Ebonyi state can best be described as a brand new car but with an old engine of about 12th century. The spare parts to maintain the engine is no longer available in the market, thus the engine will always breakdown and over stretch the new body which may result in total breakdown. Believe it or not this is just the situation.
It’s quite disparaging that the foot soldiers for the powers that be in search of the spare parts to keep the engine going are frustrated and decided to descend from the mountain, carrying tablets, on which are engraved the new rules governing the state as a way to package the old engine. Just call them the Ten Post-Election Commandments which reads:
- Blame the opposition
When caught doing something terrible, deny everything and vilify your accusers. No matter how incredible your story, keep insisting that you are the victim of a political vendetta. A lot of journalists, politicians, and most of the people will actually believe you. Or better still; call meetings of the stake holders of all political parties in the state to address the issue, your political enemies will surely keep their distance. Issue a press statement that you are a peace loving leader and those who do not want what is good for the state were not in attendance in the meeting, therefore they should be tagged enemies of the state. They will take the blame for your offence.
- 2. Never admit guilt
Never, ever, admit you are wrong no matter how compelling the evidence against you, just take refuge in the technicalities of criminal law, especially during election. Rig the election; buy the court, after all the monthly allocation is at your disposal. At very worst, order the arrest of those challenging you and link them with any crises, the rest of the people will resort to cocoon.
- 3. Seek vengeance
Fake repentance is well and good during a trial, but once you are cleared and enshrined as a martyr, it is a payback time. It does not matter that you have spent months decrying “the politics of personal destruction.” That was then and this is now. Let it be known that your new passion in life is revenge. Ensure that you turn the state against a particular clan especially where your main opposition is from. Institutionalize unilateral hatred against them and handpick idiots from the same area and give them appointment in your government, they will help you to under develop the place of your oppositions as well as politically destabilize the area.
- 4. Demonize your adversaries.
Never mind that your opponents are honorable people doing their job, sideline them in the scheme of things. Lure them to join your party, if they pose resistance, fake an allegation against them for financial misappropriations. If that didn’t work raise an idiot in his area, give him appointment, mandate and arm them for political war against them. Make effective use of the media against the oppositions to make them look like nothing before the public.
- 5. Mock the law.
Declare every legal action against you illegitimate and every opponent dishonorable. The law doesn’t apply to you so long as you are still in charge, whatever you do is right. Squander the state allocation, use ministry to siphon local govt. allocation in the name joint account. No one will question you. If any one does, use your secret documents agents to undermine whatever action against you.
- 6. Proclaim it “personal.”
No matter what you do, you are immune from public judgment and the reach of the law. After all, who among us is perfect and qualified to cast the first stone? And who wants to play the role of prophet of human right ready to stake his life to say the truth in a society where everyone live in fear.
- 7. Enshrine the polls.
Forget the Constitution. Forget the law. So long as your cohorts like what you are saying you can appear impervious. Ignore your oath, break the law, and subvert your office after all member of your party are board members of EFCC and election tribunals
- 8. Divide and conquer.
Pay copious lip service to unity of the people, but remember that strength is found in raw divisiveness. Don’t preach unity it is not important. You can never achieve your aim from a united people. Select some fools and use them against their own people. With just a little position such as making them coordinators, they can arrest, kill and destroy the community where a perceived opponent may emerge. Empower council chairmen to sit on allowances of past management committee members, councilors and others especially if they belong to opposition parties.
- Apply pretense
If you are confronted with an uncomfortable choice between honor and political expedience, devise a creative way to appear principled while abandoning the principles of your party. Wise up. The idea is to have your men re-elected, not to actually stand for anything. So, belittle the evidence. If the evidence is overwhelming, ridicule the prosecutors. If that doesn’t work, ignore all the facts and say you are heeding a higher call of the national good at the red chambers.
- Create an atmosphere of fear and honor the touts.
Ensure that every one see you as God even when you can never be one. Use the thugs to terrorize the state. Claim that all is well even in the face of raging crises. Use the church against the oppositions. Pretend to be a saint. Tell lies to the public no one will question you. Place the touts above the opposition in the state and nominate them for national honor, this will make the public think they are very important people. Finally you can run away from EFCC but not God.
