Glossary Of Current Nigerian Political Terms

By Dafe Ivwurie

In Nigerian politics there are no dull moments. There is always something to talk about at the national, state or local government levels. And we must give kudos to the Nigeria press for always bringing us up to speed with happenings all over the country. Had it not been for members of the Fourth Estate of the realm, we would not have known the intrigues and power play that almost consumed the political soul of the country at the height of the Yar’Adua-is-sick-Goodluck-must-take-over debacle.

I am wondering, is anybody writing a book on “The Politics of Sickness and Presidential Succession”? The title can always change depending on what you prefer to focus on. But that is not our concern here at the moment.

I have been looking at a number of words that have been used profusely in the Nigerian press in the last six months and how they will shape the coming campaign and election season. Although I call it a glossary of current buzzwords in Nigerian political conversation, it is not in alphabetical order, neither is it exhaustive. I have chosen to start with the word cabal.

The dictionary meanings of the word cabal are; a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority; the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue. The word came to national prominence when all the shenanigans about the politics of the health of the late Umaru Yar’Adua were on. It was reported that a certain cabal, a group of plotters, intriguers or junta were taking advantage of the late President’s incapacitation to ‘arrange’ themselves. In case you are not familiar with Nigerian street language, the word ‘arrange’ means to manipulate a situation to achieve a desired selfish motive. Reports had it that Hajia Turai Yar’Adua was the head of that infamous group of arrangers or cabal.

However, the death of Yar’Adua does not mean that the word has been expunged from current political usage. Probably relegated to the background but also assuming a more strategic role in the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as the would-be presidential flag bearer for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Please note names like Theophilus Danjuma, Mike Oghiadomhe, Ima Niboro, Cairo Ojougboh in the coming months and many more that will come up. Synonyms for cabal are manipulating (manipulators), collude (colluders), conspire (conspirators) and scheme (schemers).

The next word is zoning. It would help for you to disregard the geography and regional planning definition of the word. Also, it has nothing to do with the time segmentation of the earth or the allocation of land. Zoning is a political term coined by the ruling PDP. It became popular in the run up to the election that brought Olusegun Obasanjo into power in 1999. The argument was that the acclaimed winner of the nullified June 12, 1993 election, Bashorun MKO Abiola, was from the South West of Nigeria; and since he was not allowed to take up his mandate before he died in prison, it was politically expedient to pacify that zone, region, geographical location by ‘enthroning’ one of his kinsmen. The pattern, which is enshrined in the constitution of the PDP and which is almost being peddled as if it is entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was what brought Yar’Adua and Jonathan to power in 2007. Please note that if PDP did not zone to the North, Goodluck Jonathan would not have been vice president and invariably president today. But is the largest party in Africa about to jettison or scrap that constitutional provision now that it seems that Goodluck may be interested in the presidency? Will Jonathan himself begin to plot with his own cabal to change the pattern? PDP seems to be boxed in now as they will have to contend with credibility issues when they begin to tinker their constitution again to achieve an arranged result. Synonyms for zoning are exclusion and elimination.

Governors’ Forum: Note that this noun is a political organisation. There are different factions of the Governors’ Forum like the Northern Governors Forum, the South South Governors Forum, the South West Governors Forum and of course, the PDP Governors Forum. It is not a political party but when its members are united, there is nothing they cannot achieve. For instance, it was reported in the press that the President was only able to choose a vice president, a governor from Kaduna State, after a meeting with the forum. Remember that Yar’Adua and Jonathan were members of that group when Lucky Igbinedion was the chairman. It will also do a world of good if you put this other fact at the back of your mind; that the governors played a major role in bringing the political impasse occasioned by the late president’s ill health to an ‘expedient resolution’. Synonyms for governors forum are power brokers, kingmakers and deal brokers.

Niger Delta: May I urge you to do away with the images of AK-47-wielding, grenade-launching and trigger-happy militants that have so much become the images that come to mind when the Niger Delta is mentioned in any conversation. It used to be that the images that the Niger Delta conjured in the past were that of environmental degradation, depravation, neglect and abject poverty amongst the people from whose community the oil that greases the wheel of development in other parts of the country, especially Abuja, is tapped. It seems to be convenient for some political players that militancy is drummed up as against the need to resolve the neglect that has been the case in the region forever. Goodluck Jonathan is from that region and a former governor of Bayelsa State, which is very active in the agitation for desired development of the people of the region. Now that one of their own is the Commander-in-chief, will they make it mandatory for the status quo to remain in order to ensure peace and speedy development? Will the ruling party use the current amnesty programme as a political tool? More than ever, the Niger Delta will play a major role in the coming election. Will the states that make up the region remain loyal to PDP? I get the feeling that if there is a candidate strong enough to sway the people into thinking that PDP has failed in most of the states in the region, PDP might lose some of them. Synonyms of Niger Delta are cash cow, neglect and troubled spot.

There are other words like, consensus, lobby, credible elections, electoral reforms and wait for this, IBB.
Published in Saturday Independent, 22 May, 2010: http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=13980