As 2015 approaches, the fad in certain political circles is the fancy and, indeed, the inclination to draft past failed leaders, especially at the gubernatorial level, back into the race to continue the plunder from where they left off. For some, this may seem to be an act of desperation on the part of the political leaders behind the scheme who, aware of their failure to groom and mentor fresh blood, resort to repackaging old rags. For others, it is a sign that the democratic process is on a downward spiral and must be rescued.
Of course, this is a democratic dispensation and those being encouraged to return have the right to actualise their political dreams for as many times as the constitution permits. This would have been appropriate if the candidate being recycled is of such moral fibre that would make their re-entry acceptable by the electorate. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Some of these candidates that political godfathers are foisting on the hapless and even helpless electorate have been tried and found wanting in the discharge of the responsibilities that go with the mandate they received from the electorate.
We observe that, in some of the cases, these candidates have cases of corruption and abuse of public office pending against them in the courts. Yet, in moments of forced amnesia, the electorate, in response to the slogan of “stomach infrastructure”, a tendency to take advantage of their lowly circumstances, succumb to offers of food items and other pittance that should, ordinarily, have offended their sense of self-worth.
The experiment was perfected in Ekiti State where a decent technocrat was upstaged by the putrid deployment of ill-gotten materials. The success of the obvious insult on what is morally acceptable is giving courage to other equally failed political leaders to dare to offend the sensibilities of the democratic process. In certain other states, the disaster is about to repeat itself.
The worst culprit in this macabre dance of the dead is the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This is evidence of a line of thinking of a gang of marauders masquerading as politicians who operate with the mind-set that they alone can determine who governs, because they have the resources to so decide. Otherwise, how can anyone explain such tendency in a country like Nigeria with abundant human resources and in the right quality too?
Nevertheless, we are impressed with what happened in Osun State where the electorate attempted, successfully, to regain what was left of the pride and dignity that they are known to command in the democratic process. We urge the people of other states to stand up for their dignity and resist any and every attempt by those who do not wish them well to issue them any more dud cheques. They should do this for the sake of posterity.
