By: Oby Ndukwe
Never has it been this rough and nasty in the history of our political journey where campaigns have become avenues for mudslinging and tantrums. Something has really gone wrong somewhere in Nigeria. How can our politicians, men and women alike who are leaders and aspiring leaders choose the path of exposing their dirty deals and life styles before the world? What manner of leaders are we producing in this dispensation? A situation where mothers and fathers, out of rabid desperation for power have now chosen, rather deviously, so to speak, to become uncouth in their language, all in a bid to upstage perceived opponents. Haba!
I have watched with nausea the way and manner the 2015 campaigns are being conducted and believe me, if there is God, then hell will be waiting to receive more victims. We have thrown caution to the wind and have even brought God to ridicule. The holy book warns that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. No wonder they have become foolish because they do not have the fear of God in them.
Some, in a bid to please their demi-gods have even blamed the almighty being for giving long life to their opponents. They have criticized a particular candidate for having attained the age of 70+. They have even decreed death for him just because a one-time president had a terminal illness which led to his death while in office. I beg to ask here: if there is anyone who is sure of his date of death? Can anyone be certain that since he or she has not been diagnosed of any sickness today, that the person may not be diagnosed of something tomorrow.
If death was a function of age, Methuselah would not have lived for long. Even sickness is not always a function of age. Remember Apostle Paul. Even those who are younger could be living with very harsh debilitating illnesses, so age cannot solely be said to be determinant of good health.
In any case, no one knows what portends for him or her. No one is sure of when death will come except as we are made to believe, that those who belong to the high hierarchy in secret societies can be sure of how long they will be here. At least, we can now separate the wheat from the chaff. May be those who see beyond the ordinary and have gone ahead to peep into the destiny of others can tell us who will make it and who will not make it. I just hope that when they try to look into my own star, they will be blinded by the power of God!
There is nothing wrong with criticizing your opponent in a bid to woo supporters but there is everything wrong with washing our dirty linens in public, all for the purpose of winning an election. When did things go this bad in our country? How did we degenerate to this level where we have exposed our nakedness before our children? I guess I know why now!
Since we decided to turn the scriptures upside down to soothe our whims and caprices that was when we lost it. Even God knew the importance of covering our nakedness, failures and shame so much so that he had to kill an animal to make coverings for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Rather than follow the laid down principles of God, we have rather chosen to follow the principles of men. Darkness has prevailed over light, falsehood over truth while disrespect has prevailed up and above respect. Soon, humanity will strive to prevail against divinity, the way demonic forces seem to have prevailed over the church! Chai!!
Since we formed the habit of following the set standards of the western world instead of limiting ourselves to our African background, where sex is no longer a secret affair, done in the dark hours of the night; rather, sex has become celebrated even in public places. That’s where we lost it! Since we began to celebrate immorality and reward those who have stepped their bounds in what should have been utmost secrecy, we lost it! A situation where only those who have used public positions to amass illicit wealth for their self glorification and in a bid to cover their tracks for fear of being prosecuted, we lost it.
Soon, they will be telling us how they sleep with their spouses in the night. Some have even gone as far as threatening to expose the extra-marital relationships of their opponents who were once their friends and confidants. Those who may have lost the ability to ‘play’ like their fellow men now use the campaign period to vent their frustration over their inability to ‘perform’. Even those who splash their spouses with wads of cash in different currencies because they cannot fulfil their natural matrimonial obligations are surprisingly perched at the roof tops screaming about the parental background of their perceived political opponents. But, they will not tell us that!
Our mothers have even joined the fray where they throw banters at each other, fronting their fertility while exposing the inability of their opponents to have children. Soon, they will tell the world where their enemy went to ‘buy’ their children. Ewoo!! Our wives have gone mad again o! How do we explain this to God when we come face to face with him, that children born out of wedlock are not meant to serve in public office? Tomorrow, they may even discriminate against those they believe were adopted.
In any case, who is even sure of who his or her real father is? After all, cases abound of those who are married to their husbands, yet they ‘sconto’ outside! That my own illegitimacy is made public does not mean that your own private illegitimacy is legitimate! Wetin sef? Let’s stop this madness, please!
Because of poverty, our women and girls have become willing sex objects in the hands of the rich and the political class who knowingly or unknowingly have also sown their seeds in these vulnerable women. So, tomorrow someone comes out in full public glare to cast aspersions on these ‘accidental children’ whose mothers may have struggled to train to become leaders. How dare you?
There is absolutely no one who does not have a history. We are not interested in any one’s secret pains. Nigerians are more interested in how to be delivered from the shackles of poverty and insecurity. We are not interested in how much they have stolen.
Is there anyone without sin, let him cast the first stone! See how their supporters are clapping for those who have stashed enough money away for their generations unborn. Even the ones who should know better are clapping for them. A doctorate degree holder in Law is busy talking about those who are true Rivers people when his own roots are even in doubt. They do not even know that they are hurting the sensibilities and emotions of some of those working with them. In all the political divides, there are old men, there are promiscuous men and women, there are people with questionable legitimacy. On both sides, there are thieves!
Even known members of secret societies have now become Niccodemus, visitors at midnight, Pharisees in the day time.
All in the name of campaigns, we have become naked and not ashamed. Even Adam and Eve knew the sanctity of relationships. They hid themselves from God when they heard his footsteps. Yet, those who have turned gospel songs of praise and worship into praises to their human gods do not know when to draw the line. In the name of God, they have exposed and celebrated their nakedness. Shame!
Those of them who want to dance naked in the market square should please tell us how much they have stolen and not to distract our attention with issues that should be kept secret.
Rather than stone those who call for Change, we should begin to stone those who are hiding their loot and exposing their shame.
From my own office as a First Lady, to someone I will not mention here, I hereby say, “Anytime they ‘dance naked’, again, in the market square, stone them!”.
Abi, no be so?
Oby Ndukwe
A political commentator writes from Portharcourt
