THE four-year cycle in our democratic journey is here once again. The whistle for the next round of elections has been blown with the release of the campaign timetable. Across the nation, contestants from different political parties will soon go all out to convince the electorate to vote for them.
There was a time when I was a starry-eyed idealist who believed that anyone who put himself forward for election meant well. I recall that in 2003, shortly before the governorship election, the late Bukar Abba Ibrahim, then governor of Yobe State and seeking re-election, asked me: “Do you think Adamu Waziri will be a good governor for Yobe?”
The governorship election was only two months away, and Waziri of the PDP was considered a threat.
My mind went into a spin. I thought he was trying to trap me. Perhaps he asked because of the political misconception in Yobe that every Babole was a PDP loyalist and would therefore vote for the party. Four years earlier, in 1999, I gave my voting card to Nasiru Hassan Yusuf, who contested for the House of Assembly on Bukar Abba’s platform. I was certainly not in the same political lane as Waziri.
But knowing Bukar Abba as an honest, straightforward man who believed people told him the truth, I gave him an answer from deep within my heart: “I believe anybody who comes out to aspire to be a governor has good intentions and therefore would be good.”
I genuinely believed then that anyone seeking public office meant well. I still want to believe so, even though I now see people across the country who have no business seeking to lead the nation or their states. Some have questionable pasts, while others have hardly distinguished themselves in previous assignments.
Our political campaigns have remained largely unchanged since the 1950s, through the First, Second and Third Republics and into the Fourth Republic. The promises have revolved around potable water, roads, hospitals, electricity, schools and other basic amenities.
But we may see some changes this time around, with Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), drawing the first blood.
A day after the opening of presidential campaigns, Atiku said in a Facebook Live interview that he would restore the fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that Nigerians had yet to see meaningful benefits from its removal.
His proposal has triggered a renewed confrontation with the presidency, which accused him of abandoning his earlier economic position for political reasons.
This is a debate even National Assembly candidates can join, given their ability to influence economic policy through legislation if elected.
We should therefore expect robust debates on security, the economy, education, healthcare and agriculture, among other issues critical to national development.
More importantly, we should turn a new leaf with the 2027 elections. We must be fair and allow the people’s will to prevail. Many of our problems stem from injustice at the polls and the refusal to respect electoral victories.
Perhaps God removes His blessings from regimes that impose themselves on the people, or from contestants who snatch victory from rightful winners. Perhaps that explains why some governments at the national and sub-national levels have failed woefully to deliver the dividends of democracy.
We must learn to accept and respect the people’s will.
We must also, as much as possible, desist from religious politics. Nigeria’s system of government is secular, and the Constitution guarantees equality before the law. Every other law is subject to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Tell me, will a Muslim president begin minuting an official file with “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem”? Will a Christian president begin his with “In Jesus’ name”? Muslims and Christians are equal before the Constitution and under Nigerian law.
What Nigerians should vote for is competence because we have never needed it more.
Buni’s Investments
Just last week, controversy erupted over a ₦300 million donation made on behalf of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Kabiru Masari.
Governor Buni has long demonstrated a commitment to education and the welfare of his people. Even before becoming governor, he personally supported the education of several people. He also oversees the education and welfare of orphans under the YETIM Care Foundation.
For instance, he personally sponsors 100 vulnerable and orphaned children from across Yobe State at Hassan Ibrahim Gwarzo Boys and Girls Schools in Kano. To ensure they do not feel left out during holidays and celebrations, he gives each of them ₦20,000 from his personal funds.
At the governmental level, his administration doubled scholarship and bursary payments for more than 38,000 Yobe indigenes in higher institutions. The state government also pays the full tuition of hundreds of Yobe law students at Nigerian Law Schools, amounting to about ₦475,000 per student, and provides them with new laptops.
His administration has also committed more than ₦2.2 billion to long-term scholarships for secondary school students at Nigeria-Tulip International Colleges (NTIC), Mamudo.
Given that Governor Buni is known to have many friends, it may not be out of place if the personal donation came from him and some of his associates. And we might have heard “On behalf of myself, family and friends, I announce the collective donation of…” had he announced it himself. Nor would it be surprising if the donation was intended, among other things, to secure admission opportunities for indigenes of the state and other deserving candidates when the university becomes operational.
Lest I Forget
I never knew Kuje was originally the farm of the great-great-grandfather of Samuel Shekwolo, chairman of Kuje Area Council. If not, what exactly did he mean when he warned residents opposed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave the council ahead of the 2027 general elections?
Was he saying that he would not tolerate opposition to the APC or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election within the council?
The presidency must disown the chairman’s threat and caution him against such utterances. Statements like this can create fear, deepen political tension, and ultimately spark election violence.
No Nigerian should be forced to leave their place of residence because of political preferences. Democracy means allowing people to make their choices freely—and live with those choices.
That’s why failing to punish those who break the law only emboldens future offenders. In 2023, we witnessed how certain characters not only ordered Lagos residents to stay away from the polling stations if they would not vote for a particular candidate but followed up this threat by attacking and manhandling those who didn’t, leaving many bloodied on election day. None of those hoodlums has been punished for that. Otherwise, Mr Shekwolo would have thought twice before his recent comments. However, he needs to be closely monitored to make sure ‘political dissidents’ in Kuje do not suffer electoral violence.
- Dr Gimba, anipr, is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime. His syndicated column, The Arbiter, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.