In legal jurisprudence if one errs in opinion about the existence of certain state of facts which do not exist in reality, such could excuse him from criminal responsibility of an offence committed by him upon such belief.
However, such mistake must be held honestly and predicated on the objective man’s reasonability test. The reason for this is that one is not held accountable for an injury caused by him unintentionally. Perhaps in political jurisprudence, the same position is obtainable, particularly in democracy where there are some levels of freedom guaranteed to express opinion even if born out of defective reasoning. The reasonable man’s test does not apply here because however ill-thought one’s opinions in democracy, he is permitted to maintain them at the acceptance or rejection of others.
It is called freedom of speech. Although this is said of political jurisprudence, it may not be true with military rule. Here the character is differential only because the badges worn by the ‘kaki boys’ are not the objects of individual’s freedom. But democracy grants the license to exercise this freedom, often abused.
The beauty of our democracy, however, is that things are dynamic in reality. There is no absolute standard for practising what we are taught in theory. Hence the majority can sometimes have their way while the minority have their say. Equally, the latter can have their way when the system is not effective just like the Kogi state circumstances under which Yahaya Bello emerged governor.
No Nigerian current with the political development in Kogi state that will not appreciate the realities that brought the incumbent government into power. Th e government came to office through unpopular democracy and still unpopular among the people today. Such opportunity granted to the government to serve would have been exercised to gain the acceptance of the people but reverse is the case. Kogi in the hands of Bello so far has been reputed collapsing since the singular enterprise (civil service) owned by the state has stopped working.
Th is unpleasant development sent messages to the majority of the people in the state to lie await their corpses. Being a civil servants’ state, the livelihood of the people directly or indirectly depends on the payment of salary.
Th e failure of Wada’s administration to take this into account led to his vote out of power which brought the incumbent government. On coming into office, the incumbent government vouched to reform the civil service which was to be a laudable approach but the government failed since the task was entrusted in the hands of inexperienced agents.
Th e screening exercise (as it was called) was not only ridiculous but has helped to prove the incompetence of the government. Workers in the state are kept working with their salary not forthcoming as at when due. Some are even owed up to year(s) salaries. Th e negative eff ect of this could be felt by ordinary indigenes of the state. We are reminded of the ongoing strike by secondary schools in the state over nonpayment of salary.
Th is also led to the closure of all tertiary institutions in the state for more than seven months. How will this negative the minds of the students? It is the question which the government has been unable to ask itself. If realising that education is crucial to the development of society, experienced government will prioritise the sector. Senator Dino Melaye and Elder Sanni Makama are two legislators who have taken proactive measures against the government via legislative mechanism although both are not separated from the agents used to bring the government into power. Initially, they were the rainmakers for the victory of Bello to Lugard House.
However, from the outset of Melaye’s outspokenness against the unjust policy of the government, the latter has rejected constructive criticisms.
The government allegedly sponsored the campaign to recall the senator, a futile project that the state’s revenue went in irrecoverable. Just like Melaye, Makama has been visited with many political attacks reputed as one of the projects of government.
This shadow game has been magnifi cently mirrored by the people who are awaiting the ballot papers come 2019. Despite all these realities in the state, some politicians are deceiving rather than advising the governor on how to gain the forgiveness of the people. To them, the reward for political goodwill is the support from the people; the result is the continuation of government.
The belief of these deceptive elements may be honestly held by them but as far as the realities in the state are concerned, such belief is unreasonable before the average voters of the state. Time like this could be used to advice government to do the needful instead of thinking about next election. There is room for genuine assessment in the heart of every human being.
Such room is the conscience. Provided a man’s conscience is clear, he needs not be told how the people are feeling towards him.
Th at the state under Yahaya Bello has failed the people is an understatement. He is advised to consult the ‘real people’ from whom a political power could either be won or lost and not the ‘few people’ deceiving him. His score sheet if truly presented to him by the people will shock him.
As noted earlier, a mistaken belief within the context of political jurisprudence, particularly in democracy, can be an object of poor ideas and ill-thought opinions. Bello should have recourse to the evaluation of this belief presented in his favour.
Failure to do this will be met with political disappointment because an honest belief not based on a reasonable ground will definitely produce such a harmful result. Otiwe writes from Lokoja, Kogi state
