Democracy is practical; it can’t be faked!
The Nigerian brand of democracy is becoming more and more of a lookalike: It is becoming characterized by a disproportionate number of fake democrats, whose influence – collectively and individually – has become a toxic abrasive mixture that is gradually stripping democracy of its meanings.
The discordant actions and agenda of some occupying elective positions now constitute systemic strictures and distractive forces that can only culminate into a severely impotent and malnourished variant of democracy. It’s like having a still birth!
Elected players in a democratic endeavor are ALWAYS answerable to their constituencies. This is what differentiates democracy from all other forms of government. And this is what makes democracy what it is – it is practical!
One of the practicalities of democracy is the recall election: “a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office.” This is how Wikipedia defines it, and this is what we need to see happen in Nigeria. We need it in Nigeria to remove elements that have become public sores that tarnish our image.
It is a pleasure to read today there are steps to recall the naughty and arrogant Senator Iyabo Obasanjo representing the Ogun Central Senatorial District, an elected official that reflects the classical brand of political debauchery in Nigeria: A warped sense of being above the law.
Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello may have been granted bail by an Abuja High Court on Wednesday but her troubles are far from being over. as a group, the Lisabi Collectives, in Abeaokuta, Ogun State, has initiated moves for her recall from the Senate…
The Lisabi Collectives which also claims to be the umbrella body of some registered voters in Ogun Central Senatorial District, said it was targeting signatures of 80 per cent of voters in the senatorial district in order to make its bid for Obasanjo-Bello’s recall a success.
The way Iyabo handled her indictment over the N300m fraud involving the Federal Ministry of Health demonstrated an individual of little social and moral conscience. As a Senator, her decision to disrespect a duly constituted legal authority is a confirmation that she has absolutely no regard for the Nigerian constitution and deserves to be booted out of the hallowed chambers of the Senate.
I fully support the recall, and it is my desire to see more of such in the future. It is my hope that other advocacy groups will evaluate their elected delegates in the local and national legislatures for competence and genuineness and institute recall procedures where appropriate.
It must be stated that the recall process places huge burden on the electorates – who needs to understand how to work the democratic system. However, the Lisabi Collectives experience may well turn out to be one good template for other groups to study and replicate. It is critical that Nigerians can identify and weed out the bad elements and dead weights from the public domain, otherwise the nation will never realize the true dividends of democracy.
[...] of the Federal Republic serves at least 1 million Nigerians. They are supposed to be models in adherence to due process and observance of rule of law. What do we have instead? A group of people who have refused to lead by example, a group of people [...]
May 26, 2008 at 8:38 pm