Politics and politicking in Nigeria are becoming like a game for the opaque and deceitful minds, masquerading as politicians, Statemen, Patriots and heroes.
In Nigeria today, every political aspirant is busy, running up and down, looking for endorsement by some kingmakers, power blocs and power brokers all over the tense political space.
While some go to the normal but less travelled route of grassroots mobilisation, others are still flouting age-long primordial affiliations and faulty prejudices that have brought our nation to her knees such as faith, ethnicity and geography.
Our politics and leadership recruitment process are no longer based on competence and the hunger to serve but on a sheer stealthy desire to have access to our collective patrimony for personal aggrandisement and that of cronies.
Even those who should know and be concerned enough to want to bring on board a selfless and altruistic goal-getter through a normal democratic process are themselves, harbouring a crony, puppet or a deliberately orchestrated political hegemon to protect and maintain an interest regardless of its possible debilitating effect on the Nigerian state.
This is where we found ourselves and the reason every aspirant is not genuinely seeking a grassroots approval but a kingmaker of some sort to anchor their hope on.
Our variant of democracy in Nigeria is truly funny; it is a democracy of the Godfathers, kingmakers and puppets. It is one with all the apparachik of political aberration masquerading as normal. It keeps us glued to the blurred and misty screen of hopelessness when we know exactly what to do to bring goodness to the greater number of Nigerians.
Even our own “philosopher-king” has admitted having a crony, an heir apparent, a crown prince of some sort, lurking somewhere whose shoe latchet, no one is worthy to untie. May God give Nigeria a good and reasonable President come 2023.
- Austen AKHAGBEME is a Columnist with Blank NEWS Online
