When General Sani Abacha deceptively seized power in 1993 from the interim government led by Chief Ernest Shonekan, one thing he pretended about was returning power to the people. First was that he pretended that he had a plan to hand over to Chief MKO Abiola, who was believed to have won the annulled June 12, 1993 election. Later, he pretended that he had a plan to hand over power to politicians through an election.After several years of suppressing and silencing opponents, Abacha eventually announced that he would hand over power to a democratically elected government on October 1, 1998. Politicians began to form political parties with the hopes of taking over from Abacha. Abacha approved five of them. He even conducted elections for the local government areas and the states’ legislature in 1997. In April 1998, he conducted the federal legislative elections. What remained was the gubernatorial and presidential elections, scheduled for August 1, 1998.

But the dark-goggled general had other plans. In 1997, a strange group by the name Youths Earnestly Ask for Abacha had been formed. The group was led by a 26-year-old American returnee called Daniel Kanu. The group was campaigning for Abacha to drop his military uniform and become a civilian president. The group was spending a humongous amount of money, which was evident as its organisers could not afford it.

YEAA started the publicity for what it called the Two-Million-Man March, scheduled to be held in Abuja from March 3 to 4, which was meant to show that Nigerian youths were passionately asking Abacha to hand over to himself. Mr Olisa Agbakoba, under the aegis of the United Action for Democracy, countered it with what his group tagged the Five-Million-Man March to reject Abacha. Expectedly, while Kanu’s rally went without hitches, with security providing protection, Agbakoba’s rally was disrupted by security operatives. They gave Agbakoba a black eye, which he generously displayed to the media. Some newspapers gave his picture front-page coverage. That sent a clear message that Abacha was behind YEAA, while the masses wanted the military to relinquish power.

On the political turf, something curious was unfolding. Some of those who had shown interest in running for president began to withdraw from the race. One by one, the five parties began to announce Abacha as their sole candidate, even though Abacha was not their member. It was obvious that an unseen hand was exerting some pressure. Bombs were also going off in different homes and offices, especially those who were critical of Abacha. Some people were shot dead or killed by bombs. Some were lucky to survive. Some were arrested and charged with treason. Some died in detention. Some were hanged. Some, like Senator Bola Tinubu, fled Nigeria.

The nation was in shock and helplessness. The helplessness came from the realisation that it was just a matter of time before Abacha would become the civilian leader. Some prominent Nigerians called G34, under the leadership of Dr Alex Ekwueme, wrote a letter to Abacha explaining why it was not proper for him to succeed himself. But the message fell on deaf ears.
On June 8, 1998, Abacha died. Death was the only power that could stop Abacha from putting the whole of Nigeria in his pocket and becoming the president.

Today, ironically, even though Tinubu was a victim of Abacha’s highhandedness, it is surprising that he has allowed himself to be associated with the reenactment of the Abacha style that is going on. One can see a clear attempt to get all opposition members into the APC.
The icing on the cake was last week’s action of both the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas. They moved a motion that the whole of Nigeria should adopt Tinubu as the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

This happened at the APC Summit in Abuja on May 22. At the summit, the Senate President said inter alia:
“The leadership of the House of Representatives should join me. I want all the members of the National Assembly of the APC extraction to stand up wherever they are. I want distinguished senators to stand up wherever they are. And you will re-echo what I’m going to say. Those who love you will also join. I want to move, and let it be moved, that not only will President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be the sole candidate for the presidency in 2027, but he will also be the sole candidate for the whole Nigerian population. Because all other political parties have been turned into shreds. Nigerians are saying that because you have done a difficult job well, it is time for us to reward you by sending you back to the Presidency for a second term in office. I move, therefore, as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that Mr President return, one, as a candidate of the APC unopposed, and secondly, as the next president for a second term, come 2027. I so move.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives seconded the motion, dragging in all members of the National Assembly as well as the members of the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states of Nigeria. He said: “I stand on behalf of the entire 109 senators, 360 members, and all the 36 speakers and their members to second this very important motion moved by the Senate President.”

It was most embarrassing to watch these two symbols of democracy engage in such an act. As the leaders of the National Assembly, the Senate President and Speaker represent the legislative arm of government. Anytime the three arms of government are listed, the legislature comes first, followed by the executive and then the judiciary. The reason is that the lawmakers represent the Constitution, which is the document that gives the nation legitimacy and authority to function. That is why when the President visits the National Assembly, he bows to the Senate President, even though the office of the President is above any other office. But he is not bowing to the person who occupies the office of the Senate President. Rather, he is bowing to the supremacy of the Constitution, which the legislature represents.

Legislators are elected from different constituencies across the country to ensure that the President or party in power does not just execute personal desires. The legislators act as a check to the President to ensure that the Constitution is respected and adhered to. In dictatorships, there is usually no legislature. The executive arm and the judicial arm can exist. That shows that the legislative arm of government is the one that best represents democracy.

To then see the embodiments of the legislative arm leading the charge in replicating what happened under the dictatorship of Abacha, where Abacha used inducement, threats and blackmail to force all the parties to endorse him as the sole candidate in the 1998 election was a slap on democracy. A one-party system is antithetical to democracy. The Constitution recognises the opposition and provides for the opposition party as well as the opposition leader or minority leader in the legislature.

After 26 years of unbroken–the longest Nigeria has ever witnessed–Nigerians expect to see clear signs of growth and progress in the democracy they practise. By now, Nigerian democracy should have evolved to a level of maturity. However, the democracy Nigerians practised in 1999 is far better than what is happening today. That is not a sign of progress.

Within one year in office and three years to the next election, this administration has been so concerned about the 2027 election that little attention has been paid to governance. The progress that has been made against the insurgency has been rolled back. For example, last month, Governor Zulum of Borno lamented: “As I address this important gathering today, it is unfortunate that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities, almost on a daily basis without confrontation, signalled that Borno State is losing ground.”

Like James Freeman Clarke said, “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.” Our leaders should choose whether to remain politicians or to upgrade to statesmen.