Very uncommon to find a state where people participate in politics with the kind of brotherly love and care like the Abia State people. Always bearing in mind that despite the fact that it is a competition of who gets what, when and how, as defined by Harold Leswell, we remain brothers and sisters of the same blood even at the peak of our political contests. You will agree with me that Abia State is in no ramification a heterogeneous state, assuming tribalism, which is one of the most challenging factors in African politics, is to be considered. But then, it is still an act of naivety and ignorance to become brutal because of tribe. So there is actually no reason to be nasty and devilish in Abia State. The only harmless sentiment expressed whenever positions are being contested for, at the state level, is the Ukwa/Ngwa and the old Bende dichotomy, of which nobody ever lost an iota of sleep over it because even at the climax of it, you will still see our people eating and wining together. That is the kind of spirit that was inculcated into Abians by our past leaders.
They were able to lead with charismatic authority. Not with power and worst of it all not with physical power or naked force where physical intimidations, threats and sanctions are the means of gaining the obedience of citizens. There had never been any chronicle of opprobrium, brutality nor blood spilling masterminded by any past political leader. Never had it also been heard that an Abia son or daughter has been hospitalized or killed by a fellow Abian, who position “political” power has become an opium in his life.
Our past leaders before this current dispensation had always considered where and when an action becomes injurious before executing same as they had always stayed on innocuous decisions, not minding political oppositions from any geopolitical bloc of the state. I nostalgically recall when I used to watch from the crowd one of such leaders of God’s own state addressing the marmot admirers that always followed him about most times in his usual unstained white native outfit, beaming smiles, waving and singing with his people. Even on few occasions when those who for one reason or the other mounted some hard and not-very-friendly criticisms and oppositions, he still went to their different communities of origin, made their people happy through some giant developmental projects and still extended the hands of friendship to the opposition leaders in persons and empowered them economically, to maintain his life policy of distributive justice where the state resources were equitably distributed.
Politics was never a catalyst to cause disaffection between families and communities in Abia State. Nobody brutalized anybody. It was not a war front. Rather, a channel for peace and unity. That is the spirit of the true Abia son as if to totally adopt the definition offered by Austin Raney, who asserted that politics is a means of conflict resolution in the society. It was that tenderly and meek during the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.
Let me quickly reiterate a little on certain ideologies upon which our government rests. Although already well known to everybody, nevertheless let us collectively skim through to be able in our common conscience speak or concur with the truth, which shall finally set us free.
Democracy! Many scholars have interpreted democracy in different ways but that of Abraham Lincon, government of the people by the people and for the people remains the most widely accepted and up till date. This explains why modern democracy is a representative democracy, which marked significantly from the classical Athenian democracy where supreme powers were vested on the “Ekkelesis” and since after the Black Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s Liberalism has become an important norm of democracy all over the world where all eligible citizens periodically elect their representative based on universal adult suffrage to make decisions on their behalf and rule them within the framework of rule of law. I like to emphasize on RULE OF LAW. Finally, I will mention the third model of democracy: “Marxist tradition”, which seeks to explain how the equality of all citizens from the political, economic and social life is to be guaranteed and I want to also add that the modern day democracy should lay emphasis on respect for human right. Democracy must be operated within the rule of law bearing in mind the supremacy of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
We should remember that democracy has some basic principles, which must be applied universally. These include popular consultation, which implies that decisions must be taken by the government after citizens must have been consulted widely; political sovereignty, which implies that power belongs to the people; obedience to the rule of law; absence of arbitrary behaviour, etc.
Democracy is not authoritarianism where various forms of despotic, dictatorial and tyrannical principles are exhibited through irresponsible exercise of political power with no moral or political control.
Another important ideology I want us to consider is that of legitimacy, which, in a nutshell, means the popular acceptance or support given to a government by the people, irrespective of the method of coming into power. This means that a government can lose her legitimacy even if it emerged through popular voting of the people when it behaves anti people. Legitimization of leadership connotes that those who occupy positions of authority should justify their positions and actions on the basis of certain principles.
Now, to which principle or ideology will the operators of the Abia State Government, especially Governor T. A. Orji and his son, Chinedu Orji, justify their recent actions? Certainly not that of Democracy and not that of Legitimacy.
Why on earth and how could it be justified that groups who share different political interests from this family and their agents are being physically assaulted, waylaid, brutalized and dehumanized to the extent of inflicting physical injuries that will lead to such persons being hospitalized or even to the extent of hearing of death resulting from such actions?
Just recently, the All Progressives Congress was holding a meeting at Item community in Bende Local Government Area of the state. The meeting was disrupted by some deviants and miscreants being sponsored by the state to physically assault the opposition and many were brutalized as some younger and faster ones managed to escape the mayhem. This is not a norm of democracy. You must respect the view of the opposition in a true democracy. Many other groups are suffering the same fate in the state.
People who have their hearts going out for a former governor of the state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, because of the way he touched lives are being physically intimidated, harassed and brutalized. My question is: if the government finishes killing everybody in the state, who will they govern? Because I am sure not up to one per cent of the entire population of Abia State speaks good about the government of the day, an illegitimate government that has inflicted untold hardship upon them through non infrastructural/human development and multiple taxation, while they live in opulence characterized by self aggrandizement and braggadocio.
No wonder God regretted after creating man. Still in this same world where the same man who made them whom they are today, lost some of his hard earned fortunes for them to be in this position they find themselves today. I am not holding brief for anybody but speaking from a truthful neutral standpoint. If Dr. Kalu has decided to forgive them and move ahead with his life and later decided to serve the people in public capacity once again, why is the Abia State Government jittery about it only on mere speculations. It means they know that they are running an illegitimate and despotic government.
It is true that what we see today in Nigeria is that sovereignty rests most times on the executive instead of the legislature or the people, but this situation neither warrants the executive nor his heirs nor agents to violate the fundamental rights of the citizens. Let it also be put into cognizance that even Jean Bodin, the French political philosopher, the very first proponent of this ideology during the sixteenth century, as developed by Aristotle in the Athenian State, accepted that despite absolutism, perpetuity and indivisibility of this concept, it is still limited by Salic laws, natural laws and eternal laws. This is what this family should also bear in mind. There is a limit to what every human should do despite the powers at your disposal.
Today Abia State citizens are subjected, subjugated and emasculated in various ways by this family as if it were in fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini or Nazist Germany under Adolf Hitler by this latest dimension that has been introduced. It is a Res Ipsa Loquitur. Abia State will in no distant time metamorphose into the same situation of Ugandan under Idi Amin. And this will be still under the guise of democracy.
Let the Peoples Democratic Party, on whose platform this government runs, advice this people with a view to curbing their excesses lest Abia State goes back to the crude era of human life where might will mean right and life becomes anarchic.
It can be Abia State today. If not checked, it can another state tomorrow or even the entire nation.
Let wise counsel prevail.
Trending
- Hajj 2024: NAHCON describes Gov. Uzodinma as pillar of support
- TUC wants FG to pay wage award for March, April
- Suspension of Dana Air hasty, punitive — Flight Dispatchers
- Ferry deaths: CILT raises alarm as over 300 die in one year
- Smuggled explosives: Customs hands over 6,240 dynamites to DSS
- Anambra: NSCDC arrests eight illegal private guards, recovers weapons
- Health Workers Week: Stakeholders suggest way out of declining workforce
- Review of: ‘Till My Change Comes,’ by Motunrayo Olumakaiye