OUR politicians are the same. They want to serve us. They seek any platform to serve us. They insist on serving us. To achieve their burning desire, they break rules, even the rules of the parties through which they want to access power. Their understanding is that power is so important that they should do anything to acquire it.

Primaries of the various parties have revealed the same thing – there are no rules. Circumstances rule the parties. Recent losers to the fluidity of the rules, also earlier beneficiaries of the breached rules, are complaining loudly. In our politics, neither rules, nor precedents matter. The might of those in momentary control is everything. The internal democratic processes of all the parties are flawed. Party members only complain when they are not beneficiaries of the choreographies called primaries.

Why do they all want to serve us? Why are they disinterested in what we say, as they serve us? Have they found out what we want? What record of service supports their current quest? Why is almost everyone joining politics, draining valuable resources from other professions?

The simple answers are in the nature of our politics. Its military structures that President Olusegun Obasanjo once likened to garrisons and asked everyone to follow the dictates of the commanders – in that instance, a known promoter of thuggery in Ibadan – highlight why our politics alienates the people.

Politicians are the commanders. They tell the forces what to do. They insist things are done their way, for the people. The occasional recourses to the people during elections and campaigns that are more like carnivals are staged to stress the importance of the people to democratic processes, another farce.

A politician’s service is his survival strategy. Most politicians are in it for themselves. The contrary picture of prosperous people, who have so much, that they want to give back to society is patently false. Politicians see involvement in government as the only on-going business. The profits, when they succeed, put other ventures to shame.

They are interested in Nigeria because she provides the resources they want to annex. They humour the people when they stress the importance of the people to democracy. The desperation of politicians, with some jumping from one party to the other, in search of channels to power, emphasises politicians as self-serving.  They have been at it for years. As the economy contracts, the desperation has increased. Many professionals are abandoning their specialisations for the pleasures of politics, creating more skills gaps.

Nigerians, after 16 years of unfulfiled promises should deny serial, self-serving politicians spaces in our future. Our votes can make that decision in 2015.