Mieba Gogo Unless current disturbing developments in the polity instigate what I have imagined as a third force, the forthcoming governorship election in Rivers State is largely between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Any other party in the race is merely indulging in the fancy of electioneering vicissitudes or probably positioning itself for the exploitation of pecuniary advantages in the event of a probable rapprochement with eventual winners. If fortuitously the incumbent APC candidate-cum-Amaechi’s anointed one becomes victorious, such victory will most likely precipitate a deafening cacophony that may bestow credence to the mediocre governance that have held sway in the past seven years, thus energise the tendency by his successor to indulge in ruthless financial profligacy while maintaining very cozy public relations profile as a ploy to disguise such acute deficiencies like his benefactor. However, should the PDP defeat the APC, as its disenchanted followers earnestly hope, it could be construed as a restoration of the old establishment order which has always seen the state align with the federal government and a reclamation of its stolen mandate but nothing drastically different from the vagrant politics that have been enthroned since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999. Of all the pathetic elections that have been witnessed in Rivers State since the last military dictatorship and the 47 years history of the oil rich state, none has been as debilitating and infuriating as the one currently unfurling in the run up to the 2015 elections. Consequently, despite the very palpable ominous signs of the hitherto subterranean political undercurrents, the irrational acts of the gladiators have become reinforced and gained unparalleled momentum. Therefore it is trite to say that the commendable resilience and affability of the Rivers electorates are obviously being taken for granted. One does not need to possess any skill of political sagacity to decipher that the omens are dire indeed and the inherent paradox ridiculously baffling! Without recourse to the stupendous benefits of almost five decades of the state’s history but with absolute disdain to the geopolitical configurations of the state with and a tendency to unequivocally precipitate the core contradiction of a bitterly polarized society, the current gladiators and their Abuja collaborators have by their contemptuous actions exacerbating a potential cataclysmic eruption on the political scene with a consequence that will unpretentiously give a devastating blow to their ultimate desires. It’s curious that for unfathomable reasons a section of the political class especially the Abuja denizens have become captivated by the spurious propangada that a particular individual alone can wrestle power back to the PDP in Rivers state irrespective of the unassailable facts on the ground to the contrary. How such a fatally flawed reasoning gained momentum among these gladiators and their aparatchiks remains puzzling to a lot of watchers of these sorry developments. It has to be made abundantly clear to all that the seeming popularity this individual enjoyed was basically due to the disenchantment of the people against the incumbent governor in the face of what they consider as unacceptable antagonism for the president who enjoys their love, sympathy and support. Such sentiments rather were plausible reactions to the incumbent governor’s insatiable knack for courting needless controversies and intuitive iconoclasm. It is neither on account of any individual’s political might nor ability to stand up to the governor. Translating such support to mean acceptance for a gubernatorial outing is inherently misleading and has the tendency to rapidly evaporate and even negatively impact on the president’s hitherto unalloyed support. Such was the peoples fierce loyalty to the president that even if any villain had sprung up to demonstrate such irreverence to the governor he would have also enjoyed same sentiments among the Rivers populace. Therefore it is patently false for these individuals to appropriate such goodwill from the masses to the political exploits of their benefactor. In order to comprehensively express the view of this piece, it is necessary to embark on a concise historical sojourn. When it became obvious that the nation was tilting towards democracy in 1999, the major actors among the political class in the state then, which had a largely disproportionate composition in favour of the riverine folks, decided arguably for the sake equity, to recruit someone – Dr. Peter Odili from among one of the ethnic minorities from the upland zone to clinch the ticket of the PDP. Such gesture albeit most unusual in our clime where ethnic, religious and percuniary interests are held in very esteem smacked of a genuine recognition of the need for equality, fairness and justice in the distribution of political offices. In a well publicised advertorial the other beleaguered PDP aspirants who condemned the undemocratic process employed to choose its flag bearer did not mince words in highlighting the likely repercussions should the candidacy not be reversed. The stage was set for a very hostile victory. Even when the anointed candidate could not muster enough votes to be declared winner against his major rival Chief Ebenezer Isokrari from the All Peoples Party (APP) coincidentally of the riverine stock, these politicians relentlessly sought and ensured the eventual victory of their chosen candidate during the bye election including the militarisation of certain sections of the state like the Ogoni axis which had voted en masse for the rival opposition candidate ostensibly because their son was chosen as the deputy to the APP flag bearer. No doubt, Chief Isokrari’s chances were further bolstered by the overnight support his party got from the Emohua front due to the influence of one of the protesting aspirants in the PDP. Rightly attributable as a direct fall out of this abracadabra was the Emohua scenario just mentioned. It’s worth mentioning that three out of the four foremost god fathers prominent during the 1998/9 episode were of Kalabari extraction. This identification is pertinent to buttress the aforementioned assumption of equity and fair mindedness in the decision of the gladiators. Most likely, if the tribal card had been considered as is being done today, definitely someone from the riverine zone especially the Kalabari axis which coincidentally paraded some quite intimidating aspirants would have been chosen. Similarly, as acknowledged earlier even the rival party had Chief Ebenezer Isokrari, a Kalabari son as its candidate. Nonetheless, it was the same set of politicians from a different ethnic group who in a manner devoid of the upland/riverine dichotomy sentiments championed the election of a politician whose ethnic stock could be appropriately considered as minority even in its Local Government Area. Interestingly, even the garrulous and implacably irreverent incumbent governor had cautioned against the rationality of an Ikwerre succeeding another Ikwerre for the governorship post in a multi ethnic state. His opinion might easily be dismissed as his usual indulgence in his streak of plucky and eccentric mannerism. However, despite my personal assessment of Amaechi’s very poor performance in governance, I must concede to him, his appreciation of the sensitivity of this subject. His argument, very consistent with mine and an overwhelming majority of Rivers indigenes is that returning an Ikwerre governor after the expiration of the incumbent Ikwerre governor will be the height of irresponsible political buccaneering predicated on absolute lack of respect to the well entrenched sentiments of the various constituent groups in Rivers State. Such a scenario will be an aberration to the accepted order. More succinctly, it’ll be considered as an egregious political crime that will necessitate the commission of even more absurd acts like the abdication of any pretence to electoral sanity and consequent disenfranchisement of the electorate though mindless and massive rigging of the votes so as to achieve such a dream. Already in a situation reminiscent of the 1999 Rivers PDP primaries, sixteen aspirants have protested to the national leadership of the PDP expressing lack of satisfaction with what has been termed a kangaroo ward delegates election. If such a scenario plays out, Rivers people will be trapped between the incumbent’s anointed candidate which will no doubt inherit the contempt Rivers people have for the outgoing governor on account of his relentless loquacity in the face of woeful poor performance and a potentially very unpopular PDP candidacy which could spell doom for the party at both the gubernatorial and possibly presidential elections. Should these gladiators ignore to take due historical cognisance of the grave import and unmitigated danger this flagrant desecration of the age long political understanding represent to the collective aspirations of Rivers indigenes, the consequences will not be palatable. While I readily concede the fact that every law abiding citizen of the state has the inalienable right to aspire to the gubernatorial office in the absence of any specific constitutional prohibition, the existing sacred rapport on power rotation among the various ethnic constituents in the state must be held sacrosanct at least for the sake of fairness and equity. Lastly, in order not to imperil the electoral fortunes of his party at all the tiers of government in the state, the popular sentiment is that the president should ensure a credible candidate is presented from among any of the ethnic groups in the Riverine or Ogoni axis through a transparent process. This will not only preclude the intended heresy about to be enacted, restore the usual loyalty of the Rivers electorate to his government,
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 05:01:53 +0000
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