By Ifere Paul
I want to be a politician with the name that rings a bell in the political party I belong.
I don't believe in the brand of politics where a politician has to jump from one political party to the next in search of greener pastures. This type of politics will never grow our party's internal democracy.
I do not believe in that standard of politics.
If parties are not built on, and or do not have ideological templates, politicians should. Politicians should be concerned about their brands and types of politicking.
My kind of politics will be the kind that takes the interest of my followers and the constituents I am representing, or the interest and common good of the people I govern.
In the context of Nigeria, I do not believe that political parties makes the politician. No! I believe that the politician and his brand of politics makes and form the type of democracy practiced in a political party.
Celebrating defections from one political party to the next by our political gladiators should really not be something worth celebrating. Because in all, it is the representation of their personal interest.
Political party's coalitions or collaboration will not be necessary because one political party wants to win elections by all cost. The APC and PDP coalitions, and the Third Force are to me, all not necessary if we have distinctive politicians, who have distinguished themselves in reflecting the interest of their people.
What has caused a consistent shifting from one political party to the next is the greediness and selfish interest of our politicians in Nigeria.
Most of our politicians do not see the need to remain in one elective office. They serve a double term and want to go to the next office. They do not think of grooming people to take up elective responsibility. They want me and you to remain their perpetual campaigners and voters and followers. If that is worth celebrating, then, we all need a brain resetting.
I want to see a Nigeria where young talents are infused in governance of these great nation of ours.
There is no other country in the world that has the highest disregard for her young talents like Nigeria. From Quasi-Socialite Vietnam, Communist China, and Capitalist India, young people are increasingly jammed with national leadership responsibility. The 93 years old Prime Minister of Malaysia Mohamad Mahathir is fighting corruption that has plagued Malaysia over the years with young people.
Our own President Muhammadu Buhari, a 73 year old man, will rather described the young and energetic talents that abound in Nigeria, lazy.
It is very appalling to see that young people, including the president's appointees are celebrating a "celebrated criminal" (according to EFCC's and Presidential Special Panel on Asset Recovery records) into their party. The same party that has been bent on prosecuting this high political criminal. It goes to show that Nigeria is a country with little or no future for growth beyond recycling the same old cargoes, and rebranding them as either "criminals or saints" as the occasion demands.
Moving forward, every young and political aware youth must begin to think about themselves as possible replacements of these consistent and classless decampees and defectors from all to all political parties. They have no brand but selfish interest.
If the youth must take over, they must stop this shadow worshipping. They must stop celebrating political decampees into and out of political parties. Youths must not wait for legislative bills like the "Not Too Young To Run Bill" to chase these prostitutes away.
Our politicians must begin to cultivate their interest on the people they represent and govern. When your brand of politics centers in and around the people, you do not need a political party, and the party will work hard to keep you. When politicians have people as their brands, they can stand as independents and will excel beyond political parties.
My name is Chief Ifere Paul: I am just sharing my thoughts.
Ifere Paul, A New Generation Politician, Social Critic Writes From Cross River State
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