Tough Choices: Clear Victories –
Picture Coutresy: http://www.mynewswatchtimesng.com/ekiti-elections-prelude-expectations-nasarawa/
I watch all the permutations for this country right now and my heart flutters but my confidence in God is strong and I am hopeful, not just for us, but for my children and their children because for too long, we have suffered in every sense of the word. These negative experiences range from horrible leadership and wrong examples leading us to the squandering of the numerous opportunities we have had to be great.
With the calculations of violence, threats from both extremists as well as Boko Haram intrusion rendering some states and areas ungovernable and difficult to hold elections, the efforts of the electoral process could be frustrated as the results of this election could be affected and consequently disputed. Yet, to postpone will be wrong and my friend Sammy Badaki tells me that areas where elections do not take place could bring complications. It is imperative that something is done to forge on as what is ahead of us, in terms of national challenges, is huge and we can only beat it together in one accord.
The reports on our economy brought to our attention by the former Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo reflecting the State of the Nation highlight a stunning reality that whoever wins has a challenge before him and therefore needs all of the support he can get. To recover and move forward would require unusual discipline, sacrifice, creativity and innovation from all of us. This kind of cooperation is unprecedented in the history of this country, Nigeria!
Let’s look back into history.
We all recall the Supreme Court Judgement of the infamous “12 2/3 case” of Chief Obafemi Awolowo vs Alhaji Shehu Shagari, in 1979. In the case, the Supreme Court had affirmed the election of Alhaji Shagari as the duly elected President by a 6-1 margin but with a sole dissenting voice that held that two-third of 19 states could only be 13 and not 12 2/3. More so, as the second candidate was far behind the declared winner in the total number of votes as well as in the number of state polling at least a quarter of votes in his favor. If the court had followed a strict grammatical interpretation, the result would have been to declare the election null and void, and a second election would have been held in accordance with Section 126 [4] of the Constitution. [Hari Chand, Nigerian Constitutional Law [1982], p. 179] .Thus, on one view of the matter, the majority decision in the Awolowo v. Shagari case [(1979) 6-9, S. c.51] could be said to be a necessary balance between law, policy and expediency. As should be expected, however, certain sections of the country, especially the southern parts were not satisfied with the ruling, and the judiciary became a focus of insinuation once again.
Then 14 years later as Jide Ajani explains, “There are many ‘ifs’ 20 years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election – that is still considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest. If the then military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, had known that the decision to annul the election would lead to the plethora of crises that Nigeria is yet to come over, he may not have acted in that manner. Indeed if he had known that the electoral process today would be much worse and replete with serial instances of the reasons he gave for the annulment, he may not have done so. If Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (aka, MKO) had known that events would spiral to a fatal end for him, he may not have sought the presidency of Nigeria. If some of the elected public officers who supported the annulment knew that Sani Abacha would restore full military rule for another five years, they may have stood firmly on June 12 and continued in office”.
As we remember these two important turning points in our history, which we are yet to recover from till today, we must ensure that this does not happen again and these are the expectations of the many Nigerians and nations all over the world. Even our history has held us captive to this expectation but this time it is different and I hear you ask, “what’s different?”
A great example can be found in the bible when Peter was freed from prison:
Acts 12:5-11 (NKJV)
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
God does that! He delivers His people from the expectation of their enemies. We must believe this and have a different expectation, knowing that in Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV), He says “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
I am confident that in God, it is possible to have a clear winner in this election exercise such that there is a landslide victory where there will be no doubts in any camp, among any tribe, in any group, and all the expectations of violence, breaking up and war can be laid to rest once for all because we were brought together as one by divine arrangement and not the desire of any man.
An excellent example is the story in the bible of “The Budding of Aaron’s Rod”.
Numbers 17 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you. 6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. 8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
There is always a way in which God takes out all the controversy. We however, have a role to play. We must first believe and then act on our faith and pray. The story of Peter clearly shows what the church was doing in the midst of the “expectation of the Jews. ”
Acts 12:11-17 (NKJV)
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” 16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.
First, it was necessary for the church to pray without giving up and in faith and my prayer is for us to have a similar experience like that of Rhoda and the rest of the crew, such that we will be astonished by the answers we get from this election! In addition, it is time for the restoration of law and order as well as divine clean up to restore true authority and the fear of God back to our country as indicated in the consequence of this miracle from this same story below.
Acts 12:18-24 (NKJV
18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there. 20 Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. 21 So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
The best part for me here is “But the word of God grew and multiplied” . We need that because for too long, we have forgetten that God’s desire is not our comfort directly. He commands us to “Pray for All Men”.
1 Timothy 2:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
He is looking for men to be saved and to know him which is why we are a nation. Let us never forget that!
Acts 17:24-26 (NKJV)
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He kworshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He ogives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
Come on, let’s do this and pray and believe like we never have. This is a lifetime opportunity that we cannot afford to squander again!
Francis E. Madojemu
