Lagos State; arguably, the most cosmopolitan of Nigeria’s 36 states, is in the throes of seismic political turbulence. What has boiled up to the surface now, has percolated for a while in the subterranean labyrinths of the state’s political culture. The major issue can be cast in a simple question. Can Lagos State endure as a stable polity if candidates in local government elections are not freely elected by the people but imposed from the top by political godfathers?
A Google search for the topic: “imposition of local government election candidates in Lagos State, Nigeria,” will produce about 97, 500 results in less than one minute. That tells a story. Globally, this news covers all the continents of the world. How attractive is this to those who love Lagos State? In the Diaspora, Lagos State is perceived as the brightest window on Nigeria.
The fissures about who would serve as candidates for the July 22, 2017 elections fixed by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission(LASIEC) for the chairman and councilor election in 20 local government and 37 local council development areas came into the open with the May 27, 2017 primaries ending in riots. The rank and file of the party alleged that candidates were being imposed. The APC party elites deny any such imposition. The rank and file of the party were content to spread their ire through the throngs of the APC, hoping to build momentum and critical mass as they did so. Knowing how powerful the elite of the party are, and the patronage system on which the APC Lagos State has functioned, they were not counting on much big name support in their fight. Enter Dr. Muiz Banire the APC National Legal Adviser.
Muiz Banire, as the national legal adviser of the APC would normally be expected to be a member of the party elite in his home state of Lagos. Why would he buck the elite trend to identify with the rank and file? Banire’s response is that as a legal practitioner and concerned participant in the political process, his obligation is “ensuring the observance of the rule of law and the tenets of democracy.” His assertion begs further questioning. What rules of law and tenets of democracy are being infracted in the process of electing candidates for the local government elections within the ruling APC in Lagos State? Internal democracy, intones Banire, is being sacrificed at the altar of personal political desires of what he phrases as the “minority.”
Banire’s premise, and those who say he reflects their viewpoints, is that the Nigerian Constitution, the Nigerian Electoral Law, 2010; and the Constitution of the APC as a political party, all prescribe the proper procedures for holding primaries for election into local governments. As transparent as these provisions are, the party elite of APC in Lagos State have chosen to flout them. Citing the admonition of the current Chief Justice of Nigeria to lawyers to be active in entrenching internal democracy in political parties, Muiz Banire feels that as the national legal adviser of the APC, his cause and those he speaks for are fit and proper. Buoyed by need for adherence to proper laws and legal precedents, those who oppose imposition of candidates are unyielding in their demand for a level playing field. This demand has met with vociferous objection by the party elite.
How does this simmering political crisis within the ruling APC party in Lagos State impact on national security and political stability in Nigeria? The direct and indirect actors command fierce followers. The extent to which each camp is willing to go to attain its objectives is not readily determinable. The camps are dug-in. Maximum damage to opposing camps has become easy forte in the crisis. The Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHSA), the state legislature, has entered this dispute on the side of the APC party elite. In an act, almost unprecedented in Nigeria, the LAHSA has rushed an amendment through the chambers that will facilitate ready negation of the hitherto governing provisions for local elections primaries in Lagos State. This coopting of another arm of government into the internecine political dispute of the APC in Lagos State warrants immediate and direct federal intervention.
As friends and admirers of Lagos State in the Diaspora, we seek to see Lagos State as a stable beacon of cosmopolitan living in Nigeria. Consequently, we call on the national security adviser to the president of Nigeria, Mr. Mongonu to present justification for immediate intervention of the Federal Government in this crisis. In this regard, the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) should be charged with taking over the electoral processes in Lagos State to avert the looming far more political upheaval that the current crisis is sure to spurn. The acting President, Mr. Osinbajo, will be remembered by Nigerians for stepping in to avert a crisis that would gnaw at the political structure of the country as he acts swiftly on this matter.
Joseph Andrews writes from Atlanta, Usa