Global Policy Forum

John Ikubaje

Democracy has been described as the best form of government in the world today; this claim is rooted in the practice of the system. The world today is emphasize because another form of governance may surface tomorrow and such system might be better compare to democracy, you never can tell. Democracy empowers majority to have their ways but creates room for the minorities to have their say. In other words, both minority and majority in genuine democratic settings do have their rights protected. No one group can intimidate the other. However, in Nigeria, democratic governance seems to be exactly opposite the above description of what democracy connotes.

According to Wada Nas in Weekly Trust of March 8, 2003, in Nigeria, Democracy or politics is a form of enterprise in which people invest financial resources for greater dividends. After electoral victory, investors dividend do not only come in the form of over invoicing of contracts alone, but once their principal partner emerged as the winner in an election, other benefits to the sponsors or what other refers to as financial elite come in the form of contract mismanagement, policy dictation, imposition of commissioners, Ministers and Ambassadors on the elected representatives.

The manner in which politicians and corporate entities donated to politicians and political parties prior the 2003 Nigeria election baffles once imagination. For example, it was noted in Vanguard, March 21, 2003 by one Mobolaji Sanusi that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo/Atiku Abubakar realized over N5 billion in their campaign fund raising lunch. On their own parts, James Ibori, the Governor of Delta state raised N2 billion, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos state N1.3 billion, Ghali Umar NaAbba, N150 million and Chibudom Nwuche N500 million, just to reference but a few. The total sum of money realized during some of the fund-raising dinners were said to be more than the total budget of some of the West Africa countries. It is important to note at this juncture that the above retrogressive fund raising events were not restricted to PDP the ruling party alone, other popular parties like ANPP, APGA, AD and others aside from few ones were also involved in what some analysts referred to as ungodly fund raising.

In addition to the above suspicious donations, it has also been argued that most of the donations to politicians and political parties prior the 2003 elections were illegal, some even went a step further to say most of the donations were morally wrong. To buttress their point on how Political Parties violated the Nigeria electoral law, references were made to Company and Allied Matters Act of 1990 and Section 225 of Nigeria 1999 Constitution, which prohibit Company from contributing funds to political party and receiving funds from outside Nigeria respectively. Many companies including Corporate Nigeria, of which the secretary is now claiming to be a non-governmental organization in Nigeria and other government owned organisations contributed to political parties and individuals seeking political offices through their executive directors and secretaries. Contrary to the above section of Nigeria Constitution, donations did not only come from outside Nigeria to some political parties alone the fund were never declared neither were they transferred to Nigeria Electoral Commission as provided for in Nigeria 1999 Constitution.

One demoralizing aspect of this donation was that of Chief Newton Jibunoh, the chairman of Costain West Africa who was said to have donated N100 million to Governor Ibori whereas his organization could not pay its workers salaries. The following financial elite were not left out in their purposeful donations to Obasanjo/ Abubakar campaign under the PDP platform. Femi Otedola donated N100 million, Mike Adenuga, Nl0m, Aliko Dangote N250m, Emeka Offor N240m, other major donors includes Tompress N240m, Peter Okocha N20. The 21 governors that were elected under the PDP platform in 1999 election also gave N10m each adding up to a total of N210m. According to ThisDay 16 May, 2003 friends of Obasanjo and Atiku through Prince Uche Secundus donated N150m while the chief of staff in the office of the vice president donated N11million on behalf of his colleagues and their office. The questions that Nigerians should ask are where do they get the above money and why are they donating their money to political parties and politicians and not to orphanage homes and other wretched of the earth. Where they get the money will definitely not be the subject for consideration under this article but why the donation.

In his work, The Buying of America President 2000, Charles Lewis , the Director of Centre for Public Integrity in Washington, warned that before a voter cast his/her vote it is necessary to find out those that are bankrolling the candidate they intend to vote for and what they are expecting in return. Having identified the above few individuals and organizations that bankrolled several Nigeria politicians and parties in 2003, how many Nigerians including article writers and columnists in the newspapers bother to raise this question: what are the donors and financial elites expecting in return of their millions and billions. It is quite unfortunate that electorates did not ask the above question. Did I hear you say even though they ask does it count, it count because the politicians would be consensus of who they collect money from because the civil society are watching and we would also get to a stage where rigging will no longer be the determinant of who wins elections in Nigeria but the electorate.

My encounter with American lobbyists shows that lobbying most of the times are synonymous to corruption. In America for example, there are two levels to lobbying .The first level is that of career lobbyist. Their own duty is to woo customers to the owners of their organisations. The owner of Lobbying organizations who are financial elites deals directly with Governors, Mayors and congressmen. The financial elites that sponsored most of the political office holders in America has lobbying organization. They are in the business of persuading elected representatives to change and as well make laws that would guarantee their customers to make more profit in their businesses. Their demands are elected representatives wishes, they make millions of dollars from their lobbying business in return for their early financial investment in political office holders. Obviously speaking, they also determine the laws that would be made. Any law that is against the interest of the financial elites hardly see the light of the day irrespective of whether such law is a popular one.

The above retrogressive culture is beginning to penetrate Nigeria political system. Those that donate millions of Naira are no father Christmas. They would reap their investment in Millions and Billions at the detriment of Nigeria citizens. At the end of the day, Nigerians view and opinions will not count but that of financial elite. This creates room for concern. Major questions that come to mind in the context of the above practice in Nigeria are: Is Democracy really the panacea to bad governance and underdevelopment. Is the ongoing privatization not a programme for the Nigeria financial elites? Why are majority of contracts awarded in the Fourth Republic not implemented, yet the government is not taking any action against the contractors? Why, with respect to Oputa Panel do we have individuals that are above the law in Nigeria? For Nigerians to constructively answer the above questions, there is need to examine the roles, relationship and activities of political funders and their clients - the elected representatives in the Fourth Republic.

Rigging in the 2003 election

According to Dr. Fasheun, the OPC leader, all political parties rigged elections in the southwest aside from the Nigeria Conscience Party. Going by the interview he granted one of the Nigeria newspaper, the best riggers in the past elections were the ones that successfully emerged as the winners. In their own observation, Civil Society Against Political Violence, a group of civil society organisations in Lagos, observed that Rigging in 2003 elections took place in the form of forcible hijacking of ballot boxes, ballot stuffing, multiple voting, under age voting, falsification of results, manufacturing of figures where election did not hold, intimidation, beating and killing of supporters of rival parties.

In my own opinion, the foundation of Fifth Republic is laid on campaign donations that call for concern; on rigging that will portray a legal but illegitimate government. The way forward therefore is for Nigeria civil society to take the bull by the horn by ensuring that democracy stays but the above mistakes and occurrence should never repeat itself in future elections. Elected representatives must be democratically compelled to obey and pursue the interest of the masses and not that of political investors. John Ikubaje is a fellow of Les Aspin Center for Government, Washington and a member of Zero Corruption Coalition in Nigeria

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