Political ideology and orientation is a very serious mind-set. In serious climes, it is akin to a religion and it is an unforgivable sin to even consider ditching a family political bias, it is tantamount to pawning a family heirloom and you will be resented not just by the political party whose ideals you are dumping, but even the party you are jumping ship to and society in general.
In short, regardless of how buoyant your political capital is, it will vanish quicker than the hurricane sweeps away everything on its path, the moment you venture into that dishonourable endeavour. Take United States of America, for instance, it is unheard of for politicians to jump between parties. People are raised to be either Democrats or Republicans just the way they are raised to be Christians, Muslims or any religion for that matter. It is that simple.
The Nigerian situation presents a very interesting scenario that I suspect will make for a worthwhile study. Post-independent politicians may have bequeathed to us this self-centred style of politics but to be fair, they maintained a certain restraint probably because first republic political parties themselves were firmly rooted in ethnicity and religion, something we thought 1999 will correct. Th e 1999 politics came with hope and something else, something interestingly repugnant.
It all started with former President Olusegun Obasanjo paying god and converting virtually every opposition politician to the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by 2003. However, it is the post Obasanjo proliferation of political ideology that leaves one gasping for breath; politicians cross carpeting at every convenience with some moving between as many as four diff erent political parties within a calendar year but yet one has to be actively in one party. But, nothing prepares one for what is only now just beginning to take shape in Gombe state, North-east Nigeria.
In Gombe state, we hear that even men who fi rst fancied their chances of making a career out of politics as far back as 2007 and met a political roadblock that sent them into a selfimposed political oblivion have resurfaced, calling themselves politicians and aiming to make a run for the Gombe highest seat of power, using naming ceremonies to gain political relevance. If this isn’t interesting then I wonder what is. Politics, like every game, requires resilience, sportsmanship and a never say never attitude that helps you translate any failure at the polls to a momentary setback, a challenge to cultivate better political allies and maintain a robust political capital that you can draw from whenever the need to return to the polls arises.
You must remain in the workings of the party, if you have one, join in the charades and jamborees, make and break alliances, etc. Abraham Lincoln’s story of political doggedness should have been enough a lesson to help one understand that he doesn’t just drop out of the political radar of a state and return out of nowhere to make a claim for power or political platform.
What happened to those diligent politicians who have maintained contact with the political machinery in the state, who have been up to date with their party dues, who have had to come out even in the face of mortal threats against their persons to douse political tension, who have sponsored political education and have continued to oil the political machinery in Gombe state, especially the 2011 and 2015 elections that produced Dankwambo?
This chicanery is outrageous and it spells an all-time low in the political affairs of this country even by our standard. Let’s just even ask, for the sake of asking; in what political party(s) will such political hermits run? How do they hope to cultivate followership? Do they think vibrant and viable politicians will just fold their arms and allow themselves to be overrun? Or could it be a good old political shakedown? What, in God’s name, will motivate old players who have lost touch with Politics Gombe to take a blue dive into a political arena in a state that is just about now being steadied by an active and energetic governor?
Somebody should, for the sake of propriety, advice these people to quietly return to where they’ve been nestling all these years, and leave the politics of Gombe state, especially the PDP, to Gombe politicians and authentic party men who have stayed the course, lest they be given the unenviable title of political distractors. Surely, they must know that it is in their best interest to leave now with their names still intact before they are brought before the wolfish hunger of politicians who have been biding their time to take a crack at the gubernatorial prize. People must realise that the Nigerian electorate are more enlightened now.
It is almost impossible for ghost to contest and win elections like in the past where even convicts contested and won elections from prison, Gombe state even presents a very interesting example. It is no longer news that despite the rage of the Buhari Tsunami that swept through the entire North-east, the PDP and the people of Gombe state stood firm to return their governor, Dr Ibrahim Dankwambo. Where were you then and why then do you think your name and money alone, probably made when the bulk of today’s voting population were still toddlers, will off set the political balance in the state and give you PDP ticket? Th ough, this is a friendly call, there’s a usual procedure to things, you follow f rst before you lead.
If you are so keen on rediscovering their political touch, the best thing to do will be to follow fi rst, observe quietly, get the lay of the land, and understand the fast paced, and join the party actively before staging a claim for leadership. Kana, communication strategist, social media influencer and a political commentator, writes from Gombe
