Victor Egba.
Compliments of the Season,
Fellow Cross Riverians.
Consequentialism is a theory in the field of ethics, it says the moral value of an action can be judged by looking at the consequences it has.
This phrase is better put in the words of Nicollo Machiavelli “The end justifies the means” where he opined that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable.
Whether you believe that the end justifies the means or the means is as important as the end, it will be easy to tell if you indulge to pick a side. Or
If you attempt the moral obligation to query the people who were positioned on the presupposed wrong side of history in the just concluded CRS Governorship elections.
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While It is true we are now grappling post elections issues just like in our national politics, we seem more divided after the elections than before.
Even though we were told to believe that history will always repeat itself, it appears we cannot be guaranteed when that will, as one can clearly see that the spirit of goodwill that once greeted our national politics will no longer be a culture–the congratulatory phone calls will no longer be common, just like the Presidential election, opponents have now sworn to get it by all means necessary.
Sportsmanship is no longer vogue, you either win or the process was flawed. Alas! for the players on the scene, the end justifies the means.
One would have thought Prof. Sandy Onor will be a Sportsman having lost fifteen local Governments,
Perhaps him too believes that he knows the court better and the God who did it for Sen. Jarigbe is still the Carterpiller God.
But for his supporters In the southern Senatorial District, the loss is more than politics, the deeply steered ethnic sentiments were still lingering in the taste buds of those who ate the yoruba proverbial Yam and oil.
“If one does not eat oil because of yams, one will eat yams because of oil”
Today the most popular words on the street is “Atam” and the “Back to South” mantra now metamorphosing into the hall of fame of statesmen and defenders of the tribe.
A rather sordid version of history is budding, the profiling of people who by circumstances of the last elections had to support their party.
For those who saw the victory of Sen.Prince Otu as a contest of Us versus Them, rather than wits and hubris, this is now time for revenge.
We cannot pretend to turn a blind eye to the silent darts and subtle shades been shared on social media, we still remember Ita Giwa’s Infamous “Lagos boy that landed with just a bag” or the eve of elections endorsement of Gov. Donald Duke, the now labeled Chief Judas of the South.
Who am I to beguile them, the vituperation and outburst of the PDP candidate was very embarrassing, himself a Professor of History, should know better, the dangers of stirring ethnic sentiments, rabid emotionalism of interest, and triggering the cultural sensibilities in a multilingual and cross cultural society as ours do not end with the ballots.
One would have thought that with his exposure to literature on our roots and heritage, he will have found the perfect fancy of soul to look towards uniting Cross Riverians as a now common entity but he sought to act like His friend Peter Obi who endorsed him on national TV, tow the path of tearing us apart.
Why do we even have to blame him, perhaps for politicians, the end justifies the means always and nothing was more suited to the climate of the day than the conversations around “Back to South ” a major philosophy he had to discredit if he must garner goodwill, a task he unfortunately took to the extreme.
The South must have been injured, their ego bruised, the actions of their kinsmen couldn’t have been any less bitter, it must have appealed to the worst emotions and pass for nothing short of a betrayal.
This is no doubt why it is now a quiet gossip that those who didn’t support the APC from the south did in fact like Judas ‘betray’ them.
Allow me the modest reservation of not completely agreeing with you. All through our democratic journey, candidates have always enjoyed support across all Senatorial Districts. Party men irrespective of their filial relationship have stood by their party candidates, let alone a major political party like PDP whose control of the state had lingered for almost 20 years since our return to democracy.
It is excusable seeing that most persons are deeply invested in their party and it behoves on them as party men to support the candidates of that party.
The strength of our democracy is built on the loyalty of party men. Without a viable opposition our democracy will not thrive and we will be spinning against the wind of progress.
Regardless of the animosity of the elections, the Leadership of the South should unite around Prince Otu, rather than fight proxy wars. It will be imperative to dismantle the flagships of “Back to South” and build a table long enough to accommodate the proponents of Back To ‘US’, even all and sundry.
Those who won on the good side of history must desist from discouraging the Governor_Elect from extending a hand of fellowship like he has always preached.
The profiling of supposed betrayers which is being inorganically engineered by those who are defining their territories in the new Government should desist forthwith.
His Excellency should also proceed with caution with the Party’s decision to set up an Anti_Party Review Committee while we still have substantive matters before the tribunal.
We must be careful with the wielding of the big stick. Knowing that fortune smiles and then betrays.
The savouring of our victory should not afford us the luxury of starting another in-fighting.
The Governor_Elect and the Leadership of the party must find a way to midwife a seamless process in the end that the Committee will not assume the role of a “Ken Saro Wiwa trial” one that is used to settle political brawls rather than strengthen internal party democracy.
We must allow the Governor-elect to do the necessary work of reconciliation as he has avowed to do.
Running an all embracing government and forgiving the “judas of the South” is not just christ-like but necessary in consolidating governance.
It will be counter productive for His Excellency to be seen as fighting a proxy war against his kinsmen whom he now needs more than before to succeed. Besides, it will be important to be a unifier amongst Cross Riverians rather than the polar line between them.
His Excellency should be kind enough to follow through his Olive Branch with consolidatary visits to notable Cross Riverians irrespective of their party affiliation and seek to rally all hands on deck to build a modern state.
It will not be a mark of great statesmanship, if he ignores the fanning of the embers of war by his kinsmen and allies, however it is tempting to do so, an African proverb alludes that “no man goes to the market square to dance while his house is on fire”
He must take important steps to unite his people behind him, demonstrate leadership and set the course for serious purposeful leadership.
We must ensure the peace of our state and it’s progress rather than continue expending on litigations like we have experienced lately.
We hope that going forward we will see a Governor of all Cross Riverians where even the elected members of the opposition party would be given an enabling environment to effectively serve Cross Riverians and their constituents.
May we never sacrifice governance for cupid politics.
May the death and resurrection of Jesus bring us all peace! Amen.