NAIJA Paralysis – Donu Kogbara

When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Bola Tinubu the winner of a presidential election that had been tarnished by widespread fraud, unconcealed violence, shameless tribalism and crude voter suppression tactics, Tinubu’s camp advised his opponents to go to court if they felt cheated.

An anonymous wag wryly observed, via a WhatsApp post that went viral, that (I paraphrase) when someone with whom you are having a dispute cheerfully advises you to take an obviously valid grievance to court, you should know that the judge is probably his uncle.

When 5 Appeal Court judges firmly rejected Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar’s petitions, there was a distinctly avuncular atmosphere in the election tribunal chamber. And complaints immediately ensued.

Tinubu and his cohorts are understandably thrilled. But despite the substantial support the President received from INEC officials and other state actors, he only got 37% of the vote, which means that 63% of the electorate did not choose him; and millions of Nigerians, knowledgeable lawyers included, are accusing the tribunal chair (Justice Harunna Tsammani) and his colleagues of blatant bias.

While the President and his allies slap each other on the back, crack open bottles of celebratory champagne and thank their bewigged saviours for sparing them the humiliation of defeat, many onlookers are incandescent with rage or just plain depressed and bewildered.

Some of the more cynical critics of yesterday’s verdicts are even saying that all branches of the Nigerian judiciary are a sick joke and so irredeemably corrupt that Atiku and Obi should abandon hope now and not bother to elevate their petitions to the Supreme Court.

“Why waste time and money on further legal action when we all know what the result will be?” is a bitter question I’ve heard repeatedly from demoralised Obi and Atiku supporters.

I’m tempted to share this pessimism. But here is the thing: Nigeria is in a mess precisely because of Naija Paralysis…which basically means that the average Nigerian gives up too easily.

The Supreme Court justices will be far less likely to misbehave if they know that all this talk about “ALL EYES ON THE JUDICIARY” is not just talk. And that there will, for example, be a prolonged general strike that includes professionals as well as ordinary folks if judges cannot morally or intellectually justify a pro-Tinubu verdict.

I am a student of world history and can confidently tell you, my dear Vanguard readers, that societies can only become truly self-respecting, democratically robust and socio-economically strong if citizens make the right kind of sacrifices in the short-term…with solid medium- and long-term progress being the ultimate goal.

But, sadly, most of us are wallowing in grossly inadequate comfort zones and suffering yet smiling. Most of us settle for crumbs that are tossed at us from high tables populated by greedy cabalistic mandarins who can barely hide their scorn for the majority.

Most of us are extremely reluctant to boldly say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”, demand a fair slice of the pie, doggedly stand by any principle and persistently fight for anything worthwhile.

We are quick to grumble and slow to embark on meaningful protests. We constantly denounce our lousy leaders but refuse to insist on better governance because we are pathetically risk-averse.

We are, in a nutshell, too cowardly, too materialistic, too indolent, too flimsy and too eager to sheepishly tolerate unacceptable situations. We are masters of shoddy compromises. We specialise in caving in. We masochistically betray OURSELVES on a daily basis.

This is why I have tons of respect for exceptions to the rule: Activist lawyers, outspoken journalists, feisty campaigners and Twitter warriors like Aisha Yesufu, Dele Farotimi, Chidi Odinkalu, Lloyd Ukwu, David Hundeyin, Farooq Kperogi and Jackson Ude.

I do not always agree with them. But I am on the same page as them most of the time and absolutely love the fact that they are not afraid of lashing out at powerful politicians who deserve flak.

Truth is important; and if Nigeria eventually improves, it will be because there are Nigerians who courageously said “hell no!” to toxic rubbish and wouldn’t cravenly cower in a corner or collect juicy bribes from VIPs who are keen to generously silence them.

I have a few friends who initially opposed Tinubu but now think that we should “move on as a nation” and let him get on with presidential duties without any further ado. But I am not ready to move on.

I want to hear from the Supreme Court justices first. And who knows? Despite my profound scepticism, they might come up with sound arguments that will persuade me to move on.

Until then, I will seethe alongside other Obidients.

And, by the way, the odds are too heavily stacked against petitioners; and we really need to stop allowing people to be sworn in as heads of state when their alleged victories are being contested.

Tinubu is already the head honcho at ECOWAS. Tinubu is representing us at the G20 Summit in India and has just secured investment deals worth $14.3 billion. Tinubu will fly the flag at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

Judges are, on the whole, conservative by nature and even the most honest of judges might be reluctant to upset the apple cart and unseat a man who is already so deeply entrenched!

Kogbara is an accomplished International Journalist and Columnist