The theory of Praise to power 5 (p5).
Politics, particularly in the Nigeria's context, is a jogging in the jungle. If you can kick, smash or jump over the shrubs in the jungle, even if you're bitten by the snake in the process, it does not count, it's the end that justifies the means, as long as you don't offend the law, period! That's why you can hear such boasts, "lets win first, and settle later".
It is high time Nigeria Christians stopped crying when the head is already off, shedding tears over spilled milk. However, blame us a little with mercy, I m also a Christian, the fault is not entirely our own making. Our belief systems predispose us to such predicaments of leaving everything in the hands of God always. This is because we are indoctrinated with the biblical belief that everything including power belongs to God. I don't doubt that either including also not doubting the fact that God will chat our paths all the time.
Unfortunately, while other religious sects also look up to their Gods for success, the muslims have a different perspective when it comes to the issue of power. They work with the understanding that they can chat their own paths and ask Allah, their God, to bless them as they do. They clearly separate religious morality from political expediency. The Christian sect, where I belong, appears to, not just mix the two but most atimes confuse the two. Sadly enough the morality and politics are not Siemens but very parallel.
This is why Whenever the muslims succeed as they always do, we the Christians recline to bemoan our fate and blame our ignorance on others. By that time, we find it very difficult to blame our God just as we lack the courage to blame our own selves for folding our hands and relying too heavily on Him for our fate. To openly condemn our own God for failing us in this circumstances will as well be blasphemous. What do we do, we simply look for a scapegoat. This time our common scapegoats are our Muslim brothers who always outwit us with their proper planning.
After going through the epistle by Engr. Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to government of the Federation, SGF, to his bosom friend, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on his choice of a Muslim running mate, I simply drew one conclusion, this is typical of a Christian attitude to life. Rather than admitting our failures as a result of improper planning, we choose the simple defence mechanism option, blame our opponents who succeeded because of their proper planning. Lawal, a Christian, has turned his anger against the muslims who chatted their own paths by themselves and received the blessing of their God while the Christians like Lawal were waiting for their own God to chat their paths for them.
How else can you explain the import of these narratives more than the character displays of the Northern Muslims and Southern Christians at the just concluded conventions of the two major political parties, the People's Democratic Party, PDP and All progressives Congress, APC.
The decision of the Muslim North to queue behind Tinubu in the APC convention, in the first place was a deliberate plan to achieve set objectives.
From the convention of the two major political parties, the Northern muslims already planned what they want and where they are going. What plan did the Christians North and South take to the two conventions. Nothing but to bemoan their fate at the end.
At the PDP convention for instance, Aminu Tambuwal, former speaker, House of Representatives, incumbent governor, Sokoto state, younger in age and apparently more energetic, stepped down for who? An older Northerner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, because if both of them compete in the convention, not just that the North but the Muslim North will lose the ticket to a Christian South.
What was the permutations of the Christians North and South in that convention? How many Christians North and South placed the interest of the Christians paramount above his own personal interest. How many Southern aspirants were willing to sacrifice personal interest, willing to step down for one another to achieve Southern/Christian goals. How many Christians North supported the Christians South aspirants to realise that elusive Christians interest. What was the target of the Christians at the end. Nothing! But to Cry wolf, lament gang up and blame political scheming.
Let the Christians accept that they are the enemies within themselves. Yes, the Christians in Nigeria can claim to be socially liberal but they should just concede that they are intellectually weak politically. Give that advantage to the Muslim North, I beg and lets live in peace. Think of it, only few days ago, thanks to the consciousness the Peter Obi emergence created, the Bishops, the Pastors ,the GOS started encouraging their followers to get their PVCs. Such exercises are already concluded years back in various mosques. An average wheelbarrow pusher in the North has a pvc. But ask any rich Christian traders in the south his pvc, his response will shock you.
The muslims North massive supports for Tinubu at APC convention was strategic. All the APC governors who agreed that president should go to the South are all muslims. They have their eyes on the ball. At a pay back time like this, they will insist that they reap maximum benefits from their investments on Tinubu. Tinubu cannot jettison their request at his own perils because they hold both the knife and the yam to the support of the muslims in the North for his candidature.
Incidentally, the dummy has been sold to him and to all Nigerians too that the Muslim North's votes determine the fate of any presidential candidate in Nigeria.
Babachir and other Northern Christians in APC never planned for a day like this, not that they didn't know that it will come. Instead, they like to cry wolf over the successful outcome of other people's plans and will shy away from blaming themselves and accepting responsibility for their misfortunes.
Right now, Peter Obi, a Christian, is making waves in Labour Party. The unique selling points marketing Obi now are speeches he already delivered even while in PDP. How many Christians, Southerners saw the qualities in him as to project him as a southern candidate in PDP. Instead, the same Christians both in the North and South were instrumental in pushing him out of PDP. The few Christians in PDP like Anyim Pius Anyim who resisted similar treatment were equally abandoned by their brothers of the same faith when their supports were mostly needed.
When Nyesome Wike, Ifeanyi Okowa and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi were holding meetings from (London to America, apology the late Fela Anikulakpo Kuti), Lagos to Asaba and Asaba to Enugu, mouthing fake songs of power shifts to the South, were they actually speaking for the interests of the South/Christians or their own interests. Today, Wike, Okowa etc. have told us that they can't be trusted as representatives of the South/Christians.
Bringing it down to South East, the same South East governors who have thundered at various fora that it's the turn of the South East to rule Nigeria in 2023, turned round to queue behind aspirants of other regions and abandoned their own brothers when chips were down. Can any delegates both in APC and PDP begrudge the choice of Tinubu or Atiku's vice president.
Assuming we now realise and can concede to the fact that the muslims are smarter than us when it comes to politics, is there any lesson they have taught us this time around. Can we then use the opportunity to determine, once and for all, the political census between the Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.
Apart from PDP and APC, the Labour party has offered the Christians a viable alternative. Can the likes of Lawals in the North mobilize the Christians the same way the like of Shetima, the Tinubu muslims vice president, are galvanising the muslims to vote according to their faith.
This is the only way we can be convinced that the recent outbursts by Engr. Lawal, former SGF, is not borne out of selfish interests because his friend, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, denied him the opportunity to be his running mate.
The truth remains, that proper planning yields proper performance. Our improper planning as Christians do not only manifest in our national levels. It's in our faith just as it's in our blood. Recently at the state level for instance, Ebonyi North senatorial zone in PDP felt it's their turn to produce the next governor of Ebonyi state. That was just a wishful thinking because they failed to plan for it. Or else, at the party primaries, out of the over eight aspirants from that zone alone, hustling for that one position, was anyone ready to sacrifice for the interest of the North senatorial zone, even when it was obvious their votes would be split to the advantage of their opponents. Because of the fact that, the Christians always do not plan properly politically, they will continue to be queuing behind their muslims counterparts, shading crocodile tears whenever muslims who plan properly have their ways.
...Benard Akoma, a political analyst, writes from Lagos. NNL.
