The Iron Rule of Oligarchy

[Achebo]

Category: Politics
Date of Article: 09/23/97
Topic: The Iron Rule of Oligarchy
Author: STAFF
Full Text of Article:

Adeniyi Ojebisi argues in this feature that the Grassroots Democratic
Movement (GDM) had in its seminar outing, staged a forum for national
re-definition as well as alternative views.

Italian political theorist, Vilfredo Pareto, believed that every
society is ruled by a minority that possesses the qualities necessary for its
accession to full social and political power. According to him "there
are two types of elites - those who rule by cunning and those who rule by
force. In order to justify or rationalise their use of power, the
elites take recourse to "derivations" or the myths, which they create in
order to dupe the masses into subservience."
Robert Michels, another exponent of elite theory, called it "the iron
law of oligarchy." He declared that "the iron law of oligarchy is one of
the iron laws of history, from which the most democratic modern
societies and within those societies, the most advanced parties have been
unable to escape. Organisation is another way of spelling oligarchy. Imminent
oligarchial tendencies exist in every kind of human organisation which
strives for the attainment of definite ends."
Michels argued that the majority of human beings are in a condition of
eternal tutelage, to submit to the dominion of a small unit.
Nigeria's political practices have been said to defy all theories
except the elite theory. Political observers have argued that political
participation has been seriously eroded since independence.
The Grassroot Democratic Movement (GDM) Lagos State branch, therefore,
made history on September 17 by organising a non-partisan symposium on
"Participatory Democracy" at the Nigerian Institute of International
Affairs, (NIIA).
If GDM failed to win election, it has won an important argument.
Should the vast majority of Nigerians continue to be deprived of taking part
in the decisions that affect them?
The composition of the panel of Guest Speakers is enough to scare
participants. It included radical Lagos Lawyer and former presidential
candidate of the defunct Nigerian Advance Party, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite; Pro.
Eme Awa former chairman of National Electoral Commission during the
Babangida regime.
Others are Senator Abraham Adesanya, acting chairman of National
Democractic Coalition (NADECO), Dr. Senator, Chuba Okadigbo, Father St.
Slatery, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, Alhaji Ali Monguno and the GDM chieftains.
Days before the seminar, there were fears that the symposium might not
hold. The speakers were avowed "enemies" of the military. It was not
surprising therefore that some of the speakers did not show up.
What surprised many of the participants was the absence of stern
looking security operatives to either arrest or turn away "the disgruntled
elements."
Opening the symposium, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Tunji
Braithwaite welcomed all the participants to the epoch making symposium. Before
reading his address, Braithwaite expressed surprised at the GDM, for
inviting the perceived enemies of government to speak. "How can you invite
the NADECO chieftain and even me, Dr. Braithwaite, the unrepentant
revolutionalist, knowing our stand on national issues."
Braithwaite concluded that there was still hope in the country "for
one of the proxies of" Abacha Trading Limited" to have invited us, there
is a ray of light in the political darkness of this country."
He told the crowd of joyful party stalwarts and eminent personalities
that Adesanya could not come but sent words. "According to him" the
occupier of Aso Rock should decree himself out of the presidential contest,
before we can take him serious. Adesanya is not known to be a coward. To
have shun such an important symposium left many participants wondering
what must have gone wrong.
Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, one of the few surviving old brigades who now
laces his political shoe with Congress for National Consensus (CNC) was
said to be unavoidably absent. Braithwaite said, "he promised to fax his
paper to us. It did not arrive till the end of the symposium. Yakassai,
perhaps, deliberately dodged the symposium. He would not want to be seen
in the company of the NADECOs, Alhaji Ali Mongonu, a former minister in
the First Republic, was said to be upset by his telephone bills. he
could not be present. what a reason!
Father - Slatery ... was indisposed and Nze Mark Odu took his
position. Presenting the chairman's address. Braithwaite called on all who had a
stake in this country to get involved in the enthronement of true
democracy.
According to him, "Abacha's democracy is a facade. His transition
programme is already ship-wrecked. Nigerians should rise and snatch our
collective sovereignty from the military. "I'm not calling for succession.
But if they will not allow participation, we must snatch the sovereignty
from the military and then proceed to establish confederacy," he
declared.
He argued that our federalism was lopsided and that power had been
monopolised by certain sections of the country. He said that if we were not
able to establish true federalism by October 1, 1998, then the
alternative would be confederacy.
Braithwaite lent his support to the rotational principle. He said that
he defended its entrenchment in the constitution during his membership
of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) "This is the only way to
ensure that each section of the country participates in the running of the
affairs of our great country."
Eme Awa, an erudite professor of Political science and former NEC boss
presented a scholarly paper. He focused on the political environment,
the form of participation and leadership selection.
According to him, there were many groups in the political environment
articulating interest, which was being aggregated by the political
parties. He argued that since independence, the political environment had
been dominated by the elite. "The legislature has been made up of lawyers,
doctors, lecturers. Where are the women, farmers and peasants", he
queried. The professionals, have cornered all the goodies. Our democracy is
broadly representative but not participatory. Government policies reflect
this narrow interest of the powerful group", he continued.
He concluded that the Nigerian democracy was anything but
participatory. "For people to participate meaningfully, there must be freedom."
Freedom for Awa, meant freedom from ignorance, disease and squalor." If you
give a hungry man money to vote, he will."
He called on government to give Nigerians qualitative education and
employment, so that they could be part of the democratic process.
According to him, many Nigerians were defranchised because of ignorance and
poverty.
Awa said that there was the absence of effective participation in
Nigerian polity. Only a small percentage are running the show", he said,
arguing that within the context of representative democracy, there must be
participation. He, therefore called for the broadening of Nigeria's
