Allison Abanum
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
– Alan W. Watts
On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, a Federal High Court dismissed a suit filed by Timi Alaibe, former PDP guber aspirant in the 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa challenging the emergence of Senator Duoye Diri as the candidate of the party in the September 2019 primaries held in Yenagoa, the state capital. The outcome of the suit has been hailed by several leaders in the state as a welcome development, opening the pathway for the deepening of the state- wide peace and reconciliation efforts already started by Governor Diri.
To be clear, no one enjoys not winning- especially in a political climate such as ours where the spirit of sportsmanship as you find in the Western world is still largely absent. Not many enter a political contest to play second fiddle or emerge runner up. For thousands of politicians in Nigeria at regional and federal levels, every political effort must be rewarded with an outright victory. Contexts and perspectives are often lacking and as one has discovered through the years, the only victory that matters for most politicians is that which is personal. No thought is spared for the collective, for the party or the community. This is behind the do-or-die disposition most players bring to the political field. It is the reason many shed blood, pay hefty bribe and manipulate their way to political victories. For this category of politicians, what happens to the party after they got their way is of no importance, the peace of the community has zero significance and the sky must come down unless they have their way.
This is not the spirit of politics and it is very unhelpful to our developmental quest. Political leadership is much deeper than what many imagine. For starters, every politician is first and foremost a citizen, someone who is passionately interested in contributing to the development of his society. Political contests arise only as the individuals differ on how best to build the society of their dreams. In advanced societies, political unions are formed along ideological lines.
Some want a free market economy with very minimal government involvement
so in America, you find them dominating the rank and file of the Republican Party, in the UK, you find them amongst the Tories (Conservative Party), in the Canada, they belong to the Liberal Party of Canada while in France; they belong to the Republicans. On the other hand, those who want government’s active participation in the provision of social services, freebies and regular handouts from the public authorities form political associations that promote such values. In the US they form the majority of DNC membership, in the UK, they are in the Labour Party and in France; they belong to the Socialist Party.
In our society however, that level of ideological purity is yet to be attained because as many have observed, in terms of thoughts and ideas, there isn’t much that separates any of the major political parties. A man can be in Party A today and by midnight, you find him holding executive council meeting with those in Party B. It is easy to switch parties because at this point, politics of ideology remains secondary to the sentiments of religion, ethnicity and filial connections. It is hoped that one day, the country shall rise beyond all of those primordial considerations to embrace politics of development, positive values and patriotism.
Bearing the above in mind, concession must be made that every politician wants what is best for his society and when one has not yet attained the seat he desires, he must sit down to identify ways of being helpful to his community, contributing to the development of the state and supporting the victor with useful ideas and insights that can spring rapid socio-economic development. Right now, the most important need of every Bayelsan irrespective of who is occupying what political position is how the enormous resources of the state can be applied to holistically develop every facet of the state.
Beyond just the construction of physical infrastructure, there is the need to improve social services, improve the quality of human capital and raise the overall standard of living. For Bayelsans, it is about how their lives today can be better than what it was yesterday, how their children can go to better schools, have a great future and live their dreams. It is about security, improved earnings through private-sector driven employment and business opportunities.
This is where the technical know how, experience and leadership of the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe would come in. There are no questions about Timi Alaibe’s managerial competence, leadership abilities and wide followership amongst the elites and masses in our dear state. Timi and Governor Diri are both kinsmen and the success of the present administration will also rob off positively on him. Governor Diri will need his ideas and support to effectively pilot the affairs of the state for as they say, two good heads are far better than one. Timi has a whole lot to offer Bayelsans and that can only be useful when he cooperates and works with his brother to engineer a new development frontier in the state.
Obviously the elections are over. This is the time for governance. Timi and Diri belong to the same political family, the PDP. The governor is already working to unite all Bayelsans at home and abroad irrespective of political leanings to support his administration to develop the state. As earlier stated, Timi is a political heavyweight whose future in the state politics is very bright. However, it must be said that not much can be achieved through needless bickering, litigation and unproductive opposition. The Bayelsa people will profit little from a rancour-filled political atmosphere. For governor Diri, the elections have been won by all sons and daughters of Bayelsa.
The general belief amongst our people is that everyone will get his moment in the sun; however, no one can determine when his moment would come. What we must never fail to do is to stay positive, see things from the brighter side and believe that there is so much in store for the man who waits for his time.
Governor Diri has left no one in doubt about his commitment to carry everyone along. Timi and other leaders in the state are encouraged to give him that benefit of doubt to demonstrate his sincerity. Already, his appointments till date offer a peep into the kind of government he wants to run. An all-inclusive administration where no Bayelsan is removed from the events at the office of the governor is the key concern of Governor Diri. Our duty is to support and encourage him to maintain his conciliatory approach to political leadership. The state belongs to all of us and none must make himself a stranger to his fatherland. Ultimately, the winner will be Bayelsa.
Abanum writes from Lagos