Parties primaries have been a nationwide sing-song across the length and breadth of the country. Public commentators in local and International media as well as political analysts and scholars have been having a field day in worship places, men’s discussion arena, campaign literature, global sphere, beer parlours, market squares, offices and other public places with the conversion raging like wild fire.
A phrase has been entered into the lexicon of Nigeria’s contemporary political dictionary. It is called “Coronation rather than people’s choice.” It means putting a candidate without producing the real primary selection process within parties by the so-called godfathers, holders of executive power, party leaders and Influential stalwarts.
Coronation rather than people’s choice is very dangerous to our body politics. It is also a retrogressive culture, it will destroy the whole political system in Nigeria, if care is not taken. If you put a candidate of your choice through illegal means against the intention of members of your party, you are digging a grave for the party but if you allow the party members to vote candidate of their choice you are putting the party on the winning path.
The electoral democracy has been characterised by thuggery, gun touting, gun shooting, rigging ballot, box snatching, Intimidation, vote-buying and now coronation rather than people’s choice.
The new order in our democracy emerged through the current political actors of the mould of 21st century and coronation rather than people’s choice is like a cancer that has grown to an advanced stage that defies every medicine till date and will destroy the entire democracy if care is not taken.
It is deeply saddening and disappointing that Nigeria is not a small country, it is the largest and most prestigious country in Africa which parades her as destination for African political pilgrimage.
This ugly monster dominating Zamfara state All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries will be extended to all other parts of the country if care is not taken.
Now the state has become the Nigerian case study when it comes to political parties primaries. The primaries election of APC in the 2019 general elections are also an indication that coronation rather than people’s choice is the Nigerian political electoral disease.
The Nigerian political parties should ensure the internal democracy within their parties by allowing each member to exercise their franchise to aspire to any position they want to contest in order to avoid legal entanglement which is one of the ugly monsters that has negatively impacted our electrol fortunes which led to 639 post-primaries court cases in the 2019 general elections.
The Nigerian political parties lack supremacy because some political godfathers see it as their personal estate. We need parties that are stronger than their component members, regardless of stature. If the parties have supremacy we will never witness coronation in our primaries. If parties are respectable institutions, the Nigeria we love will be sheltered in one of the parties.
Discipline is another way forward towards tackling coronation. If our parties have discipline to deal with any member in the parties irrespective of status, such coronation will never occur in our body politic. Another solution for coronation is the provision of independent candidates in our electrol law.
My advice to all Nigeria’s political parties, political players on Nigeria’s chessboard is that they should know that Nigeria will never be a democratic paradise if this ugly monster continues to be in our bodypolitic.
Our democracy has attained the legal age but appears as if we have not yet started, we are still many miles away. Nigerians should act wisely and courageously to correct this political deadly disease.
Bello Shehu Shuni [email protected] 08035114464
