Hazard of GodFatherism, Selectivism and Rotationalism In Democracy: Osun In Perspective

By Adunni Adesola

The freedom of thought, speech and expression form the cornerstone of a democratic state and a nation. Democracy, often described as the government “of the people, by the people, and for the people is globally accepted as the best possible governance. It is widely seen as people-centered governance but it has also been pointed out by the political scientists and jurists that it is sometimes nothing more than a rule of the majority, and worse still, at times it turns into the rule of a particular class of people as seen today in Nigeria context. This presupposes that the generality of the eligible electorate is in charge of the election of their leaders.

The leaders thus emerge through general, popular, free and fair election and not a process of discriminatory, irrational, dubious and devious selection.

The transparent electoral process of democracy is regarded as the best form of government, hence the popular saying that the worst democracy is better than the best militocracy or autocracy.

The beauty of democracy arises from the fact that it is a true representation of the people. Some people have even argued that democracy is the government approved by God because it is voice of God going by the Latin axiom “Voice populi voice dei” meaning voice of the people is the voice of God. In essence the voice, will, wish and vote of the majority of the people represent the voice of God and voice of the people is therefore superior to the voice and will of the minority.

The evidence of the presence of the voice of God in the voice of the majority is manifested in the developed countries of the world where true democracy is practiced. All the advanced countries in North America and Western Europe practice true democracy.

Even the developed countries in Asia such as Japan, Malaysia and Singapore practice true democracy. But examine Africa where democracy is elusive and relatively utopian, there is hardly development because the voice of God, which in this context is the voice of the people through democracy, is not allowed.

To get out of this dark wood of underdevelopment in Africa, Nigeria and Osun State in particular must resort to true democracy devoid of godfatherism, rotationalism and selectivism.

The beauty of true democracy does not lie in selection or rotation along ethnic, racial, religious or geographical line. Democracy lies in the election of credible candidates based on their credibility, capability, potentials and the pragmatism and feasibility of their manifestoes.

If democracy were to go along the line of zoning, selection or godfatherism, the cherished President Obama of the United States could not have become president and the great and ever green Nelson Mandela could not have become the president of South Africa.

Nigeria and Osun State in particular should live beyond the democracy of rotationalism and godfatherism. Such democracy is antithetical, divisive, disruptive, under developmental and utterly destructive.

As Osun State, a highly sensitive state in Nigeria moves into the 2018 gubernatorial election, it should avoid the mistake and evil of zoning the governorship position and every other elective position in the state. For instance, at the federal level majority of Nigerians have risen up to condemn the call for zoning of the presidency, same should be applicable at the Osun State level.

The call for the zoning or rotation of the governorship position between the West, East and the Central senatorial districts is a lousy agitation that can only create and entrench pathological and ethnic hatred. It also reflects a sitting government’s inordinate propensity to perpetuate itself in power by proxy. This can not be for the good of the people.

It can only lead to socio-economic and political underdevelopment of the state and the good people of the state. As a result of this, Osunites should resist the democracy of imposition, selection, godfatherism and rotationalism. The candidates in the different political parties should emerge through democratic and transparent primaries and not selections or zoning.

Let the people vote those they want to be their leaders and not the government of the day or some assuming powerful but unpopular and destructive elements selecting the leaders. Once there is no transparent primaries, the electoral process would be totally compromised.

The government of the day should hands off on who becomes the next governor of the state and allow free and fair election right from the primaries to the main elections.

The Osun State government should emulate the examples from America where Obama defeated the ruling party, from UK where David Cameron defeated the ruling opposition, from Ghana and Senegal, both in Africa where the seating presidents were defeated and finally from State like Ekiti in Nigeria, where a seating governor was defeated. These examples are what bring into democracy the spirit of sportsmanship and consequently lead to harmony, development, satisfaction and happiness.

The culture of the disruptive and destructive goodfatherism, rotationalism and selectivism must therefore be totally eschewed in the Osun State electoral process beginning from the primaries to the actual elections in 2018.

Adunni Adesola Samuel is the Secretary-General of Integra Leadership Foundation, Nigeria.
A Public Affairs Commentator, Political Strategist and Creative Writer.
(HND in Mass Communication, PPGD, AISMN, AICRM, MIPMP, MIIRSM). integranigeria@gmail.com