Of course, there is nothing wrong with apologising when one is wrong and you know it, but then there is a thin line between contrition and slavish obsequiousness, which is what was shown by the lawmaker in the video. And the whole spectacle only serves to underscore the crassness and crudeness of Nigerian politics.
Politics in Nigeria is an endeavour that is devoid of any real ideology and moving conviction; hence, the reason why political parties are seen as nothing more than a vehicle to grab power, rather than a viable platform or means to address the perennial socio-economic challenges bedevilling the country and its people. This ostensible lack of clear and defined ideology among political parties has fundamentally influenced not just our politics but our democracy.
What this phenomenon has also done is make it exceedingly painstaking for people who have the charisma, competence and vision to change the fortune of the country to get into office, emasculate opposition parties through the arm-twisting of their elected members to join the ruling party, and also use public institutions and instruments of state to hound, persecute and subdue those who dare to stand up to and withstand the machinations of the ruling party. Only those who are willing to bow, kiss the ring of the kingmakers, sacrifice their dignity and compromise their principles will be welcome into the hall of shame that is Nigerian politics.
Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot, is not exactly an amiable and likeable fellow or upstanding politician, which has left him out of the good graces of not just many of his constituents but also some voters in the state. Last year, he lost his bid to be the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his constituency in next year’s general election after losing the primary election. After his loss, he fell out with the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, and publicly accused him and the APC leadership of being the ones behind his loss.
Recall that Elliot had withdrawn from the primary, alleging that his supporters were subjected to intimidation, harassment and political pressure during the exercise. He later rejected the outcome of the election and vowed to challenge the process through the party’s appeal mechanism.
The former actor eventually lost the APC ticket to Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, who was widely believed to have the backing of Gbajabiamila. Odunuga-Bakare secured 11,385 votes in the primary, defeating Elliot, who polled 270 votes.
On Sunday, a video of Elliot apologising for his behaviour during and after the primary election and asking for the forgiveness of Gbajabiamila went viral online. However, the virality of the video was not engendered by Elliot’s apology itself but by something else: the manner in which he apologised. In the video, Elliot was seen genuflecting before Gbajabiamila to beg for his forgiveness and to be accepted back into the APC fold.
You won’t get a better audio-visual representation of what the mentality and mindset of average Nigerian politicians looks like than the behaviour and display of Elliot in the viral video, who will do anything for power and money. Of course, there is nothing wrong with apologising when one is wrong and you know it, but then there is a thin line between contrition and slavish obsequiousness, which is what was shown by the lawmaker in the video. And the whole spectacle only serves to underscore the crassness and crudeness of Nigerian politics.
What makes Elliot’s action deeply disturbing is that he has been a member of the state assembly for over a decade, and as a three-term member of the country’s richest state legislative organ, one would expect that a man like him, who had been in the corridors of power that long, should ordinarily not need political patronage anymore. He can quietly leave the scene and leave a comfortable life outside politics afterwards. Also, it is easy for those he has put up this performative penance for, those he is trying to get back in their good graces, to see through his chicanery and desperation. In Nigerian politics, as it is in most places, power brokers tend to appreciate those with principle and integrity more than sycophants who fawn over them and would do anything for power.
The video a stark reminder of the utter and palpable absence of ideology and conviction in our politics and the ultra money-conscious mindset that accompanies it — a dangerous phenomenon that has now somehow crept into practically every facet of our national life and become an enduring feature of our society — has made public office holders less accountable to the people as they believe they don’t need their vote to win elections and take power and all they have to do his kowtow and be in the good graces of certain persons to remain in power.
For an outstanding and accomplished actor, before venturing into politics, one cannot help but wonder what could have prompted a man in his 50s to belittle and debase himself in such a manner in the name of power and politics, but then the answer is not far-fetched. In Nigeria, politics is largely seen as a full-time profession, and public good and interest rarely form the basis of the majority of politicians’ aspirations. Only a few politicians can survive outside the murky waters of Nigeria’s depressing, chaotic politics and depressing governance system.
The constant, intemperate pursuit of power and the need to hold on to it by all means necessary, if and when it is ultimately acquired, has hollowed out our democracy and continues to scuttle any serious attempt at nation-building. All they have to do is join or align with the political party outright
