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NigerianNews

NigerianNews
Editorial

The Booming Business of Third Term.

The Hands were stained to everyone's horror before asylum.

The Booming Business of Third Term.
NigerianNews Editorial

A third term follows two completed terms, and the third term is also a subset of many more possible terms. So, by this simple reasoning, it is unfortunate those who advocate this Third Term stops at "Third", for, we at the NigerianNews believe in "many terms" where "many" is greater than "third".

So, at the NigerianNews, our stand is NO Term Limit!

We will explain the anti-democratic nature of term limit as we go. This is also the position of most Nigerians who live in the USA until this booming trade in Nigeria. It is suffice to say that term limit presupposes that the electorates are stupid and cannot choose a good leader on their own without the limit. Only the electorates in our opinion at the NigerianNews can provide the best term limit and the name of the term limit is called elections. Third Term disallows this simple function by the electorates by limiting their choice after the third term.

We take this position long before it reached our shore. When Congressman George Nethercutt of Washington State wrapped himself in the vicious Republican campaign of Term Limit to defeat the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congressman Foley, in the US, many predicted that he would be swept away in this undemocratic tide called Term limit eventually. He was actually a victim of his own trap. When his term ended, he swallowed his words and ran again and again until a senatorial seat was open for a republican challenger. His hypocrisy caught up on him, and was soundly defeated by the incumbent lady Senator. You hardly find Republicans talk of term limit these days because they know whose term would be limited if they pursue it.

We believe Term Limit has been weapons the Republican politics adopt in the US out of frustration in what seems to us to be out of distrust of the voters. The 22nd amendment was the Republican response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's love affair with the American electorates. They voted him over and over again four times until he died in office. The Republican thought they would never again get to elect their own president as long as Roosevelt lived. So, they conceived the 22nd amendment as away of weaning Roosevelt from the love affairs he had with the electorates. As it happened, Roosevelt never had a chance of trying the 5th term as death, also a time limiter, claimed him before the end of his 4th term.

We can see some people saying why should somebody continue like that ad infinitum? Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people. Democracy does not promise the infallibility of the people, it only says people should be allowed to make mistakes and correct it if needs be. Democracy thrives through rules or structural empowerment, and the ability of the people to exercise this empowerment in the interest of all and not on behalf of a cabal of exploiters.

When democracy is based on individual or subgroup ambition as it is in the case of the Republican in the USA or the power shift people in Nigeria, there is always the tendency to reframe the issue for the undiscerning minds thereby shrouding the real selfish sectional motives. It was very easy for the Republicans to push through the 22nd amendment because of their relative numerical strength in congress when 22nd amendment was passed. Eisenhower was an exception to the Republican rule. He was against Term Limit, but then he could not be considered a typical Republican.

In Nigeria, the apostles of the power shift back to the North are the real mirage behind the trade of the Third Term, and are very good and able in reframing real issues in a shroud. This people cater to myopic elitist interests. But just as Nethercutt turned around to work against Term limit, so will this cabal after the power is conveniently back where they want it. The supporters of this cabal outside of their enclave are also in general, not interested in the people but their associated interests. AD claimed to be different from the people they now try to party with in ACD. The legacy of Awolowo has does been soiled by these claimants and opportunists. At any rate, we expect the focus of these people to change if the current Ijaw threat on the next president or the interest of the South-South or South East in the presidency becomes unrelenting

In all this, business of the third term booms. The result will not be out, or anything resolved until the last Ghana-must-go is transferred to those whose sole interest in politics is to make money. So Nigeria wasted all these time asking irrelevant question of LIMIT to Terms. The real issue is how to guarantee the gain of Term limit if they regard that as gain. They would have won by making the current executive the issue, however, the same executive will supervise the election that will transfer power. One then wonders whether the time wasted on Term Limit could not have been spent on putting a solid structure which includes free and fair election on the ground. A free and fair election has more potency than this Third Term business.

If a good structure is on the ground to guarantee free and fair election, why should anyone worry whether Obasanjo is trying to change the constitution for his own benefit or not? In free and fair election the people have the last word. However, since we know that all are equal opportunity riggers in any Nigerian election, the riggers trade in the profitable and booming business of "Third term" In this trade, money in millions pass hand and alliances are made and broken. The people with foul and sordid past spring up to defend liberty, freedom and egalitarianism which they themselves have spent all of their lives defiling.

These people fish in the water of personal gains. The same people are the people who are now opposing Electronic Voting, which although is not without its minuses, is however better than the current methods. If Electronic Voting is disallowed, ballot boxes stuffed from private homes can continue to flourish as the only basis for our electoral life and governance

A leader who calls review of the constitution a calamity is talking aloud about himself as the event may unfold in the near future. Constitutional amendment is NOT a calamity. It is legal, desirable once in a while in the life of a nation. What is illegal is when people act outside the sphere of the constitution. If there is an amendment, there will still be an election, and in election, people power speaks. In Ukraine when people were ready to defend their right of free expression, they defended that right. This is where these people should concentrate their effort if they fail to stop the Naira bags now rolling in all directions in this booming business.

The success of the Third Term amendment can be used to show the power of the people. If indeed Obasanjo does not have people behind him, what then is the fear? The only fear we see is that the people who fight against third term only fight personal battles, not the battle that frees all from this bondage with no exit. It is with this in mind we are running Chief Enahoro's interview with The Sun for the second day today, maybe, some people will see his untiring wisdom and build a structure rather than the personal interest embedded in the third term trade. As we can all see, it also involves complete overhaul of the current military constitution. Will the true Nigerians come onboard and abandon the selfishness of the PDP and its second Eleven - ACD or any other name they metamorphose?

"We will explain the anti-democratic nature of term limit as we go. This is also the position of most Nigerians who live in the USA until this booming trade in Nigeria. It is suffice to say that term limit presupposes that the electorates are stupid and cannot choose a good leader on their own without term limit. Only the electorates in our opinion at the NigerianNews can provide the best term limit and the name of the term limit is called elections."