Going by the way that the two major political parties in Nigeria namely the sitting All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have carried about lately, it is hard to not conclude that Nigerian politics –and, in turn both public office and public service have become ‘financialized’. This is to say that everything about political office has, now, a monetary value –meaning cost and benefit- attached to it. And this is not talking about just some money, or in popular parlance ‘chicken change’, ‘politics Nigeriana’ is now about big money in the millions and tens of millions. It is only reasonable to conclude that, under the APC government that, while in opposition only a few years ago, complained to high heavens about corruption in government, political office is now first, the exclusive preserve of the moneyed class and second, for sale to the highest bidders.
The APC, less than a decade old (some critics would insist it is not a party in the normal sense but merely a special purpose vehicle to gain power and access to the public treasury) is preparing for general elections in less than a year’s time. Party members who aspire to political office with the intention to serve their country or any part thereof – so it may be reasonably assumed – are expected to demonstrate their seriousness with the payment of a total of between a ‘lowly’ N2 million for the state house of assembly and a ‘presidential’ N100 million for so exalted an ambition. Aspirants to governorship pay N50 million, senator and representative ‘wannabes’ pay N20 million and N10 million respectively. These amounts are not yet part of campaigning which can cost many times the prices quoted above.
It needs to be noted that before the APC party came into government and the ‘benefits’ that accrue therefrom, the price for presidential aspirants in the 2015 elections was N27.5 million. There were only six aspirants. But time and fortune do change- for people and for political parties; which explains that an out-of-power and ‘in the cold’ PDP now puts its presidential price tag at ‘only’ N40 million, governorship N21 million, Senate N3.5 million, House of Representatives N2.5 million, and state House of Assembly N0.6 million. These figures in the context of the prevailing socio-economic conditions insult the sensibilities of the electorate. It does not look right, nor feel right to flaunt money as if it has lost value. If the political class has lost its sense of propriety and value, the Nigerian money has still some value, notwithstanding its bastardisation by, again, the political class.
Notwithstanding the (to an average citizen) the outrageous costs of nomination forms, there is what online medium The Cable terms a ‘gale of declaration’ in the APC where, at the latest count, about 30 persons, including a woman, have indicated interest to be president. More than half of them have reportedly paid the N100 million fees. In the PDP, 17 picked the N40 million nomination form.
A somewhat exasperated Chief Edwin Clark describes as ‘madness’ the scramble by Southern politicians for the nomination forms. But the somewhat absurd presidential aspiration by so many is fast turning to ‘madness’ of sorts. Or worse: a tragic-comedy of mischief.
Chief Clark may be right that among the scramblers, ‘‘there are some people who [are there] to play double game.’’
That, in principle, aspiration to public service can be made so exorbitant and even extortionate is for many reasons unconscionably disgraceful. First, the high price to merely aspire to elective public office is, in the appropriate words of legal practitioner and public affairs commentator, Jide Ojo, ‘‘prohibitive and discriminatory.’’ It is a deliberate weeding out of the well-intentioned but not rich enough (whatever the source of wealth) to serve one’s country.
Second, this financialisation of Nigerian politics has effectively established politics of the rich, by the rich, for the rich. Third, the argument can be made that if indeed the democratic system of government is practised in this country, obviously it is, in the words of Michael Parenti, ‘democracy for the few’ in the elite class of the Nigerian society.
Imperfect as the American system is, this is neither how democracy was conceived, nor is it how it is operated in that jurisdiction from which Nigeria borrowed the current system. No. By far and away, the political class plays politics with such considerations as sensitivity to the common good and public interest, the mood of the public, national ethics, in sum, with deeper sense of responsibility becoming of leadership.
Of course, leadership will always be a function of elitism of sorts; a combination of political, economic, military, even traditional and religious leaderships that control a disproportionate amount of power and influence on society for good or for ill. Elite theorist, James H. Meisel is quoted to say ‘the history of all societies, past and future is the history of its ruling classes…’.
The elite of Nigeria can chose to act in enlightened self-interest by pursuing the common good, and save itself, or, as it so arrogantly carries about, act parasitic, self-seeking, contemptuous of the prevailing conditions of the people, and set itself up for the justified anger of the growing swarm of the dispossessed. For now, it is not an exaggeration that obscenity is so thick in the air it can be cut with a machete.
Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics calculated that in 2019, 40 per cent or 83 million Nigerians lived in poverty; the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) said early this year that 91 million Nigerians now live below poverty line. The World Bank thinks the story is worse because 47.3 per cent or 98 million live in ‘multidimensional poverty’ calculated by income, access to health facilities, electricity, housing, among other basic necessities of a decent life.
Poverty line in Nigeria is calculated at living on about $32 a month. It is trite to say that provocative displays of filthy lucre by a few in the face of grinding poverty of the many are an invitation to reaction guaranteed to put the former in jeopardy. It is even more provocative if and when such wealth is stolen from the commonwealth. The prevalent ‘what-can –them –do’ attitude of the high and mighty is bound to have repercussions.
Comparisons have been made in the costs of nominations for political offices in the U.S. and Nigeria. This third world country emerges embarrassingly short of respectability. Tunji Ariyomo, National Coordinator of Nigeria Focus Group writes that ‘‘the average (filing and nomination fee for governorship in America is about) $2,000 (or N980,)’; the U.S. House of Representatives (Congress) ‘average in most state…$1,760 (about N850, 000). But even these requirements are not cast in stone. It is further reported, that an aspirant may ‘‘bypass these fees altogether by opting to submit a Petition (in a specified format) in place of a Filing Fee.’’
