2015 and the APC Presidential Primary Election: Before shouting a Buhari-ous Hallelujah

Sayo Aluko

 

What I saw at the APC Presidential Primary election, which also doubled the third National Convention of the Party, is hope. My convinced sentiments about the predictability of Nigerian politics aside, on that fateful day, I saw hope again.

Doubtless, the APC surely has the machinery to defeat PDP.
Trust me people, if all the good talk by all political actors present were truly heartfelt, then we may just be quite close to finding a cure for the scourge called Nigeria.

Be that as it may, here below are the few insights I drew from the event and its aftermath.

Painfully enough, my informed reservations about General Muhammadu Buhari Rtd. (GMB) are still alive.

"Sai Buhari!”…. and he won, Alhamdulillah.

I do not doubt the fact that Gen. Buhari is a patriot; but my reservations concerning his candidature and emergence as the APC Presidential flag bearer are hinged on two things.

Firstly, by his emergence, I still saw the fulfillment of the ambition of one man, Buhari.

If we want to be really sincere about the notion of change that is being bellowed from all available fronts by the APC, then I believe we'd all agree that a man of Buhari's influence would thrive better as an elder statesman than in the role of an elected president, in the biz of nation building. 

Yes, he speaks passionately about his desire to lead Nigeria out of quagmire, but considering the fact that this will be the fourth time he'd be contesting to "become president", it's hard to take it solely as relentlessness, while one hopes that personal ambition doesn't eventually erode his competence quotient. 

Well, that the ambition seems personal doesn't necessarily mean it is selfish especially in Buhari's stance, but it’s going to surely take more than just personal ambition to CHANGE this country.

In the eyes of true change, Gen. Buhari, a 1-time Military head of state, a 4-time presidential aspirant, with his undeniable armory of political and patriotic influence, should naturally outgrow the ambitioned jostle of becoming president, and then move into a clearly sacrificial, more grandeur and a "behind-the-scene" role of a PRACTICAL elder statesman, a practical one oh, not the "open-letter" type (Cc: Baba Iyabo) nor the vindictive type. But, a type who will employ his patriotic wit to tackle a boko haram for example or any other national ill whasoever (in his own way), without any ambitious undertone.

Secondly is his age. Abeg, GMB is old, I'm actually tempted to say too old to successfully engage in the absolute rigor involved in the attempt to firstly unseat PDP and then to truly redeem this cataclysmically screwed up Nigeria.
That he was pitted against two largely younger and equally competent candidates makes me heighten my reservation about his emergence.
He may not possess an Umaru kidney nor a Musa Yar'Adua liver, but truth is, a younger and more vibrant candidate would have definitely stood a better chance at fitting up with the rigor than a “Pa Buhari” that I saw at close range firstly at Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s  inauguration and then at the convention.

Nigerians, falling my hand since 1805
The social media hurrah that met the announcement of GMB’s emergence was as hurriedly juvenile as it was too overboard, and didn't actually resonate well with the much echoed "change" theme. For God's sake, it's Buhari again, it's the enthronement of our zoning bias again, our cultural sentiments again, it's just an again thing all over again. So, I couldn't understand all the knee-jerk reactions that viralized the Internet over it.
No doubt, in Buhari's APC or APC's Buhari, there are prospects of hope, ehnn, yes, and Change, but most of us Nigerians should learn how to regulate our expectations within the frame of carefulness, always assess the situation thoughtfully, and just stop dancing emotional shoki to some over-fancied Buhari messiah tunes. There's too much to do if Change will be at least set into ignition in Naija, and nothing will be achieved if our smart phones remain smarter than our minds.

Please, don’t tell me this the best modus operandi for conducting party Primaries
I have been present at two different APC primaries in the past week, and I had the same disturbing thought about the strenuous manner by which the elections were conducted.
Yes, the system employed now can be deemed open and seemingly fair, but, my guts just tell me that there must definitely be a saner and fairer substitute to this needlessly long, painfully analog and "Tom Ikimi-reminiscent" way it's been presently conducted.
Even if not entirely digital (which of course will be 10 times better), I believe some set of academics, professionals, and/or our actuarial scientists may be, can be tasked, more like funded, to brew a faster way for enfranchisement.  "APC, Change!"...please, let's change this (too).

We must start teaching our children the classy code of order and civility.
I don't just know why Nigerians largely resort to violent ways to state and/or address their displeasure. It's pointblank irksome. The blight of wahala created by the Delta state delegates dented the event, and merely typified the level of native disorganization that is inherent in most Nigerians, especially those involved with politics; another reason why a bunch of the much needed elites just want to stave off  it.

Well, for us to really save ourselves from the perennial shame occasioned by this kind of primitive act of retrogression, we need to start engraving the merits of diplomacy and civility on the minds of our children using the tool of knowledge. I've lost hope over adult politicians; they've mastered the art of scaling high gates and throwing poisonous jabs. Pity!

My honest conclusion

All these above summed in one are the bitter truth; now unto some unassailable truth - The APC is the cleaner pig that is seemingly ready for the process of changing into worthy horses. The PDP is just an inedible pig, an absolute no-go. - that is the unassailable truth.
The APC actually had an impressive outing, I salute and commend Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his 27-man convention committee, his composure achieved much. 
Now, dear sincere Nigerian, I know a lot of us don't really care anymore whatever the outcomes of these political ngbati-ngbatis are. It's a very understandable stance considering the many years of disappointment our hearts have suffered. Similarly, I know only a few among us care about one kain Permanent Voters' Card, despite the many sensitization about it, talk less of voting. Yes, things have gone so bad.
But, as I said, I believe I still saw hope in the prospect of change painted by the politics of the APC through the conduct of these primaries; they depicted some fairly tenable levels of progressive development and democratic ethos.
Let us support them. 

My Buhari reservation is a refined but belated postmortem, we just have to believe he will survive, stay healthy, stay selfless, stay staunch, stay open, stay resolute, stay off Presidential puff, stay on selfless stuff, hopefully stay on one-term, (Cc: Nelson Mandela) and get motivated to achieve some first steps in our long way back to sanity.
Let us give some chance to this gospel of change.

E go well my people.