QUESTS FOR POWER AMONGST KINSMEN IS APT TO WASTE…
Power is so fragile. Its fragility becomes more volatile if those who scramble for it undermines its unwritten rules of contest, otherwise called ‘Rules of the Game’. The die-hard court the Machiavellian principles, the men of knowledge who are the more suitable for power according to aced Greek philosopher, Plato should apply brake: implore considerations such as conscience, morality and indeed, reason in quests for power, because it is also fluid and a wasted asset when out of season.
Quests for power amongst kinsmen is apt to waste, because it is laden with Banana peels; too slippery that the gladiators must be careful not to be too callous and inflexible; the consequence is ‘Éñwu k’,Ajuwé majéni, ifu fia, a bad syndrome’, which leaves all gladiators and the masses within the enclave with nothing: but a zero sum investments.
In 2015, the Igala nation lost the Golden ticket overwhelmingly won by His Excellency, Alhaji Prince Abubakar Audu on the ticket of All Peoples Congress, APC and the subsequent victory at the Kogi State Gubernatorial poll, when death struck on the high way to victory and the lot foisted on Alhaji Yaya Bello a distant runner up according to our laws, all because of hard lined posture of Igala Gladiators who preferred going with their respective ego that espousing the aced long truism that power belongs to the people, (and did mop up and doled their fortunes into Party treasury) It was a colossal waste. The retention of the seat of Governorship of Kogi State has at all times prior to the black year, been the lot of Igala aspirations by dint of demographic advantage and majority score at polls across the state electoral constituency. It was all for lack of consensus; refusal, failure or inability to agree on which of the many contestants was best fitted from the 9 Igala Area Local Government Councils. The various mechanism put in place to reaching consensus such as Igala Leaders Committee goofed because they were involved; the harboured personal interest devoid of passion, lacking in neutrality. Two, the arbitral body had power without authority, it was ad hoc and lack the legitimacy. They crashed the trust. Neither the Igala fronts in All Progressive Congress, nor Peoples Democratic Party, PDP saw the doomsday coming in the irreconcilable multiple aspirations that offered a second chance by way of the second tenure polls.
As if they had not learnt sufficient lessons, the untold story of conflicting fraternal aspirations consumed what was glaringly imminent electoral victory for PDP on the heels of 2nd tenure Gubernatorial race between His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello of APC and Engineer Musa Wada of PDP. Intra and inter-family tackles bedeviled earliest moment of strategic build, which would have coated PDP to victory. Again, hardline face offs resulted in no work, and subsequent loss.
All that is history now, the bane of our political trouble is our inability to note that those who invented democracy adapted it to their culture of leadership system. No two democracies or methodologies are the same. We must deliberately move bold to name a preference, a consensus flag bearer fit and fitted enough to be acceptable within and without Igala borders, this in all honesty is the summary of Igala traditional method of choosing leadership. It has always been on the basis of antecedents, pedigree and prowess. This is the method of traditional leadership succession, which is so democratic enough to convincing a conscientious looser that the best has emerged, or as won’t to say in the traditional circle, the gods have endorsed the victor
In most settings here in Nigeria of today, there are extant informal arbitral bodies with mandate to resolving interests. We must imbibe this culture, which has worked and working for many political enclaves. Consensus is the only way to go. The political parties can do partisan bidding, but the Igala nation must summon courage to go for the most preferred on set parameters, but with a proviso that the winner must not take it all. The winner like the proverbial Elephant hunter must be benevolence enough to share the game with other hunters as it is not necessary his swiftness, but chance. In this way mentoring is institutionalized and succession guaranteed.
