Nigeria Content Online

Nigeria’s national
print media in this last week has all the hallmarks of holding
politicians to account. It is encouraging to see columnists asking
probing questions of candidates for political office.

In Rivers State
long-time PDP stalwart Dr. Abiye Sekibo announced his switch from the
PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as a means to advance his
thwarted governorship aspirations. The success of Governor Rotimi
Amaechi presents a major and apparently insurmountable obstacle to Dr.
Sekibo’s ambition to secure the PDP nomination so the simple solution
is to switch parties. Inherent in this play is that Sekibo never really
endorsed the PDP principles. But neither has he bothered yet to expound
the ACN principles.

Herein lies one of
the fascinating aspects of Nigerian politics. If a candidate thinks he
or she may not win under their current party then simply switch
parties. The foundation principles of the party seem to be irrelevant.
Clearly it’s all about securing office and not about party principles
or serving the people.

To justify his move
to a new platform Dr. Sekibo pours cold water on all Governor Amaechi’s
achievements in his first term as governor of Rivers State. Governor
Amaechi has delivered on more projects and reforms in his state than
most governors produce in two terms. But Dr. Sekibo attempts to deflect
attention from Governor Amaechi’s achievements by dismissing them out
of hand.

Dr. Sekibo cannot
rewrite history, which relates his support for Ateke Tom when state and
national authorities were hunting Tom in 2004 and 2005. In fact Sekibo
was harbouring Tom from police in Abuja at a time when Sekibo was the
Federal Transport Minister. Dr. Sekibo has shown himself to be a
political godfather of gang bosses hired to subvert elections and
intimidate opponents. Ateke Tom has accepted the amnesty and professes
to be a changed man endorsing peace throughout the Niger Delta. Has
Sekibo changed?

When Sekibo was
asked about allegations that the chairman of ACN in Rivers State has
sold the chapter to him and adopted him as the uncontested candidate
for the governorship in 2011 he simply avoided the question. The ACN
will do its members a grave disservice by such actions. Members of the
Rivers State chapter of the ACN should immediately launch an
investigation into these allegations.

In the presidential
race former vice president and current presidential aspirant Atiku
Abubakar, made an ambiguous and possibly damaging statement that he may
now regret, when he quoted former US President, John F. Kennedy who
said: ‘Those who make peaceful change impossible; make violent change
inevitable’. Since making the statement Atiku has been besieged with
allegations that he was issuing a call to violence and therein made a
treasonable utterance.

Former military
President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida leapt to Atiku’s defence claiming
Atiku has no intentions of inciting violence. IBB’s support for Atiku
may simply be a case of not wanting to see a Northern candidate dealt
an electoral blow. Undoubtedly Atiku, who doubtless thought quoting
J.F.K. would be a nice touch and align himself with one his American
heroes, will now privately regret the statement. But the reaction to
the statement demonstrates the close scrutiny that every candidate’s
public statements undergo and the fear of the potential violence that
elections attract.

In Jos the recent
bombings and continuing violence provide a worrying sign of unrest that
some political candidates will feed on in the run up to the April
elections, unless the situation is quickly contained. State governments
in the Middle Belt have largely failed to contain such violence that is
most often attributed to religious clashes. But exaggerating religious
differences is a favourite tool of those wishing to exploit religion as
a political weapon.

The Federal
Government has an overwhelming responsibility to work with religious
leaders to promote tolerance, understanding and harmony. Any political
candidate found to be implicated in promoting such conflict must be
dealt with immediately with the full force of the law.

In the Niger Delta
elections in the current democratic dispensation have been accompanied
by escalating violence which has served to put many locations off
limits to electoral scrutineers and media thus permitting election
fraud on a grand scale. The Federal Government must use the goodwill
established through the recent amnesty process to remove any public
sympathy from promoters of violence under whatever guise. Political
godfathers and candidates associated with supporting or recruiting
gangs, cult groups, vigilantes or like groups must be dealt with
immediately with the full force of the law as advocated in the Middle
Belt situation.

It is only when the
Federal Government shows a zero tolerance for electoral fraud and
violence used to secure political office that Nigeria will see a
significant improvement in the standard of politics and candidates.

Dr Stephen Davis
has served as an advisor to President Obasanjo, Presidential Envoy
under President Yar’Adua and is the author of The Report on the
Potential for Peace and Reconciliation in the Niger Delta.