ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA, WHAT LESSONS FOR NIGERIA?
In the words of the victorious Donald J. Trump, his MAGA movement has become the most extraordinary political movement in the United States of America. No one may dispute those venerable victorious proclamation from a man that equally proved to the world that greatness is truly made of sterner stuff. It will be left for future historians to match his great MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement against the equally audacious Martin Luther King civil rights movements of the 60s, Rainbow Coalition movement of the 80s and lately the Obama audacity of Hope movement of roughly a decade ago that led to the election of the first black immigrant as US president.
But Donald Trump’s great comeback propensity proved among other things that ideological persuasion of a mass driven political wave is sine qua none to actually driving a political change. The MAGA movement was ideologically driven, persuasive, audacious and focused. The leader, Donald Trump was and is still resilient, bold, courageous, committed and above all, had the ultra right conservative message for his many followers which mantra of taking back their country was conclusive and like a religious creed of ethical inviolability.
Donald Trump equally made history for working hard to return himself to the White House after his supposed double header 8years presidency was truncated midterm after the first four years. He was forced to fight through virulent incumbent opposition led by Joe Biden at the White House amid legal spanners and fireworks. He had multiple court cases, indictments and even conviction. He remained undeterred in the midst of what he correctly characterized as politically motivated witch hunts and intentional brickwalls to bar his future ambition of ever returning to the White House.
He was called unprintable names by a largely partisan state inspired media. He fought back and actually got arrested at one point and was booked into police detention but got bailed. This was an ex American President being treated like a commoner in the streets. His Mar a Largo Florida mansion was at one point invaded and taken over by state actors as he made history again as the most investigated former President of the United States. While all these went on, his MAGA movement under his leadership remained undeterred, inviolable and committed to the inner core causes of liberating their country from migrants control and reasserting themselves over what they increasingly saw as invasion and erosion of their original country.
Trump’s message for the ultra conservative forces remained inallienable, incorruptible and was beginning to serenade the right melody to a largely unsuspecting nation. Often when you run into Trump’s recipes of rallies, he’s busy excoriating the globalists, the United Nations, the neo colonialist agendists and even the concept of the US and unipolarity of global power. Trump wished and still wishes that other nations should remove their unblical chords from the apron of the United States. He chides the Father Christmas matador or a position where the Uncle Sam of the world picks everyone’s bills.
To Trump and his beliefs, every nation should go take care of their borders and control their own wealth and resources. He wishes to rebuild America and secure its borders for Americans to enjoy their superfluous wealth. The so called scrambling for African resources is anathema to his beliefs since according to his America First theology, they’ll gain more by interfering less with other nation’s wealth and resources than by global integration of economies that will bring the world more and more towards inter-dependence with America at the top of the pinnacle. It is these beliefs which gradually pitched among his followers that suddenly exploded at election night and the rest is history.
Donald Trump’s resurgence and re-emergence rekindles the true dictum of democracy as government of the people and by the people. The mainstream Americans who were busy feasting his messages were able to make their voice heard during the Presidential election and thus drove the momentum of change. Democracy is the only form of government where the people’s power can be expressed to drive the change mantra. The United States election night fever saw the language of people’s power exhibited around the world as the true essence of democracy. Nigeria and indeed most of African brand of democracy does not respect the concept of people’s power to voice a change of government. This is the beautiful aspect of the democracy tenets that has continued to elude Africans and which we must get it right for democracy to thrive in Africa.
Once the people of America overwhelmingly spoke through their votes, the change of government or the rejection of the status quo was no longer in doubt. Everyone now has to abide by the new law and Sherriff which is Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. The department of Justice, DOJ has even started negotiating to drop all existing charges in court against him. The instrument of power has started its gradual transition towards him. He’ll be at the White House later today at the invitation of Joe Biden. Kamala Haris has already capitulated and given her unconditional concession. The journey to a peaceful transition of power has just begun which represents the most important tenets of the US democratic tradition. Are there lessons for us in our own jungle brand of democracy?
We really have to start afresh in Nigeria to learn what democracy really means and entails. Welcome to Donald J. Trump new political era.
Dr. Engr Odo Ijere
