Art imitates life, and life, in its many servile ways, often represents itself as the fiction of genius writers. Chinua Achebe exemplifies this in his book, A Man of the People, and masterfully mirrors the complexities of political choices through the characters, Chief Nanga and Odili. Chief Nanga is depicted as a shrewd and mischievous politician who exploits the poverty and ignorance of the people to further his political ambitions. On the other hand, Odili represents an equally flawed archetype who uses his inherently corrupt nature to pursue an amoral personal and political agenda.

The Achebean citizens, a reflection of the Nigerian electorates of the 1960s, as are the electorates of today, find themselves caught up in a web of difficult decisions. In choosing between Chief Nanga’s cunning manipulation and Odili’s moral compromises, the citizens are presented with the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea. Achebe’s narrative, though fictional, exposes lived experiences, the nature of political corruption and the struggles of citizens trapped in moral and ethical crises, making his work a timeless reflection of the political realities of an era which came alive in Chief Nanga, “a born politician who could get away with almost anything he said or did”; and in the people who are perpetually “swayed by their hearts and stomachs and not their heads”, as he profoundly announced in the opening paragraph of the book.

When real-life corrupt politicians like Chief Nanga and Odili, and the people who consider elections as avenues for eating their futures, ruin the roost of democracy, elections become not only the undemocratic events in the undemocratic chain but also defining historical moments that determine the fates of citizens. In a country in which poverty, unemployment, and insecurity are rampant, the significance of elections becomes sharper. Citizens’ choices at the ballot box directly shape governance policies and their quality of life.

Unfortunately, poor electoral choices have repeatedly plunged millions into bottom-barrel despair, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of underdevelopment. In 1922, the National Bureau of Statistics reported in its Multidimensional Poverty Survey Index that 130 million poor citizens live in multidimensional poverty, lacking necessities such as food, healthcare, and education. These challenges are directly the results of governance failures, which stem from poor leadership selection and election.

Doubtless, poor electoral choices result in leaders prioritising personal gains over public good and promoting corrupt practices that have become hallmarks of governance in our country. These failings, which lie at the core of the japa syndrome, deepen poverty and accentuate the exodus of citizens from poverty at home. Undoubtedly, these failures are the direct consequences of the actions of citizens who eat a mess of porridge today and mortgage their futures, collecting crumbs while placing their thumbs on ballot papers to elect politicians who cannot address the myriad of challenges that confront them. 

It is unsurprising, therefore, that in many subnational states and at the national elections in 2023, politicians of Chief Nanga’s ilk have turned governance into a plenitude of chaos brought by personal ambition rather than by any vision for public good. Across many subnational states, governance has been reduced to a circus of empty rhetoric. In some others, agberos or louts, in pursuit of authoritarian politics that prioritises war over peace and violence over reason, have taken over governance.

Hello, Edo State. 

The absence of vision and foresight highlights poor leadership as it demonstrates the consequences of poor electoral choices of citizens ruled by their stomachs – not their heads, as Achebe correctly captured it. 

Briefly, let’s return to Achebe for clarity on citizens who believe in their obsequious philosophy of “let them eat” and vote for corrupt politicians who represent what they imagine for themselves. Achebe captured it this way: “What a fool! …where was he when Chief Nanga fought and drove the white men away? Why is he envious now that the warrior is eating the reward of his courage? If he was Chief Nanga, would he not do much worse!”. “Let them eat” is as much about corrupt politicians taking their turns in the carousels of “turn by turn“ as it is about poor citizens who vote for them while dreaming about their turns that will come one day.

As our country hurtles from one governance mishap to another, citizens must take responsibility for the sad state of affairs. Those who vote based on parochial interests, or who are financially induced to vote, or who rig elections for corrupt politicians, are today paying the price for their stupidity and gallantry, as the corrupt politicians they voted for are busy churning out one anti-people economic policy after the other, building or renovating grand palaces they call Government Houses and diverting public funds meant for development into their private pockets. One such corrupt politician is today standing trial for paying his children’s school fees in advance of the schools’ years they have not reached. 

In a liberal democracy, elections allow citizens to reset democracy by choosing leaders who prioritise their welfare. When citizens’ agency is denied by an obtrusive power, or, in the extreme case, by the Election Management Body that fudges election results and declares wrong candidates as winners, the consequences are far-reaching and detrimental to democracy. Such actions, whether of the citizens or the Election Management Body, foster corruption and delegitimise governance. Corrupt politicians who steal elections don’t give a damn about the policies they execute, even if they hurt citizens to their bones.

Our country stands at a crossroads. The poverty and inequality that plague it today can only be addressed by visionary leaders who are brought to power by citizens who take their electoral responsibilities seriously. Elections have consequences, but elections stolen by corrupt politicians aided by the Election Management Body have greater consequences. 

Beyond Achebe’s fiction, art which imitates life, citizens’ poor choices at the polls, and the electoral heists committed by bad politicians and rogue Election Management Bodies will always seal the fates of our citizens. 

“God will favour my family”, prays someone.

I hear you, I say!