Elections in Nigeria are like a dirty “madman” (yes, there’s a Peter Obi joke here🌚). Their stench reaches you long before they come, they put on a sometimes violent display, and then leave you almost as quickly as they came with only that strong distasteful odor to remember them by. And through it all, you try your best to avert your gaze and pretend as if you’re not a part of the embarrassing spectacle.
Case in point
Ours is a very polarized country, we never really have anything that we can all agree on (well…maybe Jollof rice), and we tend to exacerbate instances where we can show this side of us.
I stopped writing News from the Juice for a while partly because of a few personal events, and also because I shared my thoughts on the elections and got some flack from my guys. So I decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble. I have learned a lot of lessons however, and I haven’t written in so long that I really want to put this out before all the creativity in the Juice dries up.
Before we begin though, I’d like to give a few preambles on my stance during the elections period so in the event that I get dragged, it will be with understanding:
I didn’t (couldn’t?) vote, but if I did, it would have been for Peter Obi.
I chose Peter Obi as a matter of principle. I had very little hope of him winning. I believed that Atiku would have been the more pragmatic choice. Bearing that in mind, I don’t believe that Peter Obi won, I do believe that his performance in the elections was an amazing feat and a great statement to any elected official that tries to “move mad”
I believe that the elections wouldn’t have felt so “life-and-death” if there were systems in place to curb excesses and catch the clap before the dance begins. So I have a higher interest in what happens in the Assemblies (State and National), and what we do as private citizens to inspire good behavior from our elected officials.
I don’t believe Tinubu will be a bad President, in that I don’t believe that he will be a President at all. I think he will be too busy running medical tests and taking drugs to be running the country. The Townhall incident and several Rally videos shaped this opinion. I think that the onus of leadership will fall on his appointees. And he has been quite adept at picking people in Lagos, so…fingers crossed.
I believe that INEC handled the elections in a very incompetent manner. And wish they had planned ahead instead of wasting people's time and destroying any confidence in the credibility of the elections.
I don’t believe that any politician is worth my unwavering support. I don’t think anyone should either.
Lastly, this is a very simplistic review of the elections. A lot of terrible stuff happened; people lost their lives, others were injured, and tensions were/are at an all-time high. I am very disappointed that we still have to face that in Nigeria today. I am not writing this to belittle these terrible actions. I'm writing with the hope that they never happen again.
So, now that you know all about me, let’s dive in:
Lesson 1: We have too many extremists!
The elections exposed a lot of bitterness for some reason. All of us gather dey suffer together oh, when the time to elect someone new came, we all decided that we had someone that we believed will alleviate our suffering. Of course, we had different people in mind, and everyone had their interests, so I don’t understand why people took it as a war.
In our grandstanding, and the quest to prove that “our camp is morally superior to the others” we forgot that the objective of voting was that the highest number of votes gets the cake. So instead of getting people to vote for their candidate, people were alienating voters from other camps with crazy insults and hatred. Our extremist behavior led to all sides putting out dangerous propaganda, creating deep hatred.
Sadly, this led to electoral violence and the loss of lives. It also opened a deeper tribalistic wound which we’ll have to find how to cure or manage post elections.
It is important to note that there were extremists in all parties. People insulted each other for the smallest reasons. We should do better.
Lesson 2: No party or body is fully good.
I hope we learn this early. There was a general feeling that the LP is a party of saints. I believe that this is the worst thing that you can brand yourself as, because one mistake is the death of you.
This is LP-specific because I believe members of all the other parties understood that it was just like entering a bus, you’re bound to meet any and every character on the road to Aso rock. That is something we should all note going forward. You are not the party, it is a public vehicle you found yourself on. Believing that you can only do good can blind you from the bad you do, and prevent you from speaking out when your other party members do the same. This leads me to my next point…
Lesson 3: Join all Political Parties
Imagine if all three candidates this year were solid candidates, wouldn’t the elections have been wonderful? We can only be as good as our options, and how do you influence good options? By being in the decision-making process.
Find any party at all to create change and do the needful. It’s wiser than being concentrated in one place, laying all your eggs in one basket.
If there are good people in all parties, no party will send out thugs to kill and maim.
Lesson 4: Being the Loudest in the room might not be such a bad strategy after all
This worked for two groups. The first is my favorite “Emi lo Kan!” My guy got the whole country’s attention when he made that declaration, and turned it all in his favour. Another is the Obidient movement. What started as an online call for Peter Obi became a nationwide movement that put the man on everyone's lips (and in my opinion, made him run for the Presidency). Maybe we need to shout more and increase our audacity levels a bit.
I think this is enough Juice wisdom for today. I wonder what’s next for us as a country though. Are we going to continue insulting each other for the next four (most likely eight) years? Or will we explore engagements to foster growth during this time?
I remember watching Dave Chappelle’s monologue on SNL in 2016 when Trump became President. The mood was quite similar to what we’re experiencing now; many people were sad because the newly elected President was not who they wanted.
He chose to be hopeful in that segment despite all that, and I agree with that sentiment. Yes, many of us are not happy about the outcome of the elections, but what’s the harm in hoping that we still turn out okay (or better) during this administration?
So in the words of the great Dave Chappelle “...I’m going to give him a chance, and I think we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he gives us one too”.
Good luck to us all, and may our roads be smooth.
What have I been up to:
I moved out of my parents’ house…to Nigeria’s big apple. And it looks like life wants to make my story as grass to grace as possible. Setbacks aside, it’s a whole new and exciting experience, and I want to write about moving and how much it’s cost me so far. If you’d like this, please comment, chat me up, or tweet at me.
Read three books so far this year, First was “Leaving the Tarmac” by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. It’s an excellent book about how Access bank became access bank. It’s a great book if you’re looking for something to drive you to be excellent. I also looked at “Of this Our Country” a compendium of essays by Nigerian writers. I particularly enjoyed the eastern stories by the older writers, and I jumped a little inside every time I saw Jos. The third book is “Travelers” by Helon Habila. A lovely, heartwrenching novel that sheds some much-needed light on Immigration and the refugee situation. I’m currently reading “No rules, rules” by Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings because my boss enjoyed it so much that I knew I had to take a look at it
Speaking of books, I’ve noticed that I generally prefer hard copies to ebooks. How about you guys?
A few people asked me why I hadn’t written in a while. I am grateful to all of you. I’d like to especially thank Kyermun for the ego boost. I hope you enjoy this one.
That’s it for now guys, till next time!
Can't wait to hear all about the move.
Great writing!
I also share your sentiments and by extension, Dave Chappelles's. And I enjoyed the read!