Nigerian politicians have grown so cunning that they’ve mastered the art of interpreting the constitution and our laws in such a way that it supports their selfish political interest at the expense of those they claim to serve, they’ve found ways to circumvent the provisions of the constitution to favor them, leaving the electorates, the masses to look on and fend for themselves.

Our politicians now see politics as a paying job, as employment rather than as a call to serve humanity, they have been so overclouded by their own selfish interests that they would chase to any extent, give whatever it takes to make their “dreams” come true, politics in Nigeria is now the survival of the fittest, if you do not know the way, you will end up where you took off.

The rate at which politicians cross carpet in recent times is a call for alarm, and one would wonder why it is so easy for politicians to change parties like they are changing garments, it does not really matter what benefits these movements have for the electorate, for the country, but as long as it is in tandem with their ambition, no qualms.

Loyalty is long way gone in the political system of Nigeria, as a politician, you only stay loyal to your party as long as  you get your dues and are able to achieve, gradually, your goals. At this point, one cannot but make reference to the dangerous synergy forming between politics and the judiciary, the rate at which political matters rise in courts these days is disturbing, and the court has been too lenient in trying to put things right. Political gladiators who feel their loyalty has been betrayed, who feels their interest is stuck in the pipeline now see the court as a haven they can run to for safety, just a little misunderstanding or rancor in these parties, you will start hearing “we shall see in court”, and sadly, the court appears to be too eager to hear and decide on those cases, whereas there are more pressing matters that the court should rather spend its time on, there are backlogs of cases already.

In law, there is the doctrine of ripeness, that is, a case cannot be heard in the court of law unless the necessary requirements have been fulfilled, which means there must have been an abundance of evidences or facts in issue in a matter and that it is now a matter of necessity for the court to hear it, or in another sense, courts don’t sit to hear trivial matters. An action must not be instituted, most especially in the political arena, in the court of law unless all the administrative remedies have been exhausted, but it is surprising to see what is playing out in Nigeria today, political matters keep flying around in courts, even when it is obvious that the facts in issue in these matters arose due to the lack of effective use of the administrative remedies.

Party chieftains are at loggerheads, they are hell bent on making there marks, conflict resolution committees now have sides and at the end of the day, a resolution committee resolves nothing.

We claim we want stability, but our laws have only paved way for instability to thrive in our society, politicians now see political parties as ordinary playing fields where you go to and do whatever you like and leave at any time, this is not far from the fact that the constitution has only made joining a political party a requirement to contest in an election in Nigeria, and nothing more, and that’s why you see politicians always on the expressway to move to another party, as long as the party will help pursue their interests, that is why a politician who got a political post under the umbrella of party A can move to party B and still hold on to the post the electorates in party A labored to get, they have totally forgotten the sweat shed by their once party members, by those whom they promised heaven and earth, to be a loyalist to the party forever, come rain, come shine, they have totally forgotten those who held their placards on the streets, chanting their names, theyeven forgot those who died because of their course, they’ve forgotten the pains of those who believed in them, who stood by them, the electorates, because now, all they see in the mirror is themselves, nothing more, and still one would wonder, where does the loyalty lie?

So long as you are living and interacting with humans, there is bound to be misunderstandings, quarrels and arguments, but no, our politicians are oblivious of this fact, and that’s why it is easy for them to either turn to the courts or move on to another party. Personally, I feel what’s lost in the practice of politics in Nigeria is political maturity, selfish politicians don’t have this, self-centered politicians do not know this. Political maturity is the ability to stay put in a political party even when the political outcome of that party does not favor you, but it appears our politicians are greedy and covetous, they lack patience,and they lack that maturity to understand the philosophy and workings of life and politics.