political base.
The scholar declared that the entire community of Nigerians have
fraternal relationship. "There must, therefore, be a sense of justice and
fair play, for everybody." According to him,. every citizen of Nigeria must
vote and be voted for anywhere he resided.
He criticised the concept of states and regionalism but rooted for
federalism and the principle of federal character. He, however, said that
whether it was federalism or confederacy, if left in the hands of the
military, it would be destroyed. They are not concerned with what the
constitution says" he stated.
Delivering his own address, Alhaji Gambo Lawan, national chairman of
GDM called on all those who had withdrawn from the transition programme
to come on board. He said "any one who says he is not interested in the
transition programme is not interested in the future of Nigerians. This
transition, he said is not the first. But we hope and pray, it is going
to be the last."
He used the occasion to present his party's programme especially the
foreign policy. He criticised Abacha's involvement in Liberia and Sierra
Leone.
Tunji Adebiyi, a radical reverend gentleman and a NADECO chieftain,
who was not listed but billed to speak said he was neither representing
NADECO nor its acting chairman, Senator Abraham Adesanya.
As expected, he predicted doom for the transition programme. Except
there was a meaningful dialogue between the government and the opposition,
Nigeria was going no where. According to him, if there was disagreement
between two groups, the best thing was for them to go to the
negotiating table.
He said his proposal for the establishment of National Reconciliation
Committee (NARECOM) in 1995 was endorsed by General Abacha. But the
Committee of 12 was selected in a lopsided manner. They are only reconciling
themselves. What are they reconciling with Abiola behind the bars, he
asked.
He said that NARECOM had over-stayed. "It has achieved nothing." He,
therefore called for the establishment of a Reconciliation Review
Committee of 12 eminent Nigerians selected equally from the government and
opposition sides. "In the spirit of reconciliation," he said, "government
should dialogue with NADECO." "Participatory democracy is the practical
blending of the opposing side," he said. "It is the solution to the
national crisis."
He also called for a sovereign national conference. "We have to
negotiate Nigeria," Adebiyi declared saying that the elite had succeeded in
excluding the masses from governance since independence. He said, "if the
elite have succeeded for the past 37 years to turn our National boom
into doom, they should now hand over to the masses."
Nze Mark Odu mounted the rostrum as a replacement for ailing Father
Slatery. Odu, a Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) gubernatorial aspirant
in Imo State, asked Nigerians to look back and look forward. He said that
if we know where we were coming from, we then know where we are going.
He urged the civil society to reposition themselves in order to regain
the lost power. "He disagreed with Braithwaite that the transition ship
had wrecked. "The ship will not wreck," he thundered, arguing that we
fostered the military in power because of our gullibility and indecency.
"We put them there and we must bring them down."
"Odu argued that the urban minority had been dominating the rural
majority and the political system was packaged in the urban centres and
forced on the rural majority. He concluded that the rural majority was not
allowed to participate in the decisions that affected them.
Odu appeared to be in opposition to Braithwaite throughout his
presentation. He also challenged the lawyers position on rotation. "I disagree
with Dr. Braithwaite" he thundered and argued further that if the nation
wanted to be one, anybody who had the capacity to rule so that food and
shelter would be provided for the people, should be elected. "I don't
care where he or she comes from. Even if they are from the same family",
so far the electorate were allowed to make the right choice.
Alhaji Abba Gana Terrah, the chairman of GDM, Bornu State Branch,
spoke on "Democracy and development. "He said they were inseparable.
He argued that true democracy had eluded Nigeria for a long time.
"That was the reason for our backwardness. "He said the minority had
captured power which they had wielded to their own advantage. He declared that
we had recorded negative results for decades "our social, economic and
industrial sectors continue to deteriorate," he shouted, affirming that
"the ruling elite is corrupt and neglected people' s welfare. Corruption,
and moral decadence have been institutionalised."
He, therefore concluded that if power was restored to the people,
Nigeria would experience rapid development.
Dr. Chuba Okadigbo was cheered to the rostrum, even though he came
late. Okadigbo, a former senator, now the vice chairman, South-East Zone of
the DPN was claded in flowing Agbada with red cap to match.
His speech drew ovation from the crowd. He began by saying, "Nigeria
has been over militarised. It is always good for people to do what they
are trained to do. People who have been trained to fight and defend the
country's territorial integrity should begin to do just that from October
1, next year.
He called on the military to create an enabling environment for the
seed of democracy to grow. "Tolerance is of utmost importance, to the same
proportion that constructive engagement and or constructive criticism
is a desideratum. Outrightly, I may state that the military should try
harder to dispose itself to such encounter with civilians."
He also declared that the usual ban and disqualification of
experienced politicians was undemocratic. "Those who won election are banned.
Those who lost in the time past are allowed to participate. Is it a crime to
win an election", he demanded and therefore posited that the
fundamental issue in participatory democracy was freedom for all to aspire to any
elective office. Democracy embedded in disqualification in the name of
newbreedism, he argued was quackery. They called it political
engineering, but it is murder."
Okadigbo also called for true reconciliation. He said, "I distinguish
between the quick-fix facade of "a government of national unity. I vote
for national reconciliation through power sharing. I plead for the poor,
the marginalised and the distressed.
He concluded by calling on the federal military government to release
all detainees in the spirit of true reconciliation.
Rounding off the symposium, Braithwaite said. "In all seriousness,
there is something that has been done here today. This symposium is more
effective than the All Politicians' Summit of 1995. We may not realise the
full effect of this programme.
GDM stated its mission in it. That is "to bring together eligible
Nigerian citizens into the fold of the movement for the purpose of
sponsoring candidates for all elective posts." That goal was achieved that day.
The GDM caught a big political fish. Dr. Tunde Braithwaite formerly
declared for the party.

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