Comrade Lekan Badmus is a Columnist with Oduduwa news and public opinion analyst.
This article may look offensive to the psyche of some religious adherents. Alas, my principle as a writer and the kind of tutelage I had as a campus journalist at the great SACOED does not believe in the adoption of diplomacy, mimicking of fact or being economical with the truth. To me and my contemporaries at the great VOSPO; ” Truth fears no man”. To us, a spade is a spade and not that a spade is an oblong material. Albeit, religion is an opium that dwells on indoctrination and gives rise to gullibility. Anyway, I am not here for a sermon of such idiosyncrasy.
The electioneering campaign for 2023 general elections has been scheduled to commence on September 28th, 2022 by the electoral umpire. The presidential election would deo volent takes place on February 25th, 2023 while the governorship election comes in thereafter. The pre-election sensitization has since commenced.
Evidently, the four serious contenders have been transversing the nook and cranny to subtly, apologetically and passionately canvass for royal, spiritual and ephemeral supports. The ephemeral amuses me !
I don’t need to mention the names of the notable four because this piece is not sponsored by any of them. Mentioning names is akin to giving them an undue publicity. I am not a party man but may have personal interest as a mortal. So, mentioning names here would render this piece otiose, partisan and prejudicial.
Seeking elective posts requires various tactics. Politicians are known to employing different styles to curry favour and hoodwink the electorates especially those who are not suspicious of their gimmicks. Anyway, such action may not be unconnected with the aphorism of; “use what you have to get what you want.” I have noticed that; for the first time in Nigeria election, religion has be allowed to dictate the pace.This is a bad omen and a negation of the tenets of democracy.
Incorporating religion into politics is an existential threat. If this is allowed to thrive, we may begin to witness voting along religious line. And that is a contrast to the secular nature of Nigeria and a breach of the constitutional provisions that established political parties.
Nigerian politicians are so smart that they begin to be functional and exhibiting hyper-active traits at every available religious gathering whenever elections draw nearer. This is a period they are made the chief launchers at any fund-raising programme at churches and sponsoring of Jumat service programmes on radio and television. Let me tell you this in a huss tone; paying homages and joining congregation to worship are methodological and pedagogical ways, usually adopted by politicians to play upon people’s intelligence. They are jesters and comical individuals who buy and eat corn on the road to create an impression of public acceptance.
It is also interesting to note that this is the period many of them do embark on less hajj to Mecca in the name of Umrah. Ask them to recite the simplest Fathia and you would be dumb-founded that they cannot. They only embark on the Hajj and answer to Muslim names to cajole the Muslim faithfuls. Others went to Jerusalem to add an appellate to their names. JP this and JP that with a view to hoodwinking the good followers of our lord Jesus Christ. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. They instantly become holier than Pope. What a decoy ! Who is fooling who ?
Buttressing my position, section 92, subsection 3 of the electoral act 2022 states that; ” places designated for religious worship, police stations and public offices shall not be used for political campaigns, rallies and processions; or to promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their programmes or ideologies.” This is lucid enough and poses no ambiguity of any kind to be correctly interpreted.
Therefore, it is shenanigan, tomfoolery, devious and mischievous for any candidate to move his campaign to any religious edifice just as it is a sheer hypocrisy for any cleric to campaign or invite any politician to the vineyard or the pent house in the mosque called Alua.
Inviting politicians to the worship centres and conferring titles on them during election period is a hypocrisy that constitutes a reinvigorating breath of fresh air that blew across the dark crevices of the democratic space. Although, we may find it difficult to blame these clerics because, like every ordinary citizen, they too are hungry and so it becomes illogical if we expect them to act like Arch-angel Michael or Angel Gabriel, who must not touch money with a ten-foot pole, even when they are hungry and starved.
The present perilous, impoverished and sorry situation of most of these clerics have coerced them into compromising decency but We also have to look at it from the angle of the rotten milieu within which they operate. Whilst these clerics should know that if they bring an insect-infected piece of firewood into the temple, they have requested for a visitation of a colony of lizards. Therefore, they must not complain when colony of lizards descend on the sacred worship centres.
As we move towards general elections, we should be wary of the antics of the politicians whose manifestos of deceits could sway our sense of judgement and whose presence at worship centres are momentary. As soon as they got what they wanted, they disappear into the thin air.