By Muyiwa Adetiba

Politics is primal. It is intrinsic to all Homo sapiens. Wherever two or three are gathered together, whether at home or in the office; whether at the club or in church; there you will find Mr Politics. What determines the kind of politics played is not necessary how high the stakes are, but what the rules of engagement stipulate and the character of the players. Especially the character of the players.That is why politics varies from situations to situations and countries to countries. Some will follow the rules. Some will manipulate the rules. Some will be civil while some will be vicious irrespective of the stakes. In any case, the importance or otherwise of the stakes is in itself, subjective. It depends on what stock the contestants put on influence, money, position and ego.A good example of the subjectivity of stakes is the biblical Mr Jacob who demanded his twin brother’s birth right  because of a mere plate of porridge and Mr Esau his brother, who readily agreed to the terms.

Last week, barely a week after the supplementary elections of some States in the country were concluded, it was the turn of the Estate where I live to have its own change of executive guard. Our Estate election had the characteristics and paraphernalia of the national one. It had its own INEC which came out with its electoral guidelines. It had people who supported the guidelines and people who vehemently opposed them. Our INEC, had its own register of voters and officers, who went from one apartment to the other to ensure smooth and seamless registration. It had its own conditions for the eligibility of those to vote and be voted for. For the first time in the short history of the estate, it had posters. And surprise, surprise, it had policemen on election day!

Cross section of Voters Queuing for accreditation and Voting, at unity 10, world A6, Ogunmodede juniors college, Epe, Epe Local Government Area, during the 2017 Lagos State Local Government Election by Lagos state Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, on. 22/07/2017. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

To a bystander or an impartial observer, you’d wonder what the fuss was. The jobs are without remuneration of any kind. The meeting hours are long and sometimes contentious. The level of appreciation from other residents is low at best, and cantankerous at worst. Almost all the past executives had been hounded out of office. Some have had to go to court to seek redress for having their names soiled or maligned. The result is that many eligible residents are reticent about putting themselves forward to serve. The result is that with the exception of the Chairman’s position, other positions in this election, had just one person each coming out. In the light of this, you wonder about the posters, the jingles, the video and the carnival-like manifesto night. But I am not just a bystander. I am a journalist. One who is trained to see beyond the surface. I find it curious and interesting for example, that the last three executives had been attacked and heckled by largely the same group of people. I therefore see the emergence of a pressure group which seeks to control the affairs of the Estate. After the election, one of them was heard gloating, ‘we are now in power.’ Is it power for its sake? Is it for a better service at a more reasonable rate? Or is it a proxy fight for a larger, but once discredited fish? Like John the Baptist, paving the way for the master to come back? Time will tell.

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/kwara-poll-tribunal-orders-substituted-service-on-governor-elect-inec/

Immediately after the election, the outgoing chairman had a ‘thank-you dinner’ for members of his team and a few friends at a nearby hotel. The atmosphere at the small dinner was light and the banters were free flowing. You could feel relief all around. These were not people who had just been divested of power. These were people who felt a boulder had been taken off their shoulders. The feeling is understandable. At some point, their administration had been discredited as arrogant, opaque and corrupt largely by this pressure group. They were damned if they spoke and were damned if they didn’t. Defamatory words had been used with little or no shred of evidence. Mountains had been made out of mole hills. Previous executives had faced police and court cases through actions instituted by disgruntled residents who have connections. This set had faced more. Some of its members had been invited to police headquarters in Abuja on spurious charges. They had subsequently taken police to court and won, but not before suffering unnecessary harassments and detention. The executives had been dragged before the EFCC to answer to fraud by this pressure group without a recourse to the larger body. So the jovial attitude at the dinner reflected a relief from subtle innuendos and negative comments. But in their quiet moments, they must reflect on their mistakes of non-inclusion which their detractors capitalised on. Their inability to carry other residents along played into willing hands.

The estate is interesting because it mirrors the larger Nigerian society. What I first noticed as I moved into the estate was its diversity and richness in human capital. Almost every profession; almost every occupation has residents who had practiced that profession, that occupation at the highest level. Just as almost every tribe and religion are represented. My first engagement was to see how the residents could be brought closer in order to network and share a common goal. I quickly pulled back when I realised my intention was being misunderstood. It’s been downhill in terms of unity, cohesiveness and neighbourliness since then. Many accomplished elders in the estate are silent and possibly disillusioned. Nobody would want his hard-fought name to be dragged carelessly in the mud by a largely faceless group. I think of Nigeria when I think of my estate. So much to give to ourselves and the world. Yet we can’t see the trees for the wood. There are ten year old assets – generators, lifts, cables, pipes etc—that need to be gradually replaced. Security that needs to be improved upon. Modern gadgets that need to be introduced to make the estate ‘smart.’ More importantly, a quality of life that can be enhanced. But we can’t do all these in an atmosphere of acrimony; of toxicity; of impunity.

The new executive has its work cut out. To my mind, it has to start with reconciliation. The past three executives had been unnecessarily wronged and maligned. Together, in unity of purpose, they might perhaps be able to neutralise the growing power of this negative pressure group and refocus the estate. Otherwise, as the saying goes: ‘The whip which was used to lash the first wife is still in the attic, ready for use again.’ The Trustees also have to wake up from their deep slumber. They have fiddled and abdicated their responsibilities for too long. I wish the new executive luck in whatever path it chooses to take.