We have heard of threats by party chieftains to form a parallel government if their principal fails the presidential election. Rather than match it down as treason, it’s right to see its content. A parallel government could arise when a party fails to accept the outcome of an election and opts for its own government. If Buhari does not win, his party members say they will form a parallel government. But the question is, to govern who?
It’s right also to recall attempts made by different parts of Nigeria to opt out of the federation. Before independence, the North wanted to go its way but the compromises of Zik to Abubakar and the North brought them back to patch up. In 1966, Gowon, a northern element, found no basis for Nigeria’s unity. In 1967, Eastern region pulled out of Nigeria as Biafra and the gong is still sounding silently. In 1993/94, the West, having failed under Abiola to clinch the presidency, put secession to the fore. But the gong of appeasement with Obasanjo’s entry caved them in. Now the Niger Delta is saying their son must serve his eight-year term as others did, failure of which their continued membership of the federation comes under question.
Invariably, Nigeria is a gummed-up state. Any hard hit could see the parts asunder. Is it under such a precarious state that one would contemplate a parallel government or is it the absence of the profundity of thought? One can excuse its progenitors for one reason: it’s not about the country but wholly about self, its position and accruals. Take a look at a possible parallel APC government: Who will be giving directives, to whom under which authority? Is it, for instance, Buhari gives directives different from that of Jonathan, Rochas Okorocha will tell Imo people to toe that line because he is APC? That’s where extraneous forces come into play to say, STOP. Would Amaechi tell Rivers to follow Buhari, not Jonathan’s directives? Then even in his village Ubima, Celestine Omehia will stop him. What this translates to is turmoil and free-for-all. Is that then the path of patriots? Definitely not. How well then is Nigeria factored into this frame? Ask it.
The other worry is, if confusion trails the presidential election, would the gubernatorial and rest follow and what consequence if they don’t? Who will pay for the untellable loss to the candidates or would they convert their anger to stoke the chaos? If somehow a parallel government is formed, would, for instance, the APC gubernatorial candidate in Abia State be ruling the state whilst others from the other parties do the same? How do they fund their government and projects? How do they pay the workforce? How do they collect taxes and how do they man the security posts? How many people will die amid this confusion and how many cities will be burnt? Weighing this turmoil against separating from Nigeria will definitely make the latter more attractive and that’s the consequence of opening the mouth wide to let out such wrong air.
The real meaning of that threat is unmistakable disintegration of Nigeria. Maybe that’s why people called it treason. Nigeria isn’t the first country to disintegrate; more worrying is the cost of that disintegration. Who will be living? What will be left, and how many countries? This is one country where opposition is enmity. This is one country where opponents don’t understand the principle of rank-closing amid national challenges. Opposition means siding with the enemy of state to defeat your opponent. The issue is, defeat, not how. Sounds like a primitive instinct, albeit dangerous.
They forget too that Nigeria’s amalgamation expired in Dec. 2014. Thoughtfulness should have made them know that this is not the time for such escapades. If anything goes intolerably wrong, states, even communities or ethnics, can claim to be free from the bond and declare their enclaves separate states. Then, we would be witnesses to the devastation of self-serving politics. All these should have made the proponents dine with restraint. Unless they’re saying they’re ready for these. And if so, they have no business asking to lead Nigeria.
There’s something I choose to call ‘Beyond Politics’. It’s humanity, it’s sanity, it’s statehood. These combine to reveal the redlines in Realpolitik. Once politics comes to these shores, it pulls back and reaches out. We haven’t seen that yet in the actors, and maybe, it’s unknown to them. O.k., let’s say it now to these politicians: there is Nigeria, there are its people. Sanity demands that when personal ambition moves to the point of destroying country and people, you do a detour to reason. We’re few weeks away from reason or destruction. Their choice and ours will soon be known.
Onyebuchi Onyegbule
