In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. When Yusuf came of age, we gave him power and knowledge; thus do we reward those who do right. (Quran 12:22) The leader of a nation is their servant.-Prophet Muhammad LAST Saturday marked another milestone in our countrys march towards good governance. Nigerians trooped out in their multitude to elect those the law refers to as senators and members of House of Representatives. They are men and women who would be enacting laws for the governance of the country.We stood for hours under the sun in order to discharge this civic duty, in order that we might give practical effect to the Quranic injunction, which disapproves of neutrality in the face of oppression and injustice. Standing under the sun last Saturday thus became a religious duty, a command from Allah. Standing next to me were my compatriots who wanted to cast their ballots. Most of them were anxious and agitated. Most Nigerians on that day were apprehensive. The ballot paper and the ballot box became a magic wand. But none of us, in the polling booth where I registered, competed for any of the posts. So what explanation might we deduce for this from the Hadith of our leaderThe Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once related a parable to his companions in which he compared those who obey Gods commands to those who do not. As far as the Prophet was concerned, humanity in a given socio-political milieu, can be likened to a people who draw lots for seats in a ship. Some of them got seats in the upper part, and the others in the lower part of the ship. When the latter needed water, they had to go up to bring water (and that troubled the others), so they said, Let us make a hole in our part of the ship (and get water) and save those who are above us (and ourselves) from the trouble of going up and down If the people in the upper part were to leave them to do what they suggested, all the people of the ship would be destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith).The ballot box and by extension, democracy can be likened to that ship referenced above. It has become, despite the arguments to the contrary and despite its inner fractures and fissures, the doxa of our time. Two weeks ago, I recalled the statement of Adolf Hitler to the effect that sooner will a camel pass through a needles eye than a great man be discovered by an election. But if what is preferable is not available, the available becomes preferable. Thus I joined fellow Nigerians who were political to attempt to prevent this ship from being rocked by the inebriation of power and greed on the part of the politicians.Again as I stood under the sun last Saturday waiting to cast my ballot, I remembered the elections of 1993, which returned Alhaj M. K. O Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe as President and Vice-president elect of our country. It was an election I was opportuned to participate as returning officer in Onitsha North Local Government. As it is today, so it was then. I was in that bustling city of possibilities as a Youth Corp Member. Thus the pride we derived in presiding over the fate and the fortune of our country was such that no monetary reward could attenuate. As I stood amidst the crowd counting the ballots that day, I remembered George Bernard Shaws words: This is the true joy in life - being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.That election now runs the risk of playing second fiddle to the current experience provided the politicians and their foot soldiers play the game according to the rule. But something uncanny happened last week. When I was eventually handed the ballot and was asked to proceed to the counter to cast my ballot, I realized I did not know who I was going to vote for particularly in the senatorial district that I reside! What I remembered at that very moment were the promises made by all the contestantsthe promise to enact better laws, the promise to embark on new constituency projects, the promise to watch over the executive arm of government. But all these promises, infantile and invalid as they sometime appear, simply evaporated when I got the ballot.I sought to recollect the personalities of the contestants all to no avail; I wanted to know whether they were men and women of integrity without success. Brethren, I found myself in a quandary with reference to whether the persons I should vote for were men and women of integrity. My dilemma was increased by the fact that the names of the candidates were not on the ballots. Rather, I was expected to vote for their individual parties! Located as I was in a wasteland, sandwiched in-between the local pretensions of the usurper and the global gravitas of the achiever, I proceeded to cast my ballot for the latter, for the ideal, for the future.But tomorrow promises to be better. All the contestants for the office of the Presidency are known to the Sun and the Moon. I adore President Jonathan for his humility; I celebrate Alhaji Buhari for his integrity. Who would discountenance Ibrahim Shekarau for his scholarship and achievements in Kano Show me a Nigerian who would not imagine the possibilities that lie ahead of this country once Nuhu Ribadu is elected as President. But democracy does not allow four presidents at a time, not even two but one! Wait a minute! How do some people broach the idea that Allah would allow a duality of His majesty and an encroachment on His authority Thus we are condemned to make a choice among the four. Who should you vote for thenIn line with the kernel of our past sermons, I thought you should vote for the future of this country. Cast your ballot for that candidate who you think possesses the highest qualities to turn this wasteland to a land of plenitude; cast your ballot for that man whose personality reminds you not of this world but the hereafter; cast your ballot for that man who would harvest the honey on this land without breaking the hive. It is high time we had our own Musa who would take this country out of the wilderness of underperformance and arrested development; it is high time we had a Jesus as President whose ascetism would serve as a shield against graft and whose piety would impede the ascendancy of sleaze and social putrefaction. Vote for a Muhammad who knows that to be a leader one must be trustworthyto be trustworthy, one must be truthful.(guardianfridayworship@gmail.com)
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