By Ismaeel Ahmed
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Prof.
Attahiru Jega, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria
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The
greatest gift that democracy gives is the freedom of speech, choice,
association and most importantly, the freedom of the people to change their
government at will and at when due. That is why as much as election is not the
only component of democracy that ought to be focused on, it is the most
critical in ensuring the sovereignty of the people and not the powerful.
However,
the incessant concentration on elections in Nigeria is worrisome, because
everything always boils down to who is running for what and when. It distracts
governors from governance; it confuses the electorate on the real purport of
elections in the first place. And an otherwise decent conversation can
easily be poisoned within the prism of political sentiments. That is why it is
easy for someone with a scanty achievement record as a Governor and even a
scantier record as an acting president could contest and "win" an
election in a country at a precipice of economic disaster.
And maybe that is
why an unconstitutional personality like the First Lady will snatch a
microphone away from a constitutionally elected Governor in a middle of a
policy speech. That is why all reason and rationale for decency can easily be
thrown away for the expediency of political egos and selfish ambitions which
could threaten to derail the very platform that affords us the freedom to
bicker in the first place.
Democracy
has to be more than just elections, power sharing formula or even federal
character. It has to be about the liberty of a people for self determination.
It has to be about the rule of law, and not the law of the ruler. It must be
the common decency to do the most good for the larger portion of the
population. It must be where the interest of majority will be projected, and
that of the minority will be protected.
These definitions of democracy are
more fanciful in theory than forceful in reality. But we must try to make it
better. Nowhere in the world do must democracy work as it should, but the
responsibility of inching it closer from what it is to what it should be be the
job of the actors who openly call themselves "politicians".
As
citizens, our obligation does not stop at the minimal occasional voting or even
the fiscal patriotism of paying taxes. It must be the constant engagement of
all sectors of the society to make sure that our democracy is not only
constitutionally guaranteed but functionally explicit for all to see.
We must
demand the best values of democracy and issue based conversations and debates.
We must also recognise the fact that in a plural society and democracy, it is
okay to disagree as long as we have a consensus on how to disagree. In the end,
that is the beauty of democracy and must be what we shall celebrate.
The
opportunity to create a consensus on how to live without a consensus. Lifting
people out of the lethargy of poverty and creating ladders of opportunity for
people to have a chance at a decent life.
That
is the decency of democracy!!!
Barr.
Ismaeel Ahmed is a lawyer by profession and a politician by ambition. The
interim Chairman of the All Progressives Youth Forum (APYF). He is from Kano
State and a member of the newly registered APC. Catch him on twitter
@SLIMPROFILE
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