There appears, among Nigeria’s political class, a jostling to show off wealth; few are complaining; many are acting somewhat pleased to be counted among money-bag aspirants. Some aspirants even present themselves as so well and widely liked that groups are being formed to purchase nomination forms for them. In this respect, the point must be made directly that whosoever is too poor to pay for his nomination form, but must be beholden to donors with dubious ‘investment’ motives, is neither prepared nor fit for the high office of President of this Federal Republic.
It may be noted though that ‘speculated aspirant’ and Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, has chosen a more honourable path. He says that if and when he runs, ‘I will use my own hard-earned savings from over 35 years of banking leadership to buy my own nomination form, in an open and transparent manner in full compliance with the laws and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.’ Notwithstanding his shilly-shally attitude to so serious a matter as the presidency of Nigeria, here is one point that redeems him among the motley crowd. But the point to add too is that dithering is never a virtue in leadership, not to talk of one aiming for the highest public office in the land. For the purpose of the present and the future, let it be said that Nigerians are taking note of these in respect of every aspirant.
N100 million just for nomination is, in this country, a lot of money, regardless of the current exchange rate. If, as some have calculated, a president earns N14 million a year, in a tenure of four years he receives N56 million which is just about half of the cost of an APC nomination form alone. A governor earns N7.8 million a year or N31.2 million in a four -year tenure. Pray, why would anyone make such ‘strange’ investment? Can it be for the love to serve his country? Not likely, not believable, in this clime that is so destitute of patriots. So, the motive for such investment is suspect.
The extant Constitution, so deserving of total replacement as it is, demands from public office holders as officials of government and agents of the state, great responsibility in and out of office. The details of these strict expectations in high office are clearly spelt out in the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, and the respective Oaths of Allegiance. Against this backdrop, just why anyone will pay so much to ‘serve’ Nigeria and its people is baffling. By every sensible calculation, these payments are investments that only in Nigeria can yield mindboggling returns. The ROI in politics in this country is like nowhere else well, except in similar intolerably corrupt third world countries.
With so much money being flaunted, this is the perfect time for both the Internal Revenue authorities, and the anti-corruption bodies to humbly ask where these tons of money are coming from, who earns what, from what source, and what tax is paid as and when due. This also applies to donors and fundraisers for aspirants.
Amidst the humbug- riddled charade, the contest for the exalted presidency of Nigeria is being reduced to a joke on the one hand, and on the other hand, the entire country of 200 million a bunch of jokers. First, how can anyone now honestly defend Nigeria as a poor country in need of foreign assistance – loans and grants and whatever handout? Why will any well-meaning foreign country give aid to a country of so many rich who can and should be investing in the productive sectors of their fatherland? Indeed, genuine friends of Nigeria must take an interest in who is paying what for what purpose. Second, how dare any government claim to be unable to pay the minimum wage? How dare anyone in government say there is no money to settle the perennial ASUU matter in particular, and fund the education of Nigerian children in general?
In any case, there are many other avenues to serve one’s country, not only through political office. Indeed, honest persons in the private sector and other areas of human endeavour are serving Nigeria admirably; and they are being celebrated.
There are, of course, many who are disgusted with what is going on. PDP presidential aspirant Okey Uzoho is sufficiently aggrieved to move beyond verbal complaint. He has sued his party in an FCT high court on the grounds that the high monetary requirements breach sections of the Federal Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022, disenfranchise him, and hamper his desire to run. To boot, he seeks, among other demands, N50 million as compensation for the ‘anxiety, inconvenience, and loss of valuable campaign time’. Adamu Shehu urged Nigerians to unite and save their country from the ‘strangulation of moneybags’ [for] we cannot continue to buy political offices…’ He is right.
A political party may be described as a group of committed people who share a common vision of how society should be run and therefore seek political power by legally laid down procedures to bring their idea into reality. Commitment to the set principles of the party is demonstrated by members’ financial and other contributions to grow and empower the party to achieve its objectives. But as Jide Ojo posits, the owners are not seeking to broad-base membership fees. It seems that Nigerian political class deliberately set up political parties as the property of an elite group to be used for ends not at all in line with the common good. Otherwise, one should expect that the APC that claims a membership of 41 million should be able to raise money to fund the party and compete in free and fair election. The PDP membership figure is yet to be established. It is just as well that the Independent national electoral Commission (INEC) has demanded according to law, authentic membership list of the parties.
If they ‘democratize’ the contributions, they will have to contend with uncomfortable questions on how the party is run. Besides, they will have to democratize to every paying member the benefits that accrue to the party. But this blatant violation of the principle and rules of party organization cannot continue this way. A party built on selfish interests and driven by nothing but greed is bound to implode.
It is not only disappointing but unconscionable that the APC whose presidential candidate lamented the high cost of his nomination form in 2015 can proudly monetize political office so. Even as the country sinks into the ignoble category of the wretched of the earth under the Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, there is no compunction to raise the price of public office. If there ever was a blatant admission ticket to corruption in public this must be it!
Furthermore, the party needs to be reminded that Article 3 of its manifesto promised to ‘attract the best and brightest into our politics and public offices through greater accountability, transparency, and strict enforcement of anti-corruption laws…’ If a man is only as good as his promise, this applies too to a political party. It is regrettable that the APC, by the blatant monetisation of political and public offices, effectively keeps out ‘the best and the brightest’ this country has. This party has neither lived up to its promise, nor even shown leadership in good values.
All political parties should thoroughly and objectively re-examine the values upon which they are founded. Too many of them are not what Nigerians need or want. In short, they do not deserve Nigeria; Nigeria does not deserve them either. Nigeria’s leadership no more needs cheap and obscene politics of filthy lucre but deep thinking, patriotism and focused development. Once again, Nigerians yearn earnestly for a servant-leader full of character, competence, and courage to deliver their country from what increasingly looks like a ‘democratic scam.’
The Guardian
