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In recent times and from one corner of Kogi State to another, the media in its various forms, is awash with the news of series of state organized defection of members of opposition party, particularly PDP to APC, in what has become almost like a monthly affair in the state.
This gather-to-collect-and-chop-money-crowd jamboree, hypocritically made believe to be a genuine exercise, can actually be situated on a combination of three situational factors: 1. the political desperation of one losing grips of power; 2. disingenuous means by political jobbers to make money and/or appointees of government trying to create artificial support for their principal in order to save their jobs; and 3. opportunity for the heavily pauperise masses to grab the spoils of the state, at least for a loaf of bread for that day. You know, when political desperation coincides with poverty, it becomes a merry chase for all, both for the politicians and the decampees alike.
It makes sense that poverty rates are related to the overall health of the economy and the polity of a state. The more the government fails to improve the wellbeing of the people and the economy of the state, the higher it spreads poverty in the land and its multi faceted consequences is better imagine than bear. If things continue the way they are going currently, it opens up more ground for insecurity and criminality of all sorts.
It goes with the truism that healthy government, healthy economy, healthy polity, healthy people; and so conversely, sick government, sick polity, sick people, sick society. For instance, decamping from one political party to that of another, especially in Nigeria and Kogi State in particular, is generally a frequent corollary of poverty and self relevance. After all, in a society like ours today where hunger is the order of the day, “decamping” is just a means to an end and not an end itself.
There’s no gain saying there’s revival of political consciousness amongst Nigerians of today, and politicians who are still relying on the old tricks of paper bags politics does so at their own peril. Hiring of crowd doesn’t win election under the current dispensation. Only delivery of democratic dividends does. The recently conducted Anambra gubernatorial election provides a clear departure from the once held electoral thesis that money wins every election in the country. That thesis is evidentially proven to be anachronistic, at least judging from the recent political developments across the country in recent times.
It is increasingly becoming true that in Nigeria of today politics, you can use your money to hire crowd, people will conveniently gather to collect the money, which of course, was taken from the purse of the common wealth, and yet vote for the candidate of their choice. After all, if aspiring for power is all about plundering the common wealth, such jamboree called “decamping ceremony” becomes an unfortunate ground for the largely deprived ones to eat the crumbs from the master’s table.
I wish Governor Yahaya Bello understands this very well and begin to do things differently. There is cry everywhere that the masses have been alienated from governance. Take the opinions of your critics as a feedback mechanism for improvement and not look for a way to crucify them or better still, making enemies out of it. Be democratic in your policies and execution. Remember, one good tenure in office naturally justifies itself for the second term…
– Dr. Simeon Anyebe.
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