2019: Towards a new political order

By Paul Uwadima

President Muhammadu Buhari last month signed the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law. The law reduces the age qualification for president from 40 to 35; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25. In his Democracy Day address the President had promised to sign the bill into law. The National Assembly had passed the bill last year, altering sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution to reduce the constitutional age requisition for president from 40 to 30; that of the governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.

Signing the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law was the culmination of the growing quest for the emergence of young and new breed politicians, which was championed by former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida as military head of state. That agitation has been taken over by the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Movement and others who wanted a change from the old order. Recall that the concept of a “new breed” of politicians is especially identified with the military regime of Military President , General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) during Babangida’s transition projects to civilian administration between the late 1980s to the early ‘90s in which Babangida banned politicians with pedigree and then encouraged the emergence of “new breed” politicians. It was stated that in order to establish new order in the Third Republic, politicians who has participated in the politics of the previous Republics and indicted for corrupt practices should be banned in the transition politics.

The ban was to ensure that the new breed of politicians being nurtured were not corrupted by the “old breed”. Of course the ban was criticized at the time, especially by those affected by the ban and their cronies who argued that the ban was not well intentioned but a smoke screen to silence the critics of the Babangida administration. They said that it was part of a large scheme by Babangida to perpetuate himself in power. But no one can deny that Nigeria in 2018 needs a new breed of politicians, as the old breed of politicians that had been running this country for nearly 20 years have failed Nigerians.

It is therefore time to revisit the concept of new breed politicians to save the country from the hands of thieving and corrupt politicians who turned our hope for a new Nigeria in 1999 to a mirage. Recently, the former military president issued a statement in which he once again endorsed the emergence of new breed politicians. Recall that Babangida had early this year in a statement called for the emergence of a new generation of leaders to assume the mantle of leadership come 2019. In the statement entitled, “Towards A National Rebirth” the former military president harped on the need to enthrone younger blood into the mainstream of the political leadership starting from 2019.

Babangida said the search for the new breed leadership must start now as Nigeria prepares for 2019 elections. Babangida stressed that he was offering the advice as a stakeholder, former president and concerned Nigerian who was desirous of seeing “new paradigms in our shared commitment to get this country running.” He said, “This is the time for us to reinvent the wheel and tap into the resourcefulness of the younger generation, stimulate their entrepreneurial initiatives and provoke a conducive environment  to grow the national economy both at micro and macro levels.” He added that his support for a new breed of leadership derives from the understanding that it will show a marked departure from the recycled leadership to creating a new paradigms that will breath fresh air into our present polluted leadership actuality.

The former military ruler said the next election in 2019, therefore presents Nigeria with a unique opportunity to reinvent the wheel and provoke fresh leadership that would immediately began the process of healing the wounds in the land and ensuring that the wishes and aspirations  of the people are realized in building and sustaining national cohesion and consensus. He noted that the country needs new ways of doing politics, saying that what obtains at present was not helping the country. “We need new ways and new approaches in our political order. We need a national rebirth. We need a rebranded Nigeria and rebranded politics. It is not so much for the people, but for the institutions that are put in place to promote our political engagements”, he said.

He urged Nigerians to come to a national consensus that the nation needs a new breed of leadership with the requisite capacity to manage the diversities and jump-start a process of launching the country on the super highway of technology driven leadership in line with the dynamics of modern governance. “We must be unanimous in what we desire for our country; new generation leadership, result-driven leadership, a sound political foundation, demonetization of our politics, enhanced internal democracy, elimination of impunity in our politics, inclusiveness in decision making, and promotion of citizens’ participation in our democratic process”, he said. Unfortunately for the former President when he issued this statement in February 2018 it was obfuscated by media reports that his intention was to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from seeking second term while the fine lines of the message which is the fact that the country needs new breed of leaders was lost.

What Babangida did and which many considered laudable is to have noted that the old politics and old politicians have failed the country and the onus is now on Nigerians  to agree that from 2019 they are going to reject them and support new breed of political leaders who will bring the much needed political and socio-economic change in the country. While no one is demanding a law or order from the Presidency in 2018 banning some politicians from participating in the politics of the country, there are growing calls for the old politicians to be eased out of politics by Nigerians for a new set of leaders to emerge. Those canvassing this view argue that the old politicians have dominated the politics of the country since 1999 and they do not seem to be in a hurry to leave the scene. They believe that the old breed are doing everything fair or foul to dominate the politics of the country and appropriate it and the country’s resources for themselves, their families and cronies.

Having tested power since 1999 and gathered ill-gotten wealth, the old breed now treat Nigeria and Nigerians as conquered territory in which it is only what they said that stand. The Not-Too-Young-To-Run Movement and others who share similar aspirations are expected to impact the leadership choices in Nigeria in 2019 general elections. This explained the euphoria that greeted the signing into law the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari.

This article was originally published in LEADERSHIP Newspaper of June 19, 2018