MATTER OF THE MOMENT – Political Reality in Nigeria

With Monday Akpan

Political in some quarters is seen as a dirty game while in others it is considered as a game of numbers.

Many people see politics in many different ways with so many meanings added to it; hence politics in Nigeria today is characterized by violence, thuggery, hijacking of ballot boxes, falsification of election results, petitions, cases in election tribunals and recently kidnappings and killings of opponents within a party and rival parties.

The country’s constitution provides for any Nigerian within the age limit of eighteen and above to vote and be voted for; and for this reason, many people  during election period  clamour for elective  positions in any political party which the constitution also provides its formation under certain rules and guidelines.

In the first Republic, political reality in Nigeria was not fully achieved hence the advent of the military into the country’s body politics. This happened in 1966 during which time the military ruled for a reasonable number of years amidst public outcry for democracy. It was only in 1983 when this cries seemed to have yielded fruits with the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari as the first democratic elected president of Nigeria. This was short-lived; the military again came in with General Ibrahim Babangida as the military president thus denying Nigerians of the needed democracy.

            The cries for democracy by Nigerians continued and their prayers were answered when General Obasanjo who took over as a military president and later metaphorsed into a civilian  president, handed over to an  elected civilian president in the person of Late Alhaji Musa. The military over the years had injected military ideologies into the nation’s polity hence the emergence of various intricacies during and after general election in the country.

Little wonder the nation is now witnessing ugly situations as in time of war.

As a matter of the moment, all Nigerians could say now is may the good times roll.

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