Of late, I had been deliberately offline as far as my regular public affairs commentaries, as well as my frequent policy and political analysis are concerned.
I had reckoned that over the past few years I had written quite a lot that has been critical of governance and the misrule and exploitative reign of our greedy, gluttonous, treasury looting self-serving ruling class in power as well as in opposition, and at all levels of government in our country.
And in any case I had also written quite copiously about the 2015 elections, the role of different segments in society, as well as bemoan the choice-less choice situation we are confronted with. I had actually quite early on taken the leap by doing a prognosis as post mortem of the 2015 general elections, and followed this up with the piece on Neither PDP nor APC.
Against this background, and given a context that has become quite quick in pigeon holing every analysis and analyst as either Pro-PDP or Pro-APC, I had retreated from the political analytical fray, waiting for the elections to be held and for the results to be declared so I can do a proper post-mortem on why the winners won and the losers lost.
Well, I will still do such a post mortem, in part as a fulfillment of a promise made to so many comrades that we shall resume our discourse and disputations concerning the chances of the parties and their candidates in this election, as soon as the results of the presidential and NASS elections are announced.
But now less than 24 hours to the most decisive elections in this particular election cycle of our unitary federal system, it is important to remind ourselves of a number of things.
First and foremost for me is that this election cycle and this election campaign period has been the most intense, the most divisive, but also paradoxically the most engaging for a majority of citizens and potential voters since the 1999 return to civil rule, if not in living memory.
And why in spite of the overwhelming negativities is this election cycle also turning out to be the most engaging for citizens in general, and for youths in particular? This is because it is the first general election after the life transforming politicization experience of the January Uprising of 2012. The generation politicized by that uprising has remained largely politically engaged, breathing new life into the putrid political atmosphere.
Elections in the 4th republic have always been characterized by the absence of issue based campaigning, the predominance of character assassination, and the conscious appeal to the primordial ethnic and religious identities. Nevertheless the present election cycle tops the table and sets new records as far as these negativities are concerned.
Let us be clear every political party is guilty of this, nevertheless any cursory as well as deeper analysis of the political context will show the overwhelming preponderance of the these emanating from the incumbent ruling party, a party that has become the most vociferous and alarmist in the way and manner by which it regularly orchestrates its campaign of calumny against any and everyone, including even the institutions of the state over which the party presides.
This party became so adept at this that we have seen it transform before our very eyes usurping the traditional role of the opposition. It was the ruling party that led the charge to postpone elections; it is the ruling party that led and coordinated a prolonged war of attrition against the use of PVCs and card readers, as well as launch and coordinate a most debilitating campaign of falsehoods against the credibility of INEC and its leadership, even calling for the sack of the Chairman a few weeks to the elections.
But as we go to our respective polling units tomorrow to cast our votes, it is important, in fact significant that we be guided by a number of things, including a sense of history as well as personal sincerity to ourselves and our future.
We should be guided by a consideration of a dispassionate analysis of the historic failures of the past 16 years, a failure that is the cumulative outcome of the combined misrule of the ruling class as a whole.
We should also be guided by our dispassionate assessment of the capabilities and capacities of the candidates and parties canvassing for our support.
Thirdly we should be guided by a consideration of what we estimate to be the best outcome that can ensure responsive and responsible governance and as well as build popular confidence in our ability as a people to choose our leaders, to reward good governance and punish irresponsible, irresponsive and bad governance.
So whereas the choice confronting us may not include clarity on the exact outlines of a collectively prosperous future; it sure does include the ability to make the type of choice that can ensure that those elected into office actually sit-up.
What do we need to look out for? Those who can offer leadership; a leadership that can be decisive, that builds bridges rather than exploit our primordial differences; a leadership that can take responsibility, that can exert control over political appointees; a leadership that can afford to lead by example, one that help restore some level of confidence in the Nigeria project both among citizens and among our neighbours far and near.
And why is leadership and the nature of leadership so central to the choice we need to make? Precisely because the last 16 years, has shown a progressive decline in the quality of leadership.
And although these factors are lacking in sufficient quantities among the choices currently on offer before us, nevertheless some possess these more than others, and this differential in the distribution of the traits among the contenders should be enough to enable us make the necessary choice tomorrow.
Surely we can expect that this generation of Nigerians can make a choice devoid of ethnic and religious coloration, anchored on our perception of what is wrong and how we feel this wrong might be corrected.
On a final note, I personally have no single doubt about the grand and historic failures of the PDP ruling party and government over the last 16 years. I have spent the last 16 years exposing these misrule and bad governance.
On the other hand I equally have no iota of doubt that the opposition APC as presently constituted is not the kind of party that can right these historic wrongs and ensure a more even and socially just development.
And herein lies the real character of this moment in our history; To continue to swim hopelessly in the cesspool and quicksand of failure; or to take a leap that has the potential to land one not on solid ground, but on the edge of deep ravine!
For one, a catastrophic outcome is near certain, for the other, a catastrophic outcome is a huge potential.
And now the choice is yours to make. Welcome to our immediate future!