‘Rivers People Are More Politically Mature’

The ghost of political violence has continued to hunt the process at every stage in Nigeria leading to loss of lives as in the case of Taraba State long after the casting of votes. Comrade Christian Lekia, politician, social justice crusader and rights activist, and President of the Niger Delta Coalition Against Violence, comments on this and other related issues in this interview with Opaka Dokubo. Excerpts:
Generally speaking, I will say that Nigeria has been a crude political environment for a while now, but at the same time, things are changing because people are becoming gradually aware of what real politics should be. It is a function of a process that has to do with time.
Remember that at the advent of this dispensation, not many people had confidence that the military was going to quit power. So those who were political gamblers gambled into power, took advantage of the opportunity and most of them got into offices.
You will agree with me that they want to retain power at every cost and that is why you see queer politics on the rise. It’s been very difficult, but with the role NGOs like ours and others are playing today, people are gradually becoming aware of the fact that they need to play politics without bitterness.
It’s been very bad, but people are now aware that democracy has come to stay and military are equally cooperating with the political case and I believe that very soon, there’ll be a whole lot of filtration in terms of the quality of persons that will be participating in the political process. And that will also make it difficult for those whoa re a product of the crude practice to remain in power.
How Do You See The Emergence Of The  Signing Of Peace Accords By Candidates?
For me it’s a welcome development, but you also know that the constitution is supreme. We need a whole lot of electoral reforms that will make the outcome of such peace pacts to be enforceable. You see what happened in Rivers State, the mere fact that some leading candidates of political parties were made to sign a Peace Accord against political violence did not stop violence from taking place in a couple of places. And you see how volatile Bayelsa is, I don’t think the peace accord is going to be very effective since it is not going to be enforceable. We need a comprehensive overhaul of electoral reforms so that whatever anybody is meant to do will be enforceable and people will be aware that you cannot look for any short cut out of the process.
Generally speaking, a peace accord is a good thing, it is a welcome development, but it should be incorporated into the number reforms the current INEC should be considering so that whosoever violates that will be aware that there is a constitutional consequence. That way, the candidates will know that they will talk to their supporters and the tide of violence will be stemmed.
On The Political Situation In Rivers State: Are We Where We Want To Be?
As a person, I will tell you that Rivers State to me is like a micro Nigeria. It has a whole lot of interest vested here. So, when it comes to the politics of this state, a whole lot of persons want to get involved. Be that as it may, we should know that this is democracy where the people of the stae should be allowed to determine their fate politically. Where we are is certainly not where we ought to have been. But all the same, I think it is an improvement on the old order.
We are moving forward and I want every body to see the state as the only treasure we have and let our politics equally go through the refinery of culture so that we can actually get there.
So, I will like to enjoin the political class to play the politics of development, not that of character assassination or holding onto the pseudo impression that you are only protected when you are in power. If our politics will be people-centred, it will be clearer that whether you are in power or not, your records will speak for you. And that’s what I think for my state. I think we should look beyond class politics and begin to think of the real essence of democracy where every person will have a feel of government. That way, we can be sure that the fortunes of democracy will never elude us.
Different Reactions To Similar Tribunal Judgments In Taraba And Rivers States
Maturity of the political class determines the fate of the people as the outcome of any political process. Whatever decision you see coming as a result of any political exercise, the way it will be received and the impact it will have on the people is usually a function of the level of political maturity you have in the land.
If you look at the case of Taraba, clearly, not just in Taraba, but in the north, you have a bandwagon followership when it comes to politics. There is this Talakawa movement in which whoever is closer to the masses is being seen as their leader and it becomes natural to see a revolt against any judgment that does not reflect the collective will of the people. That is what I see and it is so unfortunate that the protest brought about loss of lives. There is no one life that should have been lost.
If there is one thing that I learned from the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, he said his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. And the earlier we realize that it is about the people and not about the occupant of that office, the more value we place on the people.
If I were the beneficiary of that entire process, I will honourably resign. Reasons are that it’s about the people and if I have respect for the value of human life, I should tell them that my ambition is not worth that.
