sure that he doesn’t work with an unbiased legislature.

What number of state of emergency declarations have been made by OBJ, and in every, appointing army directors? What number of state of Assemblies impeached their governors, whereas having as few as three or 5 legislators to perpetrate the massively undemocratic act? In truth, didn’t we have now a sitting governor, former Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State, confess that he was kidnapped or kidnapped, in an try and take away him from workplace, and set up an OBJ ally/stooge as governor?

Wasn’t Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State sacked by OBJ? What enterprise did a president have, with the working of a state authorities, or with the legislature at each the federal and state ranges? OBJ dominated underneath a democratic dispensation however he moved like a despot. He by no means actually threw away his army uniform and mien, and he was a person of drive, and brute drive solely. His celebration construction was additionally not protected from his dictatorial tendencies, and celebration chairmen have been adopted to their dinner tables at dwelling to signal their resignations. Adopted by who? The President himself! This isn’t discounting different extra brutal occasions just like the levelling of Odi! Don’t overlook a sitting President, OBJ, launched his library and governors have been made to contribute.

Then, in fact, the almighty thrid time period agenda, to pave the way in which for OBJ, who was president as a army man, served once more as president underneath a democratic authorities for good eight years; to proceed to stay in energy for less than God is aware of how lengthy. Clearly, whoever thought it was going to be simply a further one time period alone, was not placing on his considering cap! OBJ would do a Seseseko of Congo, or a Mugabe of Zimbabwe, or a Paul Biya of Cameroon on us. And God has given him good well being, so we could have been battling or enduring his despotic rule from 1999 thus far all alongside. He would pull all of the strings, pull all of the rabbits from all of the hats out there to him, and drive his manner, nonetheless, he rattling pleases. We dodged a bullet there! Phew! Democracy was truly and really in peril!

I’ve not forgotten how 16 members of the governors’ discussion board defeated 19 members, to make a governor’s discussion board chairman, who was, in fact, sympathetic to former President Goodluck Jonathan. President Jonathan harboured this arithmetic. Goodluck additionally tried to perpetuate himself in energy, after serving out the late Umaru Yar’Adua’s tenure, serving one other tenure of his personal, and in search of one other re-election, which might have assured him a complete of 11 years on the seat of the Presidency! Goodluck additionally declared a state of emergency in a number of states throughout his tenure.

He was additionally obstructive to the sleek working of the legislature, as we are able to’t merely overlook how senators and Home of Representatives’ members scaled the very excessive Nationwide Meeting Advanced fence gate, to realize entry to the chambers, as they have been underneath siege by safety forces. If I have been a legislator, I wouldn’t have made it throughout that whopping fence! Are we turning a blind eye to the destruction of the state Meeting complicated in Edo State by former Governor Godwin Obaseki, and the denial of the legislative rights of 14 members of the Meeting, together with their emoluments, and the chance to carry out their duties as representatives of the individuals. So, when opposition events, particularly the PDP of OBJ and Goodluck, converse of undemocratic acts and occasions, you surprise the place they have been when all of the occasions enumerated above happened, or whether or not they didn’t discover them undemocratic?

OBJ says democracy is in peril in Africa, despite the fact that he was referring to Nigeria, and was simply being intelligent. The Rivers state of emergency declaration is their most important headache for now. However they can’t be taking Flagyl for headache – one other man’s headache at that. The distinctiveness of the Rivers’ debacle is that the governor himself, and the state meeting members, have been immediately accountable for the rising insecurity within the state. Pipelines have been being blown. The features Nigeria recorded when it comes to oil manufacturing and oil income have been at stake and stood the danger of being eroded in a single day, due to the tussle for energy in Rivers.

The communities have been protected, the capital was protected, however miscreants have been already directing their video games on the oil infrastructure of the nation in Rivers. It’s a horrible time to play video games and Nigeria can’t afford such costly video games, at a time of austerity. We’re simply attempting to bounce again, and a few agberos have been able to plunge us into much more darker dungeons. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was nicely inside his powers, and backed by the Nationwide Meeting. Rivers is just too important economically for a accountable authorities to observe militants play karaoke with it as soon as once more. It could find yourself in tears. So when OBJ declares democracy to be in peril, maybe he means democrazy, the kind he and his proteges and celebration associates used to shove down our throats throughout these PDP years.