As a sociologist, he was expected to have his own way of dealing with and explaining skepticism. And as a politician and a governor serving his second term in the present dispensation, he was also expected to know how skeptics view the country�s democracy and how skepticism impacts on its democratic practice. When Benue the State Governor, Mr. George Akume, mounted the dais to treat political skepticism as an impediment to the sustenance of Nigerian democracy: the view of a sociologist in politics, he was doing it from these two vantage positions. That was why the ovation that greeted his almost two hour lecture, Friday, September 24, 2004 was not unexpected. Before a mixed audience of politicians and academics led by the host, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayodele Falase, Akume had a daunting task. But he handled it well.
Literally, it was the day the entire Benue State government shifted its base to the political capital of the South West geo-political zone. Apart from the guest lecturer, a 1978 graduate of Sociology who had come to deliver the 2004 annual alumni lecture of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan played hosts to the entire government machinery as the governor�s entourage included almost all the heavyweights in the political and economic lives of Benue State. From the governor himself to the Speaker, his deputy, Hon. Raph Igbago, chairmen of all the local governments including Godwin Obla of Otupko Local Government, Mr. Aba Moro of Opokwu Local Government, the Commissioners and Special Advisers, and other top government functionaries, Oyo State capital felt the heavy presence of Benue State even as the state capital had also put on a festive mood occasioned by the birthday ceremony of Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja.
The topic presented Akume with a great challenge. Of course, the first real task was to establish the meaning of skepticism before its implication for the nation�s democracy. Without dwelling much on the philosophical realm on which the skepticism could also be explained, Akume immediately disclosed that he intended to limit his explanation of the concept only within the precinct of the common and everyday usage of the word, which simply means suspension of belief or interest in a particular on-going process or development.
Attempting a definition, Akume said, �I conceive of political skepticism as an attitude, an outlook, a belief, practice or habit on the part of an individual or politician, which is characterised by doubt, tentativeness, lack of faith or conviction.�
And what does a skeptic do?
Akume explained, �A political skeptic is passive or indecisive when action is required to move the political process forward. If he or she is a politician, he or she does not hold firm views about political ideology, party membership and allegiance.�
If the lecturer needed an illustrative instance for his topic, he needed not go away from Ibadan, or the South West to find, what in the recent political history of the country, was made to enter into the political lexicon, as an act of skepticism. From Ibadan had come Chief Bola Ige�s loss of interest in the political process in the country with the political, rigmarole of the then military government showing that no real political process was going. The politician saw no sense in participating in the process going on. Known for coining words, he came about his �siddon look� concept.
�A classic example was when our very own Chief Bola Ige, a dogged fighter that he was, withdrew to his now famous �siddon look� posture,� said Akume.
After citing that example, it was perhaps needless for the Benue State governor to add that certain experiences in the political career of a politician can lead to skepticism making such a politician to lose faith in the system.
Taking it from the example of the late Ige, Akume used the military�s manipulation of the country�s political landscape as one of the factors that drove skepticism deeper into Nigerian politics stating that from that point, one political conundrum had led to the other making that feeling of apathy to fester.
But then, he did not blame the military alone for the woes of the country leading to serious feeling of disinterest in the political process. Feelings of skepticism, according to Akume, were also promoted by the political elite and the electorate. A section of the political class usually loses faith in the political process the moment it realises that its interested are being affected negatively without any move by those holding the robust end of the stick making amends.
Akume noted: �Those who win exclude the losers who in turn continually plan to undermine the winners. One can only imagine what the relationship between the different parties can be. This restriction of the political space and opportunities is largely responsible for the crises that afflict all the political parties in Nigeria and is a source of considerable dissatisfaction on the part of members thus leading to a loss of faith in the system and skepticism.�
Because a preponderance of the populace that form the electorate also do not make right political choices at the crucial times, Akume noted, the system gets lopsided to a point where there is general apathy which cumulatively, envelopes a country with the general feeling of apathy.
He stated, �It may sound convenient to give the excuse of problems associated with exercising one�s franchise in Nigeria or of the problem of rigging or similar hurdles in the electoral process, but to withdraw from one�s civic duties is to give greater room for the emergence of bad leaders with bad programmes that may drag us back rather than move us forward as a nation.�
Expectedly, Akume took his subject of discussion to the 2007 general election especially because of the supposed silence imposed on the issue. With the directive from the Peoples Democratic Party that the 2007 matter should be a no-go-area for now, he said there was already a growing feeling of skepticism.
�Skepticism about 2007 is growing because for whatever strange reasons, a culture of silence has been imposed on this one subject that should be of great interest to the political parties, politicians and the generality of Nigerians,� he said.
Loss of faith in the system, Akume said, could also be aggravated in the countdown to the 2007 elections by the continued ban on the topic. Because of the ban on especially by the PDP, he stated, there had been conflicting reports on what the possibilities are.
He stated, �Precisely for the reason that open discussions are muted, the issue of 2007 has been driven underground with the result that the views that one hears on the grapevine are distorted and tend to generate apprehension and skepticism among both the politicians and the generality of Nigerians.�
Notably, Akume concluded that there would not be good governance anywhere if the issue of skepticism is not addressed. In a political dispensation where there is general apathy, he noted, mobilisation for political processes becomes a difficult task adding that a country where participatory democracy is the norm definitely has overcome the problem of skepticism.
Akume said, �The concept of good governance is indeed central to the issue of overcoming the problem of skepticism because by meeting the yearnings of the people in service delivery and the provision of security among others, sources of discontent in the society will be removed.�
Obla, Chairman of Otukpo Local Government in Benue State who was in Akume�s entourage said the country�s democracy would be enriched if academics and politicians find fora to discuss issues of national interest.
