There are five countries in West Africa who formed a coalition in order to fight terrorists operating in the Sahel. Of the five, only Niger is left as a democracy. The remaining four are under military boots.
The latest addition is Burkina Faso.When coup took place in Mali, the usual condemnation by ECOWAS took place. It also imposed sanctions. When the junta moved the goal post, ECOWAS was reported as planning to introduce more sanctions. Then the author of the coups ( France) challenged ECOWAS bluff, it hatched a new one.
By peopleless democracies I mean democracies where the people are not on the drivers’ seats. In Francophone West Africa, it is France that has always been on the driver’s seat, not ECOWAS, and through the execution of coups, it intends to remain there for the forseable future.In Nigeria it is said we are in a democracy. A type of democracy where renowned political scientists are telling us we are not yet ripe for direct primaries.
Let me give the example of my state Kano. The ruling party is APC. But it has split into two: one faction recognized by the Court ( this far), and another (led by the state governor) impliedly recognized by the party’s national leadership.
Now they are trying to broker a truce between the two in order not to jeopardize the chances of the party in 2023 elections.Political parties write in their constitutions that an elected governor of a state is the leader of the party. By leader it means his ( it has been ‘his’ since 1999) word is final. He decides who leaders of the party are to be right from ward up to state level. And he decides who are to represent him ( not the people) at national convention.
And what makes him such a golden ‘boy’? He controls state’s Treasury, while the president controls the national Treasury and the CBN.So any person who happens to be governor by hook or crook, has acquired the ‘divine’ right to choose his successor. That is why he can tell the world: I have not decided on my successor yet.
And he believes the constitution of the party is behind him, even though it is against the tenets of democracy: principally the right of people to choose who are to govern them.Back to my state Kano. Why won’t the serving governor agree to work with those elected by the other camp? Because the governor has chosen his successor, future Senators, House of Reps members, and none of those who held different primaries are anointed by him. And why won’t the national leadership side with democracy?
Because they too do not believe in it. They prefer imposition. I saw one news item today, the details of which I have not read.It went like this: Kebbi APC split over the imposition of Malami as gubernatorial candidate. Why should he be associated with Buhari and yet fail in his bid to be governor? And that ambition might explain why Magu had to be removed as the ‘herder’ of that cash cow called EFCC. This is our democracy as at today. And with the smokescreen removed, we have come to understand this is the democracy which Buhari believes in. And in so doing he has shown us his true character.
Let me conclude with France’s vicious hold on its colonies. It will never allow democracy to stand between it and the riches found within its colonies. Other Western powers also believe African countries are there to be raped, and it matters not who does the raping, the benefits are shared.My advice?
ECOWAS members should understand they are not sovereign states. Any stubborn civilian leader can be removed from office at the instance of Western powers, and the world would accept it. For who is the world? Western powers are the world. Like in the jungle, when a pack of canines corner a herbivore, the best others can do is to run.
Abdullah Musa is Lead Consultant at KIGON GABAS INVESTMENT NIGERIA LIMITED KANO