Be that as it may, I think the people of Taraba should come together, sink their difference and think of the development of Taraba State.
I regret the incident and it is a loss not just to their families and the state, but to the greater Nigerian nation. We can’t afford to be losing people on account of political violence. It’s unfortunate. INEC too ought to step up their political education campaign, bringing people into the full knowledge of their activities and making their work in tandem with laid down procedures and avoid things that could generally lead to an outbreak of violence. NGOs, traditional rulers the police and others should rise up to their responsibilities and work for peace because there can’t be any reasonable development without peace. So, I think what we should do is to call on the government to dissociate themselves from influencing the outcome of any political process. That a particular political party is in power does not mean that that party must be in power everywhere. It is unfortunate and regrettable.
In Rivers State The Story Was Different, Have We Arrived?
We have not really arrived but I told you from the outset about political maturity. Here people are more conscious of what their roles should be politically. Even during the last elections, people said there was going to be unbearable crisis in Rivers State but that didn’t happen. If you look at Dakuku Peterside or Nyesom Wike, they’re all Rivers people and no Rivers person sees their lives as being worth more than the value of their own lives.
Anybody can be there. They’re both wonderful persons. If you look at the sitting governor today, nobody gave him the chance of becoming the governor. Not even me. The governorship in Rivers State has always been about the Riverine/Upland understanding. This is the first time we will be having a break from that traditional order. Some of us were not happy. Be that as it may, you don’t take the law into your hands, democracy is evolving and the outcome, as long as it is the people’s will, should be accepted. So we accepted the outcome. And if you look at the performance of the youngman today, people are more conscious of the good deeds he has done. They will be willing to vote for him now than before. The backlog of (salary) arrears he paid, the zero pothole policy has gone beyond zero potholed. He is working. With the level of work he has done today, even if anybody takes him away from that office, it is very clear that his work will always speak for him in the brief while he was governor.
Dakuku himself is equally, not empty of experience and Rivers people have come to know that their governors work more under pressure than when they get this thing on a platter of gold. The pressure in good.
So, I think the difference between the case in Taraba and here is that we’re more mature politically, we’re more conscious of the role we should play and we are also conscious of the fact that our blood should not be spilled on the basis of the ambition of anybody.
You will also agree with me that we have more NGOs, here than anywhere else in terms of educating the people and making them realize that the greatest weapon you can use against any politician is their votes. Their greatest form of endorsement is also their votes. So, we thank God for where we are, even if we are not yet where we should be. We should continue to improve and all stakeholders must work to make sure that the next political dispensation, or process will be better than the outcome of this one.
Expectations On The New INEC Chairman And His Commissioners
In the first place, I want to congratulate the new chairman and his team. If you look at those on the team, they’re men of integrity and they ought to be respected. But they should also know that Nigerians are expecting so much from them.
If you look at what (Prof. Atahiru) Jega represents, whether you like the card reader thing or not, he was firm, he knew where he was going to and he didn’t allow unhealthy influences to make him sway from the direction he originally had intended to follow. He set the stage and clearly brought about a blueprint and INEC tried. So, anybody stepping into Jega’s shoes should understand that there’s so much work to be done. They should be aware that so much criticism greeted the advent of the card reader and a whole lot of policies and reforms Jega introduced.
We are faced today by some negative political practices so it behoves on him (the new INEC chairman) and his team to do a whole lot of study. They should stud the previous processes, not just the Jega’s administration, but previous electoral bodies, and see where they got it wrong and improve on it.
If they are sincere and they are patriotic enough, Nigerians will not consider where they’re coming from. The love of Nigeria should be upper most on their minds and not their loyalty to Mr President or anybody else. It should be about the people of this country and what they will be leaving behind to posterity. Whether they achieve well or not, whatever they leave behind as footprints, Nigerians will be very sensitive to analising them and our judgement will be based on their work while in office.
We pray that they succeed. We also pray that they should be fair minded. They should love this country and ensure that most of the inadequacies and flaws experienced during previous electoral processes are corrected.