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Voting during an election in Nigeria
By Davou Dalyop
People’s Democratic Party’s victory during the just concluded Bye-election in Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency is not a victory for Plateau Indigenes as opined by some in the community. It was a collective efforts that included many from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. Politics is a game of numbers. This is not just a political slogan but an honest reality that every politician and their followers must understand. The outcome of the Bassa/Jos North Bye-election has awakened this reality in many politicians and their followers, however the sad reality is that even in victory, some within the People’s Democratic Party are alienating many that they consider as “others”.
One writer wrote, “this is a victory for Plateau indigenes”. Another wrote, “Dare you the Beroms, the Anagutas, the Afizeres, the Bujis, the Miangos etc, the Jos North Bassa Federal Constituency is yours and you can remobilize and continue to represent yourselves. According to WorldPopulationReview.com, the estimated population of Jos North is about 942,167, while that of Bassa stands about 226,381. This is an estimated population of 1.2 million people. This population comprises multiple ethnic groups, including Igbo, Yoruba, Angas, Tarok, Jukun, Tiv, Hausa, and Michika to list a few. These ethnic groups, excluding the aforementioned indigenous groups represent about eighty percent of the constituency. Residents of the constituency who are not indigenous to Plateau State make up more than 60 percent of the constituency.
In a constituency that has grown into a cosmopolitan community, with the “indigenes” making up less than fifty percent of the constituency, it bewilders one to imagine the political calculation behind this logic. To win an election, you would need support from individuals from all religious and socio-ethnic backgrounds. To form a majority, you need an alliance between individuals and groups who have a similar objective. As was evident in 2015 and now in 2022. Politics is a game of numbers, and the most successful individual(s) or groups to create a formidable alliance will always carry the day. The politics of exclusion, and creating an “us verses them” mentality only serves to sow division within the constituency. It creates a wedge between constituents and hinders productive dialogues about the issues facing the community.
Just as it is counter-productive for the Ulaman Council to present a candidate as a Muslim alternative, it is equally counter-productive for CAN to toe this line of reasoning. Just as it is repulsive for the Berom community to scavenge for a candidate because they consider themselves “Indigenes”, it is equally repulsive when the Hausa-Fulani community summon meetings for the sole purpose of identifying a candidate that will represent their interest. The most important interest is that of the constituents, and Bassa / Jos North have a diverse constituent, with some of the so called non-indigenes having a larger population than the Indigenes within the constituency. There is a silent minority-majority that we cannot alienate. This silent minority make up more than 50 percent of the constituency. They are the Igbos, Yorubas, Tivs, Urohbos, Jukuns etc. Claiming that a particular ethnic group or religion posseses the right or dominance over others is surly a recipie for disaster.
To be successful, we must honor the principles of democracy with our words and actions. We should allow candidates to engage in the political process without clinging to religious or ethnic sentiments. Every resident of Bassa and Jos North have the right to vote and be voted for. They have the constitutional backing to present their policies in the marketplace of political ideas to be evaluated, criticized, or accepted by the constituents. It is high time that politicians test their popularity and that of their ideas and policies without wrapping them up with ethnic or religious garments. They should step out as true democrats without resulting to religious or ethnic sentiments. They should learn from the just concluded Bye-election, understanding that the victory by PDP was not a victory for Plateau Indigenes, but a victory for democracy.
