Opinion: The Ruse Call Council polls

By David Odekanle

Just like we do in many other spheres of human endeavours, My beloved nation Nigeria has cut for herself another standard practice in electoral matters particularly when it comes to local government polls.

Like a nation in the world of her own that bothers less about her image , citizen’s wellness and interest of her teeming populace, we have thrown up comics and shallow conducts in the comity of nations so much that one can safely predicts us going the other way when other nations endorses a particular conduct as the norm.

Democracy is a globally defined and accepted as government of the by the people and for the people. But our experience as a people has not only betrayed this definition but has also awfully redefined democratic practices to mean government of the powerfuls by the powerfuls and for the powerfuls against the powerless.

Democratic principles projects the people as the principal in that process as it seeks to establish the will of the people as supreme but we can posit that the real principals that gives life or death sentences to democratic processes in the local government are the Governors.

The 3 tiers of government are supposed to be independent but independence of this third tier of government which is the closest to the people have been reduced in Nigeria only to the size of the sitting Governor’s magnanimity.Or how do one explains the situation where local governments are at the mercy of state governments almost every step of the way from funding, to elections, to choice of projects to mention a few.

And this caging of the council is always reflected also when eventually for any reason, the state governors agree to the idea of running the council through elected officers.You will note that it is always like a taboo in our politics to have another political party win elections in our country apart from the ruling party in the state that the sitting Governors belong. Most often than not the contest is a needless one.

Lagos – State this past weekend conducted council elections in her 20 local governments and 37 local council development authority (LCDA) and that could be regarded as another inch above his fellows for Lagos helmsman with many of his having resorted to running local governments through stooges and loyalists in the name of care-taker committee.

As much as one would want to give kudos to Lagos handlers for this political development, A closer look at the election process in the center of excellence leaves much to be desired.

With issues like lack of internal democracy, imposition of candidates, voters apathy, to lack of level playing ground for all parties, irregularities with the Lasiec guidelines, Compromised and biarse election officials among other factors had pitched the process largely in favour of the ruling party in the state.

Hence you don’t need to be a prophet to know that Apc was coasting to victory in that election, I mean victory without contest. The victory they secured not only by the political strength nor by the popularity of the Governor’s commendable performance alone but also by the effect of these under-the-table political ploys.

Until the process is tinkered with to reflect the people’s will, free from all the shenanigans that currently mars it, it is still a ruse and a shadow of what should holds sway.