When-nigerians-sell-their-votes-as-party-delegates-or-electorates-they-should-not-expect-good-governance-across-all-levels-of-government
September 7, 2020 | News
WHEN NIGERIANS SELL THEIR VOTES AS PARTY DELEGATES OR ELECTORATES, THEY SHOULD NOT EXPECT GOOD GOVERNANCE ACROSS ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
Precisely on the 23rd of November 2018, while I was driving to my office in the morning hours, I saw a friend standing in front of his compound’s gate around the neighbourhood, so I stopped to say hello to him. We were still exchanging pleasantries when we both saw another friend of ours walking along the street, arguing with another person until they got to where we were standing. And after we exchanged greetings, I politely asked him what was their argument all about? One of them said that he was not properly paid during the last election Primaries of one of the two major political parties that took place in Delta State. He said during the Primaries of one of the major parties, the delegates were heavily paid, while the other one did not, and so, he did not get properly paid like other delegates. I then asked him, is that all? He said yes. I then went further to appeal for his patience to allow me explain to him, why it should be considered ‘evil and wicked’ for any so-called delegate of any one for that matter, to demand or be paid by political aspirants in other to vote in party election Primaries and the General elections proper.
I made them to realize that, when political aspirants/candidates pay them as delegates or as the electorates, in other to vote for them, it simply means they have been paid with the ‘public funds’, which ought to be used to build infrastructure and improve on social services for the general public. I went further to explain to them that all the money they see politicians that are vying for public offices spend, in paying delegates/electorates to be voted for, will all be recouped and retrieved from the State’s public treasury in double, tripple and quadruple folds if they get elected. That is why we keep having ‘money bags’ as politicians, who do not have any vision to address pressing developmental needs, in all the Government levels across the country because these people are only interested in their private pockets, hence they are willing to spend anything to get into Office, with the intent to recoup and recover their ‘political investments’ back.
I also told my small audience that the reason why the good people with great ideas and visions that can transform the State, cannot be elected into public office is because they will not have the sort of finance to ‘bribe’ their way through in other to be elected. And even if some of them may have the money, they might not be willing to stoop that low to buy delegates and electorates votes in other to be elected. That practice is obviously alien to any reasonable person with integrity that truly wants to serve in public Government offices.
The truth is, when party delegates and even the electorates are willing to sell their votes at party primaries and the general elections, they have simply sold their conscience, birthrights, social rights, human rights, right to life, right to a quality life, and even the right to question their political leaders and hold them to be accountable. It is only a foolish man that will say, it is better to allow a known thief to rule us than a clean politician. I do not think the President of France; Emmanuel Macron would have won his election in a country like Nigeria. I also do not think the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, could have won his election to be a Prime Minister - if it were to be in Nigeria. The reason for this is because, both of them are not billionaires, and they have not been financed with stolen public wealth. I am highly disappointed at some of our so-called highly educated elites in Nigeria, or should I say that they are ‘educated fools’, who have continued to encourage and declare support for ‘known thieves’ to be elected to rule them. They have allowed their shortsightedness and thirst for ephemeral gains to becloud their judgement. Some of them even go to the extent of propagating that some of these so-called Nigerian rich politicians are great business persons. But the big question, which they all need to always consider; is how, and where did these rich politicians make their wealth from, especially when they claim to own chains of businesses? Did they inherit their current wealth from their parents or from family businesses?
We need no soothsayer to explain to us that the wealth these rich politicians are using to buy their way into public offices, which they claim to have gotten from their chains of businesses, are actually stolen from the collective public wealth of their individual States and the country. Should we really call these sets of so-called educated elites - educated in the real sense? Of course not! They are nothing but ‘educated fools’. They are easily excited by sweet and coloured stories. Nigerians should not expect good governance in the country if they allow a man who will use millions of dollars to buy delegate votes, to be elected. One does not need a prophet to show you visions before you will get the answer. They should ask themselves if that is how America, UK, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, etc. became developed countries? If their citizens had short visions and clueless minds, like we see demonstrated by some so-called educated Nigerian elites, will they become great countries today, which we like to spend our vacation in and send our children to school there?
