By Sandra Ijeoma Okoye
Considering Nigeria’s history of tumultuous politics, it is not an exaggeration to say that democracy has not in any way, since 1999, been seen to be ideal as it has never transformed to good governance. Rather, it is seen to have being monetized so much that it cannot be a misnomer to call it “Moneycracy”, particularly when analyzed from the stage where leaders are selected or better still from the point of view of the shenanigans that usually characterize primary elections.
In fact, despite Nigeria’s transition from “militocracy” to democracy, the plague of “Cash and Carry Politics” has assumed a worrisome dimension, particularly as witnessed in the primary elections that were recently conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Congress (APC) where Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, popularly known as the Jagaban of Borgu, emerged winner of the APC’s presidential flag, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who emerged as PDP’s flagbearer for the 2023 presidential election.
With due respect to the bearers of the presidential tickets of the two most prominent parties in the country, permit me to say that they seem not to be the popular choice of Nigerians going by hush-hush tones emanating from the Public Opinion as they may not be capable enough to meet the expectations of most Nigerians who eagerly look forward to a President that has all it takes to fight against the prevailing deep rooted corruption, non-accountability, non-transparency and inefficiency that have been the bane of governance in the country.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is unfortunate that a leader that has the capacity of delivering Nigeria from the plague of deplorable conditions of infrastructures, particularly as to dilapidating roads, poor educational infrastructure, dearth of potable water for the majority of the people, unemployment among the teeming youths who have had the privilege of being educated or trained for the job market but cannot find any job coupled with the teeming school dropouts without skills is yet to emerge. In fact, it is sad that voters, particularly delegates that recently exercised their civic rights at primary elections organised by both major political parties, the PDP and APC, have failed to select or elect for Nigerians, presidential aspirants that would patriotically and sincerely lead them well after the prevailing Mohammed Buhari’s led government.
Given the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that the president Nigeria need come 2023 to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari should be the one that does not likens Nigeria to be an Alaba market, where investment in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FCMG) is allowed, and highlighted with the expectation of making huge Return On Investment (ROI).
Unfortunately, rather than democracy which Nigeria craved for until 1999 to triumph, what is now been witnessed today is nothing but “Moneycracy”. There is no denying the fact that since 1999 that “Moneycracy” has been championed from each passing political dispensation to the detriment of competence. To me, it should not be as Moneycracy undermines the beauty of our democracy. Moneycracy gives way to the one person or individual who can pay his/her out without actually having the full support/representing the vision of the larger population. Moneycracy breeds social injustice, inefficiencies and corruption.
For the sake of clarity, it is expedient to make reference to the views of Prof. Mike Ikhariale, a columnist with the Daily Independent newspaper in his column on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. He noted in the article titled, “Nigeria’s Politically Irresponsible Elite” thus: “The dumbfounding shenanigans which we all witnessed over the course of this year’s primaries season should be enough to convince the Doubting Thomas in our midst that the problem of Nigeria is simply that of leadership and its recruitment processes. From all indications, this country shall continue to drift into the awful category of failed states in spite of the enormity of her developmental potentials until the leadership question is decisively resolved or something politically fundamental happens.
“The recent shenanigans that the political class took the nation through in all the name of party primaries merely highlighted the lingering fear about the irreversibility of the ongoing communal drift into perdition. So much hope has been raised by the political elite and so much of it woefully dashed. There is however the faint hope that if we could just get it right now for once, we might be on a realistic path to national redemption. The ongoing story of Rwanda’s unprecedented rise from the ashes of a bloody genocidal Civil War to enviable developmental progress should be a source of inspiration for Nigeria which is presently wallowing in overwhelming distress. All that matters is the availability of a leadership with positive vision but it nonexistence so far has been the foundation of all our national predicaments”.
At this juncture, it is expedient to say that moneycracy will not in any way engender true governance as it is destructive and dangerous. In fact, monetization of electoral politics has remained an emerging threat to Nigeria’s democracy. The emergence and the growth of the use of money to negatively influence the nation’s electoral politics and governance is undermining multiparty representative democracy in the country.
This constitutes the giving of cash or other material incentives in exchange for votes, a phenomenon that is widely known as “moneycracy”. For instance, political parties and election candidates were seen, particularly during recently conducted primaries to have enticed delegates with thousands of dollars, as widely reported in the media, even as there is a rumor making the rounds that some aspirants were paid to step down for some aspirants. To me, this retrogressive trend will not help our democracy. I am therefore calling on the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to see how the trend can be legislated against.
