As
the dust in Ekiti settles in the aftermath of the gubernatorial
election, memories of the grueling and hard fought campaigns have
already started fading from the nation’s collective consciousness. And
as we witness
the end of one chapter and the beginning of another in
Ekiti state, there is one central lesson that Nigerian politicians can
take away; one example that reverberates a very strong message of hope
in our political practice.
In the wake of
the PDP victory in Ekiti, when Governor Kayode Fayemi conceded defeat in
the Ekiti elections with grace and humility, he did something that was
extra ordinary. Conceding defeat,
in of itself, in a normal setting is nothing extraordinary, but with the
kind of extraordinary atmosphere in our political structure, where
elections are seen as ‘do or die’ affairs and obvious defeats are
challenged by those who, for one reason or another, have a sense of
entitlement, yielding to an electoral loss, often becomes an
impossibility.
Losing at
anything in life is always very difficult and losing in politics is
bound to be even tougher being that it takes place on a very public
platform. But even beside the publicity involved, the reality of any
campaign is that a large sum of money must have gone into supporting
that campaign. Therefore, apart from the public let-down in addition to a
bruised ego at the thought of being beaten by a rival, the loss of an
election carries with it the loss of a fortune as well. The combined
loss of so much must be very hard to come to terms with.
It is a credit
to Governor Fayemi that he has such decency and the altruistic carriage
to appreciate that there is so much more to life than being in political
power. It is refreshing to see a government official who understands
that it is not the end of the world when one moves out of the government
house.
It is a relief
to finally see an example of an aspirant who doesn’t put too much value
to being driven by endless motorcades and sirens or having their
picture draped in all offices and business houses in the state or having
their name mentioned in the front pages of newspapers. The grace and
poise in which Governor Fayemi conducted himself since the election is
very inspiring and should set a standard in elections that are
relatively freely and fairly conducted.
Current and
aspiring political office holders should indeed take a cue from Governor
Fayemi’s “dignified demeanor” as he gracefully accepted defeat and duly
congratulated his opponent sportingly. In other saner climes, this is
the norm amongst politicians as they unassumingly concede defeat and
accordingly congratulate their rivals. This seemingly trivial but
salient act alone is essential for the enhanced political development of
the polity. It largely dissuades post-election violence/conflicts and
also ensures that the elected official focuses explicitly on their
mandate. In Nigeria however, the “do or die” mentality amongst some of
our politicians has largely been the bane of our political development.
Since the
democratic dispensation of 1999, the likes of Governor Fayemi (an
incumbent) gracefully conceding defeat and relinquishing power to an
opponent from a rival political party is indeed a “rare breed” and one
of its kind. It is a well-known fact that the power of incumbency plays a
vital factor when politicians are vying for political offices during
elections. As such, politicians in this dear country of ours
characteristically hold on to power, not wanting to relinquish it until
they are forcibly removed from office; this is why such archetypal
leaders like Governor Fayemi need to be glorified and commended. Such
leaders need to be recognized and credited for conducting themselves in
the best interest of the society and in a manner that advances peace.
Sadly, many
leaders especially in Africa hardly ever relinquish power with the kind
of grace and demeanor Governor Fayemi exhibited in the aftermath of the
Ekiti elections. Such rare and quintessential leaders like Governor
Fayemi are true democrats, inadvertently advocating and promoting
democratic principles. Majority of our African countries are plagued
with conflicts, some emanating from incumbent leaders who do not want to
relinquish power until they are forced out. The likes of Hosni
Mubarack, Muamaar Ghaddaffi, Mobutu Tse Tse Seko, Idi Amin and so many
other all held onto power until they were forcibly removed.
Thus, a salient
question props up here; why is it that some leaders hold on to power
until they are forcibly removed? Perhaps it is because of the “fear of
the unknown” after exiting Government house or the unlimited access they
have while in office to Government coffers for their personal use.
Perchance, it is the unlimited power they yield while in office, the
endless motorcades and sirens used in various official and personal
functions, the amount of “sycophants” at their disposal, the “godlike”
mentality they assume while in office, et cetera. Possibly, it is a
combination of all these factors that deters such leaders from
relinquishing power, the bottom line is that these incumbents largely
engenders conflict, particularly in cases where a free, fair and
credible elections are held, and the incumbent refuses to accede defeat
and vacate office.
Pertaining to
elections, particularly gubernatorial elections in Nigeria, it is a
well-known fact that within our political structure, incumbent governors
does “everything” in their power to resist defeat. Alluding to the
power of incumbency, which remains an important factor in Nigerian
politics and many a Nigerian do not believe in the possibility of an
incumbent governor being beaten at the poll. As we have so often
witnessed in this country, incumbent governors are generally believed to
employ various means to force election results in their favour in order
to stay in power.
