MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
(OPINION)
By Frank Oshanugor
The monumental transactional politics that has played out so far at the various primary elections of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) where millions of dollars were used to buy delegates has clearly shown that Nigeria’s bourgeoisie class is our greatest enemy.
It is hugely evident that in a country where most people cannot feed even two times daily, with millions of out of school children roaming the streets, large scale unemployment and public owned universities closed down for months due to inability to fund the schools, political office seekers are buying votes in millions with unconscionable penchant.
The display of affluence with looted state funds by people who are seeking opportunity to continue governing us would remain a sad reminder of the ungodly level leadership has fallen to, in Nigeria.
That people who could not afford to create jobs for young graduates, assist in developing our institutions of learning, assist their fellow less privileged Nigerians to become somebody could freely compete with millions of dollars among themselves in buying over delegates is more than satanic in a country where the leadership has gone on endless external borrowing that stands in trillions.
One is left to wonder where morality has gone to, in a contest that ordinarily has to do with the choice of potential leaders deemed to have credibility and integrity. What has played out is a gross abuse of morality at the alter of greed, corruption and evil display of ill gotten wealth.
With what the likes of Abubakar Atiku, Aminu Tambuwal, Bukola Saraki, Nyesom Wike etc reportedIy did at the Saturday Presidential primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and what had earlier played out in Assembly and governorship primary elections across the various states, it is obvious that the future of Nigeria and Nigerians is going to be worse than what we have witnessed so far if left in the hands of these money bags.
Money bag politics has never helped Nigeria and the Muhammadu Buhari administration which Nigerians had in 2015 brought on stage with high degree of expectation, with respect to checkmating corrupt practices is ending up in a deeper cesspool of corruption. The administration has outdone its immediate predecessor with its embrace of all those accused of one corrupt practice or the other by the anti corruption agencies.
Never in the history of Nigeria has impunity been displayed as what we are witnessing in present time. How on earth could anyone imagine that a political party would expect each presidential aspirant to register with N100million or N40million as done by the APC and PDP respectively. What the two parties which are dominated by people in governance since the Fourth Republic is a clear demonstration of the fact that no matter how less privileged Nigerians keep shouting about poverty in the land, such outcry will remain at the level of imagination as the primitive accumulators in our midst have shown through easy purchase of the presidential nomination forms.
Matters are not helped by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which has the responsibility to regulate the conduct of the political parties in terms of how much nomination forms should go for. Neither are the anti graft agencies smart enough to check the sources of these funds that are easily raised.
With more dollar rain coming in the days ahead during the APC presidential primaries featuring the likes of Bola Tinubu, Ahmed Lawan, Rotimi Amechi, Yemi Osibanjo and other money bag aspirants, Nigerians need no further conviction that the position of the next president of the country is fixed for the highest bidder in dollar terms.
The only miracle that would change the direction our money bag presidential contestants are headed, is the resoluteness of Nigerian voters with integrity to work and vote for the likes of Mr. Peter Obi whose political mantra is predicated on a productive new Nigeria as against the consumptive state where primitive accumulation is almost a state policy.
It is evidently clear now to discerning Nigerians that what PDP and APC are doing is to enthrone the same recycled money bag politicians to lead the nation and continue the circuit show of squandering of the nation’s riches. Both parties do not have any workable ideology other than to share our commonwealth.
Now is the time for Nigerian youths to rise and say no to money bag politicians who through their cash inducement strategies mortgage the future of the masses. What do we expect from a presidential aspirant who paid about 20,000 United States Dollars to each delegate in a contest that showcased no fewer than 800 delegates if he eventually becomes the nation’s president? Nothing but primitive accumulation and corrupt practices to recoup his money. Nigerians should beware of such candidates.
