By ONIDU OTOKPA

In a less developed country, other powers such as economic and social powers are subset of political power. Kwame Nkrumah in his famous mantra speak of seeking first political power and that every other power will be added unto you. The paraphernalia that comes with political power make it a wide sought-after goods and whoever have it will do everything practically necessary to keep it by all means. Thus, the manipulation and influence of electioneering process by political heavy weight which start with election of political party excos through to the general election. Till we unlearn the culture of voting for political parties at the expense of a credible candidate, the dividend of democracy will be only for the party loyalist.

Controlling the party structure is simply having your loyalist elected as party excos right from the ward level through the local government level to the state, zonal and national level of the party. Next time you hear anybody saying he controls the party structure at any level at all, this is exactly what they meant. The implication of this is that only those that are loyal or perceived to be loyal to the party’s political heavy weights in the ward, local government, state, zonal and national level as the case may be are given the opportunity to contest in the political party platform. This is where the cancer called godfatherism in Nigeria politics is having a firm and absolute grip on our democracy, the outcome is the pseudo representatives and executive leaders we have at all levels of government.
The political party is the only platform on which elective post can be contested in Nigeria, if that platform is infiltrated, compromised and hijacked by political godfathers, who have held on to power and are not ready to relinquish that power any soon, then there is little hope for the populace to have a good, genuine and purposeful leader and representative.

The way out of this is a deliberate and purposive voters’ culture education, especially of those in the rural areas who often cast votes on political party they are told to vote for by their village political leader. In Nigeria, people vote along party line and not candidates. People have to be enlightened that they have a choice to vote who they want and not necessarily a party that the political figure of that village wants them to vote for. It shouldn’t be vote for “broom”, “umbrella” or “father, mother and child” as the case may be. Selling of vote should be discouraged as it amounts to selling your future and fortune and that of your children and the unborn. Don’t go to cast your vote because a #500, a bag of salt or even rice is expected; vote because you truly want a change or continuity of government policies. If these orientations are reinforced in voters’ culture, the power of the political godfathers will be weakened and that will be a win for true democracy in Nigeria.