By Richard Ihediwa
Though democracy has been seen as the form of government that projects and protect the interest of the people, it is often times abused before the people will benefit from it.
Tightening their hold on the system, this group of politicians, classified by some quarters as 'glorified thugs,' have continued to exert their dominance on the country at various levels of control. They are in all the states, pontificating on how candidates emerge and how polling goes in their nuclear or extended political territory to their ultimate advantage.
Like the mafia boss, political godfathers over the years have succeeded in building around themselves a wall of mystery with which they instil fear on both the electorate and other politicians. Some times what makes them relevant is more imaginary than real. However, they continue to exert control on the system through accessing resources meant for the people they pretend to protect.
Godfathers arrogate to themselves roles of kingmakers. They erode democratic principles in their areas of control, strategically planting their foot soldiers in various government positions and through them siphon the economic resources to themselves to further exert control on the people.
Some godfathers have converted their states to their personal estate; running governments as a family business shared among family members. The Anambra debacle that saw the abduction of Governor Chris Ngige whose election was later nullified by the courts reveals the awesome power behind exerted by godfathers concept.
Political godfathers, some critics insist, are the real enemies of democracy. They make and control thugs, they cause and fuel political crisis and rob the system by converting those they plant in offices as administrative puppets to the detriment of the people. As such, for democracy, as a system of government to benefit the people, a concrete step must be taken to put the godfathers under check.
It is apparently against this backdrop that the National Assembly in passing the 2010 Electoral Act, included critical clauses to extricate office holders from the vicious grips of political godfathers.
Such provisions include the removal of consensus candidates for elections, removal of substitution of candidates, exclusion of political appointees as voting delegates at party conventions, placing of limits of individual donation to parties and candidates among others.
To check the influence of political godfathers in the emergence of candidates for elections, the new Electoral Act places a ban on the use of consensus candidates for elections. Under the old law, candidates could emerge after special meetings by party chieftains controlled by the godfathers. Such candidates do not have the mandate of the people and as such are only answerable to political kingmakers instead of the people.
However, in the new law, candidates for all positions can only emerge strictly through elective primaries. To ensure that the process is not abused, section 87 of the new Electoral Act outlaws affirmative action at primaries and provided strictly for compulsory balloting at primary elections with prescription that only aspirants with the highest number of votes cast will be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as candidates.
To further reduce influences of political godfathers in the emergence of party flag bearers for elections, the new Electoral Act places a ban on the substitution of candidates who win at primaries, before and after the general elections.
Unlike under the old law where parties arbitrarily change flag bearers just before or after elections, the new law provides that a candidate who wins at primaries cannot be withdrawn by the party except in the case of death or self-withdrawal by the candidate.
Section 33 of the new Electoral Act provides that "no political party shall be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted pursuant to section 32 of this act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate".
In addition, section 35 provides that "a candidate may withdraw his candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered by himself to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission and which shall only be allowed not less than 45 days to the election".
The implication of these provisions is that political godfathers will have very little or no chance to impose their candidates and this will further boost the chances of the emergence of credible candidates for the 2011 elections at all levels.
This is especially as the law also made provision to ensure that there is equality of representation of constituencies in the primary elections.
To further check the activities of political godfathers, Section 87 of the new law also bars the participation of political aides and other political appointees as voting delegates at conventions.
Section 87 (8) provides that "no political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate at the convention of congress of any political party for the purpose of nomination of candidates for election".
Under the old law, political appointees are voting delegates. This allows the godfathers to directly or indirectly select participants and influence the outcome of primaries. However, with the new law, voting delegates are elected by card carrying members of the party.
The implication is that godfathers can no longer use their political godsons, planted as aides and political appointees at federal and state levels to influence the tide of voting at primaries.
Apparently to put paid to the influences of such godfathers, 87 (11) outlaws the use of courts to stop parties from holding primaries. When a legal action is launched against the primary election or its outcome, the process cannot be halted by the court until the determination of the suit.
That section provides that "nothing in this section shall empower the courts to stop the holding of primaries or general election under this act pending the determination of the suit."
This ultimately eliminates the use of court injunctions to scuttle democratic primaries to the detriment of the people.
The National Assembly has passed these provisions despite pressure from some state governors and political godfathers who see them as inimical to their control on political activities.
Commenting on the matter, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze, said the provisions are not targeted at anybody but to make the electoral processes more democratic and credible.
Stakeholders and political critics believe that the provisions of the new Electoral Act, checking activities of political godfathers, will go a long way in restoring powers to the people and their rights to choose.
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