These are interesting times, aren’t they? In Kwara, if you think it rains, sorry, it pours! Kwara state is witnessing her most turbulent years in decades that it had existed. Never in its history had its politics been as much combustive as it is unpredictable. That’s why I am amazed that individuals that should ordinarily add colour and life into the already explosive situation are yet to rear their heads.
What we have been used to, like barber’s chair, is what I call ‘political perambulation: an election, followed by a challenge of its outcome in court, which is usually an annoyingly long legal process that runs all the way up to the Supreme Court (remember Mr. Dele Belgore?), consuming so much and energy, but ending in a predictable result. And then another elections time tickling fast!
It is strange that we all have come to see politics in Kwara only in terms of the frantic few weeks before the elections. Kwara’s political life seems to have reduced to a rushed and usually ill-conceived bid (plot?) to defeat the ruling party in the state. But assuming without conceding that politics in this clime is simply about defeating the ruling party in the state, one would have reasonably expected that there will be invested some greater imagination and commitment to ensuring such feasibility, so that such a transition does not simply mean transferring the asylum to a different bunch of inmates.
This is the crush of my piece. And the reason why I have singled out Gbemi Saraki, among others, is that she represents the true face of credible opposition in Kwara state. Like a writer once put it very succinctly recently, she is “a ‘rebel’ with a cause”. She appears to me to occupy such an unusually vantage position among all other opposition elements. She is not only up against her own brother, she is also fighting a cause she believed in. And this is why I call upon Sen. Gbemisola Rukayat Saraki by name, because the problem with our elections is the content of our concern in between elections. In between our elections, sadly, two sets of betrayals creep into our national life: the winners ignore the responsibility of office in favour of what Professor Richard Joseph has called prebendalism, while the losers creep into their shell, counting the days to the next election.
Think about it: on Animal Farm in between our elections, you do not hear many winners talking about electoral promises they have fulfilled. That is often because they are too busy at the buffet table. And you do not hear much from the opposition animals much, either. That is often because they have their injured paws in their mouths as they glare menacingly at the greedy winners.
You do not hear them talking about party organization, or of activity aimed at boosting the party’s image or membership. You do not hear about new party offices or officials at the grassroots as a party tries to extend its reach and enhance its profile. You do not hear about engagement with other parties to explore cooperation opportunities. You do not hear about party leaders making appearances in areas where they did badly in the previous election in a determined effort to improve that party’s fortunes there.
You do not hear of emerging stars of a party on the basis of their accomplishments. And certainly, you do not hear about inter-party discussions of possible mergers or collective candidacies. That is treated as an unimportant issue until the next election is hours away and even the blind beggar at the street corner can see such cooperation as the only way to victory.
One reason why this happens is that many party chieftains do not really care if they ever win an election. They simply want to play our “Big Man” game and maintain sufficient fidelity to the law to remain registered. That way, they can enjoy the benefits of being recognized as being important, thereby enjoying a direct line not only to the electoral commission, but also to whomever wins.
GRS, as she is fondly called, must come out of hiding and lead the way. Being either a candidate at an election or a challenger at the tribunal is not enough. Kwara is not short of men and women who want to be called stakeholders; what she is short is men and women who want to serve.
This is where Gbemi can make a genuine difference: by helping to develop a vibrant and patriotic political opposition, and a new concept of leadership: community and institutional drivers who are willing to get their hands dirty in order to empower the ordinary Kwarans. What we need are leaders who can lead progress in such fields as education, agriculture and political participation without the prospects of personal gain. Kwara needs leaders who use government hospitals and clinics in order to ensure they are actually fit for ordinary people who can afford no better. Let us have leaders who can identify with, and rally popular causes that will benefit and nurture Kwaran talent. Let us have leaders who, outside government, can lead the offensive against mediocrity, corruption, indolence and poverty. Let us have men and women who are big enough to provide opportunities for poor children without feeling they are doing them a favour.
Gbemi has a good chance to make a genuine contribution towards distinguishing herself, repairing her image and helping the state move forward, but unless she is willing to be the one who publicly challenges her tyrannical sibling, she should not expect History to remember her with greater kindness than any other dick and harry.
Aishat Sambo
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