As the February 14 elections draw nearer it becomes clearer that there
are two classes of Nigerians; the rich
who milk the country’s wealth and
set it ablaze and the poor whom they
see merely as milk cows and cannon
fodder. Recent media reports that politicians and bosses of big
businesses are moving their families
abroad (particularly to the United
States, United Kingdom and United
Arab Emirates) present a grave cause
for concern in this direction. It is equally a pointer to the palpable
possibility of severe national crisis in
the wake of the elections. United Action for Democracy
denounces this flight of the rich
whilst they contrive an inflammable
conundrum for the poor. UAD equally
finds it worrisome that thousands of
“non-indigenes” have also had to relocate back to their states and
zones of origin out of fear of the
possible aftermath of February 14.
These are evidently ominous signs.
This is the time for working people
and their organisations to stand up against the destructive manipulations
of the ruling elites. UAD was forged as the leading pan-
Nigeria coalition of radical civil
society organisations at a moment
like this in 1997, then against military
dictatorship. The civilian wing of the
ruling class has proven itself to be little more democratic than the
military that we fought tooth and nail
against to reinstate the republic.
Democracy goes beyond the right to
vote in one section of the bosses or
another. For it to have much meaning to the poor working masses,
it must entail the building of popular
structures of people’s power, through
which workers, farmers, artisans, the
urban poor, women, youth and all
other strata of the immense majority of the population are central to the
running of social life. None of the leading parties in
contention represents this concept of
working people’s democracy which
the UAD stands for. Their readiness
(across party lines) to relocate their
families out of harm’s way, while they stoke the embers of a
catastrophe also shows their oft
trumpeted “patriotism” for the ruse it
is. They are not worth dying for. The total lack of concern for the
tragic loss of possibly 2,000 lives in
Baga is a reflection of the politicians’
contempt for the lives of poor
Nigerians. While President Goodluck
Jonathan has remained shamefacedly mute, the APC Presidential Campaign
Organisation has merely called for
“soothing words of compassion and
empathy” for the people of Baga and
Borno state, in what appears
basically as partisan brickbat. UAD seeks a more cogent response
to the Baga massacre and the war
between Boko Haram and the
Federal Government. Reports from
affiliates and the State Chapter of the
UAD in Borno state indicate that the situation is getting worse by the day.
President Jonathan’s silence on the
abduction of the Chibok Girls
Secondary School pupils during his
first visit (and obviously one intended
to make electoral gains), since the abduction is for residents of Borno
and indeed all well meaning persons
a confirmation of the disdain of
Nigeria’s “big men” and rulers for the
poor. Enough is definitely enough! Baga
represents the prospects poor
working people face as the rich
gladiators battle for Aso Rock in a
few weeks time. We must refuse to
be deceived into lining up behind the backs of any of them to kill fellow
poor people irrespective of their
ethnicity, religion or partisan
affiliation. The most cogent response
to the drumbeats of war that
politicians are beating but will choose not to dance themselves can come
only from us; through our
independent, united self-activity
based as working people. UAD affiliates and State Chapters
across the country have been
mandated to work closely with trade
unions and other civil society
organisations to build this popular
response from below, against the machinations of the bosses and
politicians. We must have no
illusions, dark clouds lie ahead. But if
we, the masses, whose labour
creates the social wealth, stand
united, we will weather the storm and bring to birth a new Nigeria from
the ashes of the old. Indeed, a new
and better Nigeria is possible!

I see what you're saying?..I think the solution here is to stop this foolish debate choose between jon or buhari etc..the solution is to not vote denounce all them candidates nd select someone outside their political family..a new person each year unless satisfactory..yes