Why can’t majority of the Nigerian public be wise for once? The pretence, short sightedness, lack of vision will not help this country to grow and develop like others across the world. One of the major problems of the country is not actually the political leaders, but it is the followers, especially the so-called educated Nigerians who do not see anything wrong in ‘vote buying’ – to encourage known thieves to rule Nigeria. These are the real problems of this country. No African politician, who has invested heavily in vote buying, should be expected to exhibit good governance. It is just common sense, that there is something in that State Government House, or in Aso Rock, which that person wants to get in there to obtain by all means.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes
Precisely on the 23rd of November 2018, while I was driving to my office in the morning hours, I saw a friend standing in front of his compound’s gate around the neighbourhood, so I stopped to say hello to him. We were still exchanging pleasantries when we both saw another friend of ours walking along the street, arguing with another person until they got to where we were standing. And after we exchanged greetings, I politely asked him what was their argument all about? One of them said that he was not properly paid during the last election Primaries of one of the two major political parties that took place in Delta State. He said during the Primaries of one of the major parties, the delegates were heavily paid, while the other one did not, and so, he did not get properly paid like other delegates. I then asked him, is that all? He said yes. I then went further to appeal for his patience to allow me explain to him, why it should be considered ‘evil and wicked’ for any so-called delegate of any one for that matter, to demand or be paid by political aspirants in other to vote in party election Primaries and the General elections proper.
I made them to realize that, when political aspirants/candidates pay them as delegates or as the electorates, in other to vote for them, it simply means they have been paid with the ‘public funds’, which ought to be used to build infrastructure and improve on social services for the general public. I went further to explain to them that all the money they see politicians that are vying for public offices spend, in paying delegates/electorates to be voted for, will all be recouped and retrieved from the State’s public treasury in double, tripple and quadruple folds if they get elected. That is why we keep having ‘money bags’ as politicians, who do not have any vision to address pressing developmental needs, in all the Government levels across the country because these people are only interested in their private pockets, hence they are willing to spend anything to get into Office, with the intent to recoup and recover their ‘political investments’ back.
I also told my small audience that the reason why the good people with great ideas and visions that can transform the State, cannot be elected into public office is because they will not have the sort of finance to ‘bribe’ their way through in other to be elected. And even if some of them may have the money, they might not be willing to stoop that low to buy delegates and electorates votes in other to be elected. That practice is obviously alien to any reasonable person with integrity that truly wants to serve in public Government offices.
The truth is, when party delegates and even the electorates are willing to sell their votes at party primaries and the general elections, they have simply sold their conscience, birthrights, social rights, human rights, right to life, right to a quality life, and even the right to question their political leaders and hold them to be accountable. It is only a foolish man that will say, it is better to allow a known thief to rule us than a clean politician. I do not think the President of France; Emmanuel Macron would have won his election in a country like Nigeria. I also do not think the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, could have won his election to be a Prime Minister - if it were to be in Nigeria. The reason for this is because, both of them are not billionaires, and they have not been financed with stolen public wealth. I am highly disappointed at some of our so-called highly educated elites in Nigeria, or should I say that they are ‘educated fools’, who have continued to encourage and declare support for ‘known thieves’ to be elected to rule them. They have allowed their shortsightedness and thirst for ephemeral gains to becloud their judgement. Some of them even go to the extent of propagating that some of these so-called Nigerian rich politicians are great business persons. But the big question, which they all need to always consider; is how, and where did these rich politicians make their wealth from, especially when they claim to own chains of businesses? Did they inherit their current wealth from their parents or from family businesses?
We need no soothsayer to explain to us that the wealth these rich politicians are using to buy their way into public offices, which they claim to have gotten from their chains of businesses, are actually stolen from the collective public wealth of their individual States and the country. Should we really call these sets of so-called educated elites - educated in the real sense? Of course not! They are nothing but ‘educated fools’. They are easily excited by sweet and coloured stories. Nigerians should not expect good governance in the country if they allow a man who will use millions of dollars to buy delegate votes, to be elected. One does not need a prophet to show you visions before you will get the answer. They should ask themselves if that is how America, UK, Canada, France, Germany, The Netherlands, etc. became developed countries? If their citizens had short visions and clueless minds, like we see demonstrated by some so-called educated Nigerian elites, will they become great countries today, which we like to spend our vacation in and send our children to school there?
Why can’t majority of the Nigerian public be wise for once? The pretence, short sightedness, lack of vision will not help this country to grow and develop like others across the world. One of the major problems of the country is not actually the political leaders, but it is the followers, especially the so-called educated Nigerians who do not see anything wrong in ‘vote buying’ – to encourage known thieves to rule Nigeria. These are the real problems of this country. No African politician, who has invested heavily in vote buying, should be expected to exhibit good governance. It is just common sense, that there is something in that State Government House, or in Aso Rock, which that person wants to get in there to obtain by all means.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes