Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s warning to governors and political heavyweights who descended on Osun for the August 15 governorship election is worth attention. It is a reminder that Nigeria’s democracy cannot afford to turn off-cycle elections into jamborees for outside political forces.
The spectacle was difficult to miss. The All Progressives Congress (APC) constituted a 276-member campaign council chaired by Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma, with Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas as co-chairmen. Governors, ministers, National Assembly members, party chieftains, aides and security personnel were mobilised for a contest that was, constitutionally, about the choice of Osun voters. The crowding created an unsettling display of muscle.
Jonathan, himself a former governor of Bayelsa State and later president, called the practice “unwholesome.” He said the convergence of serving governors, senior political office holders and party leaders, accompanied by large entourages and heavy security details from outside the state, raises an issue demanding attention. Recalling the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti elections, he said that as president he ordered political leaders and senior government officials to leave those states. He warned that the emerging practice could threaten Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
That warning is compelling. What, indeed, was the purpose of importing such an army of political dignitaries into Osun? If their presence was merely to campaign, why the extraordinary concentration of governors, lawmakers, aides and security personnel?
When political power arrives in such intimidating numbers, the electorate can reasonably wonder whether persuasion is the objective or the display is intended to frighten or overwhelm the electorate.
The outcome made the spectacle even more embarrassing. Despite the APC’s formidable mobilisation, Governor Ademola Adeleke, contesting on the Accord Party platform, won 511,067 votes against APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji’s 444,815, a margin of 66,252 votes. Adeleke won 19 of the 30 local government areas. Videos circulating on social media showed the political visitors departing Osun with “tails between their legs.”
But there is nothing comic about the cost. Transporting, feeding, accommodating and securing such a crowd raises questions about public resources and political expenditure. Governors who should be attending to their states’ schools, hospitals, roads, jobs and security find time for political gallivanting while campaign promises remain unfulfilled. The deeper problem is accountability. Many governors now operate with State Houses of Assembly that are more loyal to them than to citizens.
Jonathan’s intervention is valuable, coming from a respected statesman who has occupied state and national offices. But society’s guardians—legislators, civil society, the media, religious leaders and courts—must speak louder. Governors should mind their business: govern their states, keep their promises and spend public money responsibly, rather than partying and intimidating voters elsewhere.
Nigeria deserves governors who govern, not political tourists travelling at public expense.
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