– Could Appointees Play The Gamble?
Perspectives From Etete Enideneze
The political atmosphere that was charging up following INEC’s reeling out of time table, last year, ahead of 2023 general elections, appears to be settling down.
Those interested in contesting the next elections were already jostling to make good their ambitions, with political blackmail and skirmishes in some places.
Elected persons and appointees at different levels were among those who commenced the early fireworks.
Their permutations, particularly for those on appointments, may have been that the resources at their disposal will be deployed to achieve elective aspirations, and with the support of incumbents, as it used to be in the past.
But, it appears they didn’t project ahead of what was coming. Or they took the upcoming factors for granted.
The usual carry-go politics of the past, seems to be coming to an end, given the new Electoral Act.
This development could drastically affect the political calculations of some aspirants holding appointive seats at party and governmental levels.
They are to resign if interested in contesting general elections.
Unless otherwise quickly amended, Section 10, Clause 84 of the Act states that anyone holding a political office – ministers, commissioners, special advisers, and others – must relinquish the position before they can be eligible to participate in the electoral process either as a candidate or as a delegate.
Elected officials in government at various tiers are not stated in the above clause, even though they are holding political offices. A set of the categories of those that shall resign to contest, are referred to as “and others”. A perusal of the detailed document of the Act, and explanations by legal experts might make these clearer to us laymen, untill the Act is quickly amended to remove ambiguities.
Since President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed the bill to give statutory backing to this and other aspects, such as use of Card Readers and electronic transmission of election results, uneasy calm has enveloped the once-charging political atmosphere.
Governors, for instance, Senator Douye Diri and Chief Nyesom Wike, of Bayelsa and Rivers State, respectively, have been warning appointees in their administrations to quit, if they want to contest elections, or they will be fired if they remain in offices to politick.
Diri has recently re-echoed his warning, as the new Electoral Act has given more powers to him in that regard. This has further ebbed the scramble for elective positions, by those holding offices in the State.
Though not allowing official duties assigned to appointees to lag behind is cited as a reason for the warnings to resign, governors might also be trying to tame black-leg politicians, besides protecting their political enclaves from being over heated.
One thing is that, laws do not completely rule out political intrigues. Core loyalists could be made to resign from appointments to contest elections, and get re-appointed if the elective ambition hits the rock.
Onlookers are watching eagerly, whether appointees willing to contest elections, will let the bird in their hands fly away, to target another perching on the high Iroko tree, only to miss both.
Some who are on appointments might compare the authority and perks that follow elective positions and take the risk to resign. Afterall, the prestige and shopping are what some want, and would strive to get elective positions at the expense of the common good.
With the current law, especially, aspects of legal backing for use of electronic devices and independent candidature, even those on elective positions in government, might face good fight from contenders. This is despite no provision that incumbents shall also resign, even though the interpretation of “and others” as in Section 10, Clause 84 which stipulates resignation would need clarification.
Moreover with the statutory backing to use of Card Readers and electronic transmission of results, wining an election might no longer be so easy as before.
Besides that, individual candidature, could bring on board many competent, marketable and bouyant aspirants who could give a fight to opponents from political parties, even rulling parties at the three levels of government.
However, individual candidature would be an experiment before it could gain potency, if at all it would.
So far, and amid the uneasy calm, there has been no news of resignation – even in Bayelsa State.
The new Electoral Act if enforced as expected, will make some “professional” politicians to divest their energies into other sectors to provide economic safety valves for themselves and society.
And the watchers are keenly watching the political turf.
Time, and only time, shall tell if those in political offices, and who are between the devil and the deep blue see, could actually be ready to take the risk of resigning to contest the 2023 elections.
They should be wise in their choices.