With Uche Nnadozie
I have attempted this topic before. You know getting people to truly get involved in how their country is run is pretty difficult. Its even worse if such a country is made up of largely poor people. This topic is motivated by a discussion I had last week with one of my friends. He lives in the United Kingdom but was involved in the campaigns of the last election. As you are aware 2015 electioneering was tough, and he was right here on the turf and saw the game. He worked his bottom off but didn’t quite succeed. He lost money and nearly lost his family too. Therefore, he is as committed as any other Nigerian, never mind, he lives in England. There are many people like him who although lives in diaspora but he’s very much involved in what goes on here.
Among other things, he said with excitement, ‘’Uche, how about this Sowore guy, he is a strong candidate. If they don’t arrest or kill him, he may win the election”. Dear Lord! I was taken aback. I asked him whether he has suddenly forgotten 2015? Well the point is not whether Omoyele Sowore can win a presidential election in 2019, it is the thought of normal people thinking that it could by any chance be possible. The idea itself is a stretch. Its lame and lazy and a product of yahoo-yahoo mentality. You don’t just jump off the aeroplane from the United States and jump into a bandwagon in Nigeria, only to think the wagon is taking you to the presidency.
You know something, social media is overrated. Don’t get me wrong. I am an adherent to new media. I am one of those who assert that the internet is a planet by itself. I know and appreciate the enormous opportunities inherent in this alternative world called social media, but that phenomenon cannot by itself make anyone president of Nigeria. Not now, not in the next 20 years. Social media is complimentary. It is the best avenue to raise talking points, but not yet an election winning machinery on its own. So I can understand a resident of U.K who thinks that Sowore’s stunts with facebook live will somehow ease him into Aso Rock. No. Not now. You need serious ground work. You need years of preparation not a few months of recording street hops on mobile phone. I get Sowore’s facebook live alerts, it is what it is. Pedestrian!
On the other hand is another group led by Oby Ezekwesili. It is called the Red Card Movement. I have written about them before. And I encountered them again last week. Yes, on twitter. I also saw the leader on Channels news. She was by the road side. Her problem like before is APC and PDP. Then the red carpet thing. My advice then still holds now. Where is your party? Instead of wasting time cutting into APC and PDP, use it to canvass for your candidates or party. You can’t waste your talent de-marketing others when you don’t have a remedy. This is like shooting oneself in the scrotum. The whole debate about red card or Sowore’s effort is nice. But that’s not the goal. Sowore wants to win the presidency. He’s already going round raising false hopes and collecting money from Nigerians in the diaspora. It would have been nicer if this is an opportunity to build a party that can contest elections at all levels starting with Ekiti.
A party that can take up any challenge. A party that brings people together rather than dividing us more. A party that its leaders don’t go off on a tantrum abusing people. The typical Nigerian way. Yet you claim you want to do things differently. Ezekwesili and her followers commit the same errors they proudly advertise against. They alienate Nigerians, call out people that disagree with them, impugn on other people’s integrity, lie and pretend that no one sees them. Most of the time, they too live on twitter. They do not engage outside. Some of her followers even abuse other less privileged Nigerian. They frown at dissent and call out people for holding a parallel opinion.
My point is that you cannot scam the emotion of Nigerians. The current dispensation may not have met everyone’s expectations. It is politics and it is democracy. Nigerians reserve the right to vote them out. But you can’t do that without understanding how Nigerians think and vote. No one should take it for granted. You need to understand Nigeria and Nigerians from around the country. What do they hold dear. What are their fears. How do you find the right works to convey your empathy and your antidote? Otherwise they will reject you. Not because you are not good but because you don’t understand politics. It is until you win that you can unleash whatever ideals you feel you possess.
Going forward, Nigerians should learn to be humble especially the younger ones. Thinking that facebook, twitter and instagram are enough to win election in Nigeria shows that we are very shallow. And if that be the case, our claim to know the solution to Nigeria’s many problem is thus a farce. If you can’t find a solution to how to organise and win election, how then can you organise to solve problems. Its not rocket science at all. Yes social media is good, but not stooping to learn from forerunners can only lead us to acrimony after every election. Complaints of rigging will always rent the air
