EMPERORS HAVE NO PLACE IN A DEMOCRACY

For the average Nigerian, the world emperor sounds far and unreal. It only recalls for him the yesteryears of colonization and the ruins brought upon primitive people by bygone autocrats like Hitler and Stalin. Little wonder therefore that many Nigerians, including those politically enlightened, are oblivious that the gravest problem facing our democracy today is the imperial tendency in our political culture. The tendency in question here is the reoccurring decimal in our polity where certain individuals try to establish themselves as the Alphas and Omegas without recourse to anybody. These individuals like ancient emperors want to build political empires where opposition is stifled and anyone who does not worship them is trampled upon. This attitude by all standard is anti-democratic.
Now, anybody who has even a moderate knowledge of history is aware that democracy is the outcome of the civil war between the oligarchs who govern the Athenian City States and the people in the 5th century BC. The people prevailed in that civil war and their victory ushered in democracy, a system of government where the will of the people is supreme. Thus, a democrat as a leader, does not dictate for the people, rather, he listens and takes instruction from the people. An emperor unlike the democrat or like the Athenian oligarchs wants to subdue and impose his will on the people.
While we refrain here from name calling and finger pointing, it is pertinent to note that Nigerian history, especially in recent times, is replete with people who have manifested imperial tendencies. These people when in politics see themselves as gods. They want to dominate every facet of the political system. Thus when they are in-charge they want to determine what happens without consulting anybody. For them politics is like a sole proprietorship business where the owner determines and takes decision of what happens in his business without recourse to anybody. These imperial tendencies has done more harm than good to our evolving democracy. In fact, it is the basic reason why Nigeria has not made any remarkable political progress since independence.
But then, no one crowns himself an emperor. Emperors are made by people. As such, if emperors are to be blamed for slowing down the wheel of our democratization, what about the ordinary Nigerians who crown them emperors, are they without blame? When many cried in 2015 that Buhari has imperial tendencies and should not be elected, what happened? Many ignored the call and every Nigerian is paying the price today.
We are already in the mess and this is not the time for apportioning blames. It is a wakeup call to all Nigerians, especially the youths. The civic responsibility of every Nigerian should be to ensure that our polity is not only cleansed of imperial tendency but also to ensure that individuals with imperial orientations are not allowed to go near the corridors of powers. Every civilized means must be employed
and all hands must be on deck to sanitize our democracy. Emperors should not be allowed a place in our politics.