Not so long ago, the “Not too young to run bill” was passed into law, but in the real sense the best title for the law is “Not so rich to run”, I am not disputing the fact that money is necessary in politics, but it is so unfortunate that politics itself has been monetized, political parties charge millions of naira on forms excluding intra party expenses, and they expect a young man of 35yrs to be able to afford that huge cost. In fact, Nigerian politicians are hypocritical, they say “if you do not have a business to run, it will be difficult for you to run a country”, that young 35 years old man who studied political science in school, had strived to cut an edge for himself in a country where hardship thrives, but then, he is deprived access to the heart of Nigeria politics, why?, “he lacks the political experience, he lacks the practical aspect of politics”, come on! How do you expect him to know if you do not allow him to know, perhaps those who claim to have these practical experiences lack the basis which can only be learnt theoretically, but our leaders have found joy in rcycling themselves over the years, and upon all the experiences, nothing substantial has been achieved, Nigerian has been moving two steps forward and a step backward, the issue of “godfatherism” is still there, well, that is a story for another day.

Instability in the activities and movement of our politicians goes a long way in the problem we have with our politics, imagine a politician moving from party A to party B and later again move back to party A,what are they looking for?!, and to be honest, we the electorates also have a hand in this menace, we cheer them up, sing their praises and make them feel like what they are doing is the best for the country, but in the end, we regret these actions, funny enough, that doesn’t stop us from assuming that role of being a sycophant at another time.

This issue has raised a lot of controversial arguments among political analysts and commentators, and one common ground they all seem to agree on is the fact that politicians have not been able to draw the line between personal interest and political interest, between self-interest and general interest. Most of those who cross carpet are only on the chase to remain politically relevant for as long as they can, not minding what they are bringing to the table but what they are taking away from the table.

It is quite laughable and ridiculous when you confront these politicians to ask them why they are defecting to another party, like I said earlier, they will immediately invoke the constitution, and guess what they say, “I have the right to move to any political party of my choice”, they invoke the “freedom to join any association or political party” provision of the constitution, but they’ve failed to realize the fact that the constitution is not premised on mediocrity, disloyalty, selfishness or self-centered ness, the constitution should be interpreted in such a way that it will embrace a sense of responsibility, the spirit of true “partymanship”, loyalty, integrity and dignity.

It is so disheartening that the reasons why politicians defect are so flimsy and not genuine, and when after this departure you ask the parties they left how they feel about the departure, they tell you it’s nothing, that it is a good riddance to bad rubbish, and that some better “others” will come along, but seriously speaking, is losing some to gain some a true sign of growth and development?, and that only shows how these party chieftains and leaders have taken for granted, the electorates who do the real work, perhaps politics is truly and only a game of numbers without a fair play rule.

A political party is defined as a group of people with collective interest and the same ideology, but it appears that’s only true on the paper, we can imagine what kind of government is being run by two different political parties with totally different ideologies, just like we have now in one of the states in Nigeria, it is not a hidden truth that there can never be a smooth running of government activities, in its formulation of ideas and implementation of policies.

Members of a political party have different interests and that’s why cross carpeting is now a norm in our politics, if a party does not support them, they quickly move to another.

In conclusion, section 177(c) of 1999 CFRN has provided for the need to have a political party in order to contest, that is, it is a criterion, but beyond that, it should be construed in such a way that will limit or even put a stop to the way politicians run helter-skelter, so we can have stability in our politics.

So also is section 40 which provides that everyone has freedom of association and to join any political party, it should be remembered that the laws are not premised on instability or disloyalty, it shouldn’t be construed to mean you can join any political party without justifiable reasons, but to connote what a reasonable man thinks of what true politics should be.

Yes, the laws provide for your rights, but beneath those laws are morality, sensibility and respect for the right of other individuals, acknowledgement and respect for the general welfare of the citizens of the country.

It is a bad ambition if actualizing your interest puts the public interest in jeopardy, what we need in our politics is political maturity; our politicians need to grow up.

TEMILOLUWA OLOWOYO

BELLADONISTEMILOLUWA@GMAIL.COM

08100031840