The Criminal Establishment vs. The Credible Alternatives


When faced with new and different-looking candidates from political parties that they do not know, many voters respond with - the alternatives are not credible. They are not popular enough our people say, and they do not have experience, and most of all they are not prepared to do what the more popular and experienced candidates do to win the elections. 

Let us examine each of these three characteristics of candidates that are considered not credible by Nigerian standards. Before we do, just answer this question - what are the results that we have gotten so far from the so-called "credible" ones? Are we more comfortable with the devils that we know than with the angels that we do not know? Or are we like rape victims who having been raped so many times start inviting their rapists to continuously violate them? 

So, are the present crop of establishment Nigerian politicians who have failed to deliver the dividends of democracy actually popular or are they actually “notorious”. Notoriety may be a better way to look at them since they are notorious for looting, mis-governance and everything that is wrong with Nigeria. So, let’s stop saying they are popular, because most of them are just NOTORIOUS, and I do not know why forward-thinking people should be voting for candidates who are NOTORIOUS, just because it looks like they have a better chance of winning. 

Secondly, they claim the alternatives do not have experience. Okay, they do not have experience as political proteges to godfathers; have not paid their dues in some of the evil cults to which some establishment politicians belong; and have not garnered experience in looting the public treasury as many of the more experienced evil politicians have. 

Their credentials in the private sector and Not-For Profit sector building successful institutions and people and preserving their reputation and professionalism all of a sudden do not count. Again, why will forward-thinking people vote for candidates with rogue experience rather than those with a professional and personal pedigree. Why will you choose to keep voting professional politicians rather than professionals in politics? 

Finally, some of the so-called experienced candidates campaign based on ethnicity and religion; use money and cheap inducements, rely on godfathers and money bags and are desperate to win in what has become do-or-die politics. If you are not so desperate to do these things, then Nigerian voters say you are not serious? What benefits have we reaped from those these “serious” candidates, and why will forward-thinking people keep voting for them and their parties? 

We have credible alternatives to the criminal establishment crop of politicians in Nigeria. Our votes MUST count for them in the next round of elections if not we will end up even worse than where we are today. A word is enough for the wise - #LetsGetInvolved. 



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