By Oriloye Damilola
In Nigeria, democracy is defined by its principles of fairness, equal opportunity, and the will of the people. It ensures that every citizen, regardless of their background, has the right to elect their leaders. This is the bedrock of a free society like ours.
The idea of power rotation, particularly in the Ibadan NorthWest/Ibadan SouthWest Federal Constituency, has been a topic of debate. Some erroneously claimed that an agreement exists to rotate power between the two local governments. However, such an agreement does not exist in any formal or constitutional sense.
The Nigerian Constitution does not recognize power rotation or agreement as a guiding principle for political offices. The framers of the constitution foresaw a time like this when rotation might be proposed, but they wisely focused on a structure that places emphasis on competence, integrity, and the people’s choice.
To base political power on a rotational agreement rather than on the merit of the candidate would be undemocratic and unconstitutional. Reason is, it goes against the very essence of what democracy stands for. It deprives the people of the right to choose their representatives based on merit and electability.
It is important to state that democracy is not about settling for an arrangement that limits choice; it is about empowering the electorate to decide who is best suited to serve them. The idea that power must rotate between local governments regardless of the competence of the candidates is counterproductive to this ideal.
What should matter in any election is electability. The qualities of a candidate are what truly define their potential to serve. Electability is built on a foundation of antecedents, integrity, humanity, leadership, consistency, qualifications, and popularity.
These qualities should be the focus of any party or political system serious about winning an election. The notion that an agreement must guide who represents the people is, therefore, not only unconstitutional but also undermines the electoral process.
Are the proponents of the unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-people agreement telling us that if the most competent person for the job happens to be from Ibadan SouthWest, they should they be denied the opportunity simply because the area has had the chance to produce a representative in the past? This would be an injustice. It would be a decision that deprives the people of their right to vote for the best candidate.
It is important to state that solicited calls for rotation fan the embers of division. This is because such calls divide rather than unite. The two local governments, Ibadan NorthWest and Ibadan SouthWest, are not separate entities. They are one constituency (Ibadan Northwest AND Southwest Federal Constituency), and calls for rotation that gives weight to division are detrimental to unity.
The truth of the matter is that we risk deepening the divide between the two local governments by focusing on rotation or whatever agreement. This kind of rhetoric fundamentally creates segregation where none should exist. It gives speed to division, and undermines the collective spirit of the constituency as one people.
Instead, we must prioritize competence, integrity, and the will of the people. The call for rotation should not overshadow the need for a leader who is capable of representing the people effectively. Elections should be a reflection of the people’s choice, based on the qualities that matter most.
In the end, a leader’s worth is determined not by where they come from but by what they can do for the people. In this democratic system, it is not agreements or arbitrary rotations that should guide us. It is the ability of a candidate to lead with competence, fairness, and integrity.
Let us therefore do away with such anti-people calls and embrace democracy in its truest form. Let us reject calls that undermine the people’s voice. The future of Ibadan NorthWest/Ibadan SouthWest lies not in a rotation or past agreement, but in the hands of those who are capable of leading with vision and purpose so as to take the sophisticated federal constituency to its deserved eldorado.
Agreement is not the solution. Competence is.
Oriloye Damilola, a democrat, writes from Ibadan Northwest Local Government.
