“And Caesar’s spirit ranging for revenge with Ate by his side come hot from hell, shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice cry “HAVOC!!!” and let slip the dogs of war that this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men groaning for burial.”
Shakespeare – Julius Caeser
Neither the heavens nor the earth have slept in the last few days in Ekiti state as the hounds of hell have been let loose in full demonic fury. The Gods of war have been consulted, incantations and prayers done to the supernatural elements. Though the metaphysical elements have been brought into the picture and have perhaps taken sides, yet there has to be a manifestation of the spiritual in the physical. So, the police, soldiers, DSS, NSCDC, thugs, mercenaries, conmen, professional ballot snatchers, ballot paper forgers, disloyal and compromised INEC staff have all converged on Ekiti state. Not to be outdone, the physical representatives of the supernatural order are locked in a death struggle in Ekiti state. You can be sure that jujumen, dibias, marabouts, spritists conjurers and magicians are also having a field day in the electoral space, turned theatre of conflict that is Ekiti state.
What is at stake, whichever way you look at it is love. Some would say it is the love of the pocket, but the protagonist, Fayose and the antagonist, Fayemi would rather say that what is pushing them on in this unrelenting war of ‘no retreat, no surrender’ is rather the love of the people and the love of the state. They are like two lovers who love their female companions so much that rather than see them in the arms of some other men, would prefer to do away with them totally and permanently. Fayose does not trust Fayemi with the people of Ekiti and Fayemi does not believe that Eleka, the Pdp candidate and Fayose’s godson loves Ekiti enough. So they have to disturb the people and peace of Ekiti with strife and violence to prevent the people of Ekiti from following the wrong lover.
This dangerous game among the political class has gone on for too long. The tragedy of our misplaced present and future is compounded by the inability of Nigerians to call evil by its name. Truth is now dependent on where you stand and with whom. But if we have to say it as it is, truth does not have any coloration, geographical boundaries or unholy alliances. It neither belongs to the political class or the people, or to any ethnic group or religious institution. Truth stands alone, unbiased and in full dignity at all times. It vindicates and convicts, but most importantly, it liberates.
I might not be exactly enamored by Fayose’s theatrics. I might not even like him much. It is also possible that being a postulator or promoter or believer in “What goes around comes around” as he recently said on television, he is now facing retribution for what he also did in the past. But where does that leave us, the people? What impact does the violation of the principles of law and liberty have on the citizens of our country even when the adversaries are members of the political class engaged in intra-class conflict? We can throw our hands in the air, snigger with justifiable self-righteousness and say “Serves them right. Let them kill themselves” This reminds me of the words of Christ:
“If they call me Beelzebub, the prince of demons, how much more will they do to you”
The truth is that there is nothing good about using the devil to cast out the devil. The wrongful deployment and use of the Nigerian police and security forces in Ekiti state for whatever reason represents a clear and present danger to the civil populace. The cane that has been used to flog or discipline an unruly first wife is being kept to be used against the second wife. Except that in this case, it will be bullets , guns, and teargas that will be used against the rest of us. Mark my words, when the stakes are high and the political and economic interests of certain people are being resisted by the civil populace, the guns will be turned against the people and the end will then justify the means. You cannot serve the purpose of the law by subverting the law. There is a deep flaw in the character and moral disposition of our political actors. There is an intrinsically natural unjustness to the politics of our country that is being powered by a system that has a natural hatred for the ordinary people and progress of our country. For the umpteenth time we declare most stridently that what is going on in our country, with Ekiti state as a signpost is more than an Apc and Pdp struggle for political power targeted at our treasuries. It is rather a continuous attack against the people of Nigeria by the leaders of Nigeria. Those who will not give you light, will not guarantee your health, refuse to educate you, are unable to protect you and fail to lift you out of poverty in spite of the country’s constitutional mandate and resources at their disposal, are not your friends and can never be. The Pdp was not our friend and the Apc is certainly not. So let them kill and shoot and terrorize the people in Ekiti. Remember that when they finish with their temporary enemies, they will come for you – when the time is ripe.
Beyond the charade and abuse of power in Ekiti state, the ongoing debacle is frighteningly a dress rehearsal for 2019. Trouble times await. Our continuous faux pas is a stark reminder that our past is very much with us in the present. As they say, our leaders have “learnt nothing and forgotten nothing “
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