EDITORIAL ;BACK TO THE FUTURE, FORWARD TO THE PAST

There is something unique about the Nigerian, and I am not talking about the loud traveler, the arrogant tourist, the outwardly religious but secretly traditional, the publicly Nigerian but closet tribalist, I am not even referring to the propagators of the scam of the Nigerian prince.
No, I am talking mainly about the Nigerian politician, especially those whose main reason in public service is culinary, not patriotic, and whose focus is on self, not country.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as the act of doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different outcome. The Nigerian politician, especially those in power, have only one playbook, and that is 1. hold on to power at all costs by (a) use religious and tribal differences (b) use greed and ambition of a few members of the opposing party/ tribe/religion to decimate the opposition and (c) use legalese, especially the courts, to scuttle results and situations not in their favour.
While this playbook exist in different versions all over the world, the Nigerian edition is still in the first print, with little or no variation and updates.
When a commission was set up to tackle the issue of the minorities just before independence, it recommended the creation of three regions out of the original three regions, Mid west, COR and middle belt. But the NPC/NCNC Alliance at the center decided to create only the Midwest out of the opposing Western Region, denying the same opportunities to their own minorities.
They also used their majority in Parliament to declare a state of emergency in the west over a scuffle in the Regional Parliament, but conveniently ignore riots that claim lives in their own region. To ensure that the judgement of the Privy council declaring Akintola's premiership as illegitimate, they quickly changed the country's status to a republic, thereby nullifying the judgement by default.
The Consequence? The country became ungovernable, the army took power, and years that would have been used to enhance our democracy and develop the country by those with ideas was lost to 13 years of military rule and a civil war, just because some politicians are more interested in power than the country.
First forward to 1983, almost the same scenario and the same players using the same playbook, lives were lost with people resisting imposition by the federal government over the peoples choices, and again the military had to come in, and another ten years of military interregnum.
Ten years on, again the politicians, under a new sheriff, also used the same playbook, using the courts to destroy a new democratic beginning by ensuring that frivolous and ridiculous cases were taken before crooked and compromised judges, providing the military the legal cover to annul the elections, and to stay in power for another six years.
And now, just as we are celebrating sixteen years of uninterrupted democratic practice, This administration have dusted the old playbook, playing it to the letter. They have tried religion, tribe, sentiments and sundry acts of blackmail, and when its obvious that those would not work, have now resorted to courts, filing suits right, left and center trying to postpone the election, or provide a legal cover for its annulment if it did not go its way.
I am sure there are people edging them on that nothing would happen and heaven would not fall. Just like there were some, using the same language to embolden Tafawa Balewa, Azikwe, JT Aguinyi Ironsi, babangida and Abacha that nothing would happen, and we know how it ended for those who always thought they could bend the will of the Nigerian people by using instrument of state and legal technicalities to achieve Pyrrhic short time advantage.
The more things change, the more they remain the same. act the same way, get the same result.
My advise to the proponents of this mindset; let the elections hold, then go to court if you think you have a good case.
My ten kobo.