BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
We sat around the black and white television to listen to ABS News in the evening as we customarily did, and my mother or father would interpret some difficult grammar and vocabulary. There was a bus burning and people were running helter-skelter. My dad explained that it was the political war between Ikemba Front (IF) and the governor of Anambra state, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Jim Nwobodo. People were washed with acid, splashed in petrol, guns were fired, and machetes and clubs were used to maim people.
Later in the news, we also saw Chief Emeka Ojukwu warning the governor to be careful or he would unleash terror on him and his supporters. That was my first impression of politics in the present sense. Based on the bitterness and hate which marred the 1983 campaign and election, that republic did not last before the military took over in December. That physical abuse and the war of 1982/83 did not leave my memory. Ever since, I have always seen politics as a dirty game.
In 1993, I had my first experience of voting, in the June 12 (annulled) election that produced MKO Abiola. It was peaceful and simple. We queued behind our candidate, and the returning officer would count the numbers, and the winner would be announced there and then. The military called that method ‘Option A4,’ where voters vote openly, not in a secret ballot. Although many people kicked against it, it worked out perfectly. Rigging was minimized, and governors and House of Representatives members were elected without any glitch. The experience was very good and well planned. I cannot remember whom I voted for, but MKO was accepted by the majority of the people.
However, for whatever reason the military government claimed, they annuled the election; heaven will judge them for that. I am not here to go through the painful emotions of how the Igbos were targeted and their properties destroyed and vandalized. Those firsthand experiences shaped my knowledge and understanding of Nigerian politics. It can be brutal and nasty like the 1982/83 episode. It can also be well-ordered and methodical, like the 1993 election.
My recent experience listening to the federal and state actors and office holders is not encouraging. Politics should be about issues and governance. It should not be about insults and name-calling. It is better to keep silent in public than to say what will ruin your career forever. Our political actors should know that children watch more television, whether on social media, or mainstream media. I was young in 1982, but I have not forgotten the violence I saw. Our politicians should tone it down when speaking about their political opponents. Our people say that when you are quarreling with your brother, reserve some of the quarrels for reconciliation (Esebe okwu, si sefo nke aga eji toouto). Some words pierce more than the sword.
I know that politics is a mind game but remember that there is nothing hiding under the sun. It is normal to go against the policies and ideology of your predecessors and your campaign opponent, but it is very petty to go against a person or his family. We can always keep it clean when it comes to politics and campaigns. Back home in Anambra, we know all our politicians and we know their antecedents and humble beginnings. Our politicians do not need to go into overdrive to win our votes because we are average smart people. We know the bullet wounds and the other kind of wounds (Anyi ma apa mgbo malu apa onya). Some politicians may think that their contemporaries have gone, and they want us to believe that the wound they have on their body is a bullet wound: it will not fly. We know the truth.
On the other hand, our politicians should be very careful not to involve external forces to help them win the election. Throwing caution to the wind because you want to win an election will make governance impossible and draconian. We have seen it before, and we have rejected it for over 20 years. No Godfather, no federal might, and no rigging in Anambra politics. Anambra state has seen it all, we cannot go back to 1999 to 2007. It was days of Godfather politics and politics of bitterness and name-calling in Anambra State.
Finally, November is around the corner already. Only three months from now, elections will be won and lost. In politics, 24 hours is a long time; therefore, three months is a very long time, where our politicians can right the wrongs, or they can also choose to commit political suicide. While I was working somewhere, a mentally challenged woman came where we were praying and joined in the prayers. Everyone in the town knew that she had mental problems, but no one was courageous enough to tell her to leave. I took my duck posture and kept the prayer session on until the end. After the prayers, she came to me quietly and said, “I hope you know the prayers God has answered and the ones that have not been answered so that you do not disturb God unnecessarily.” She turned and left. I was stunned because someone had just prayed for a dead person to recover from sickness, and all the congregation mumbled. I was surprised that she was able to factor that too.
Our politicians should know their opponents and their targets. They cannot be saying things that have no connection with the people of Anambra State. They should know the answered prayers and move on to the next prayer point. Some of the things they are saying now on the campaign trail, we know already. We want to hear their new ideas and what they will do for the people of Anambra to alleviate poverty, and improve transportation, education, and the health sector. My simple question to Obiano six years ago was, “Is it impossible to have a train line that will move around the 21 local government areas of Anambra state?” His answer was clear and precise. He said that it was not impossible, but he wanted to build the airport for the Anambra people, and he delivered that. Let the campaigners tell us what they will do for us when they get into the office, and leave alone personal attacks and vendettas.
