Americans have a variety of political traditions. Each presidential election cycle, as is happening now, some of these traditions are replayed as the system makes its way towards meeting a crucial part of its democratic destiny and objective.

THE National Party of Nigeria (NPN) the ruling party in the Second Republic was disliked by millions of people particularly the youths. It was perceived as the party of the rich. Indeed, it was founded by the ruling class including groups referred to as the Kaduna Mafia and ‘Money Bags’ Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola was to respond that it was an insult to refer to him as a ‘money bag’ because no bag could contain all his money.

A cursory survey of media reports on the downstream oil sector suggests that the prevailing popular belief is that a predatory cabal has a vice grip over the business of fuel importation. There is concern, therefore, that this, presumably, vicious class of businessmen would do everything to ensure that refineries will never work, and that the subsidy regime would subsist, while fuel supply will continue to be carefully manipulated to regularly induce artificial scarcity so that bountiful profits can be harvested from the attendant sufferings and economic dislocation deliberately caused by the oil cabal.

It does not require the intelligence of a space rocket scientist to understand that the DISCOs were sold to friends of the former administration, despite the efforts to make the biddings appear transparent. Amadi could not therefore be expected to regulate tariffs in a manner that would jeopardize the investments of the friends of the government and his benefactor.

ALL over the democratic world, the term: “change” is a pet mantra employed by opposition parties. “Continuity” is the ruling party’s counter to this battle cry. After eight years of George Bush (II) and the Republicans in America, Barack Obama of the Democratic Party not only campaigned for “change”, he styled his own: “the change we need”.