Intimidation,
coercion and harassment, as well as cajoling voters with financial and
material inducement during elections are methods that have been
witnessed in Nigeria. More often than not, gubernatorial elections are
marred with irregularities as the incumbent usually has an unfair
advantage due to the security apparatus and the unbridled use of
financial inducement at his disposal. In certain cases also, officials
of INEC who are meant to be independent umpires of the election,
allegedly manipulate the process in order to ensure the victory of the
incumbent governor. However, in Ekiti, this was not the case as the
power of incumbency wasn’t utilized and the wishes of the people via the
ballot boxes prevailed.
In Ghana,
undoubtedly regarded as an epitome of democracy and good governance in
Africa, the likes of Governor Fayemi could be found there, with akin
grace, honour and poise, as majority of the country’s politicians at
various times have put the interest of their country ahead of personal
interest. In 2000, when Rawlings mandatory 8-year governance ended, many
thought he would seek a third term in office or refuse to step down.
However, not only did Rawlins supervise a free and fair elections, he
also honourably handed power to an opposition leader, M. A. Kuffor, who
won the elections.
This landmark
moment in the country’s history marked the first peaceful transfer of an
incumbent to an opposition. President Kuffor in turn also supervised a
free and fair election and handed power to Late President Atta Mills,
the opposition presidential candidate in the 2008 general elections of
Ghana. In Zambia also, the country set an example for the rest of Africa
about how power can be transferred peacefully via the 2011 elections,
when Michael Sata, the long time opposition figure, defeated the
incumbent Rupiah Banda. There was a peaceful transition of power as
Banda conceded defeat.
Compare this to
such leaders like Cote d’Ivoire’s Laurent Gbagbo who refused to stand
down as president until he was disgracefully forced out of power,
despite the country’s Electoral Commission’s pronouncement that the
opposition candidate Alassane Outttara had won the presidential
elections of the country. This single act almost made the country to
slip back into civil war, causing undue mayhem and violence in the
process.
Retrospectively,
Nigerian politics has witnessed the blatant abuse of the power of
incumbency; incumbents lacklustre deportment at supervising a free and
fair elections and conceding power when defeated at the polls. For
example, during the 2007 elections, the rightful elected gubernatorial
candidates, Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo state and Governor Segun
Mimiko of Ondo state, were denied their electoral victory by the “power
of incumbency” and these candidates had to go to court before their
victory was upheld. In Edo state, the elections were massively rigged in
which the candidate of the ruling PDP, Oserheimen Osunbor had initially
been declared the winner.
However, in
2008, the Federal Appeal Court sitting in Benin City upheld the ruling
of the state’s elections petitions tribunal, declaring Oshiomole to be
the rightful Governor of Edo State. The decision was based on several
voting irregularities. In Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko competed in
the gubernatorial elections of April 2007, against the incumbent
Olusegun Agagu and “lost” the election according to the result released
by INEC.
However,
Governor Mimiko contested this decision at the election tribunal and
Agagu lost office in February 2009 following an Appeal Court ruling
which cited irregularities in the 2007 election, and was replaced by
Mimiko as governor. Also, during the 2007 elections, Governor Fayemi
fell victim to the power of incumbency factor when he was adjudged to
have lost the gubernatorial elections. He however went to the courts and
after three and a half long years of fighting through the legal system,
the appeal court sitting in Kwara state declared him the duly elected
Governor of Ekiti State.
Commendably,
Governor Fayemi did not exploit the people of his state by using the
power of incumbency to his advantage, compared to others who have come
before him. He duly supervised a free, fair and credible election and
allowed the independence of the process to prevail via the polls. After
the elections, he went ahead to congratulate the victor, a humble,
patriotic, gallant and decorous act that is uncommon amongst our
indigenous politicians.
This shows that
Governor Fayemi is indeed a true democrat and progressive, devoid of
the do or die mentality of majority of Nigerian and African politicians.
This singular act has thus forestalled any form of post-election
violence or conflict in the state and it is unquestionably worthy of
emulation by every politician in this great country of ours.
I really wanted
Governor Fayemi to win his election and I prayed hard for him to do so.
I wanted him to win because he is a truly good, honest, capable and
decent person by every standard and by anyone’s definition; a man who is
guided by his faith and committed to his family. Everyone who knows him
knows these facts about him and now with his one act that gives way to
both defeat and hope, the whole world will know it too.
Commiserations
to Dr. John Kayode Fayemi and Mrs Bisi Feyemi and congratulations to the
good people of Ekiti state for conducting themselves in a peaceful
manner during the election.
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