Partisanship - Nigeria's latest problem

Many years ago, renowned novelist Chinua Achebe wrote an essay titled, “The Trouble With Nigeria.”
In the 68-page essay published in 1983, the literary genius said Nigeria’s trouble was “simply and squarely a failure of leadership,” – with tribalism and corruption following closely behind. Unfortunately, Achebe passed away in 2013 and did not live to see the new problem with Nigeria – political partisanship.
The country has never been this polarized politically. Now practically everyone has chosen a stance in the political arena and has decided to dig in and defend his stance doggedly, no matter how absurd it looks.
As a people we used to be divided by religion and/or tribe. Now we are also being divided by politics. It has become so bad former President Olusegun Obasanjo said, “At no time in our history, except perhaps during the civil war, has Nigeria been so fractured.”
Now there is a war brewing between diehard supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan – and there is no demilitarized zone. Those who stay in the middle are not recognized by either group.
Criticize Buhari and you are immediately termed a Jonathanian (or wailer), no matter how authentic your criticism is. Speak against Jonathan and you are automatically a Buharist (or zombie). It doesn’t matter if you had criticized Jonathan in the past. As long as you speak against Buhari now, you are a wailer. And if you initially supported Buhari but you dare to speak against any of his policies, you have suddenly become a repentant wailer!
When did we get to this sorry pass? So because I voted for someone I have abdicated my rights to complain if I don’t agree with his policies? Or can’t I praise a leader I didn’t initially generally agree with? No leader is totally good or absolutely bad. Even General Sani Abacha, whose reign of terror is unmatchable in this country, did some good things.
We have become so intolerant of opposing views that social media commentators (now tagged warriors) immediately start raining abuses on each other, threatening fire and brimstone, once someone says anything remotely negative about a leader he likes or supports. Thunder must fire anyone who dares to say anything against either Buhari or Jonathan, it doesn’t matter if its genuine assessment or just a light hearted joke.
No matter the political divide these warring media gladiators are on, no achievement is too great to vilify and no failure is too small to deify. When did it become a crime to praise or criticize a leader? There is no Nigerian leader – past and present – who has not received his fair share of adulation or condemnation. Indeed, the hallmark of good leadership is to be focused and committed to your set goals and not be distracted either by fawning praise or vindictive opposition.
Former Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchill once said that you will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks at you.
In Nigeria, we now see our leaders as angels or demons – depending on your side of the divide. They are totally good or absolutely bad. But in truth there is no leader without his fair share of positive and negative traits.
Probably, the reason we have descended to this murky level is because this is the first time an opposition party has ever won the presidential elections in Nigeria. The only way we saw change was through violence and no one dared to condemn a coup or say anything good about the toppled government. Like the great Zik said, you don’t argue with a man who has a gun. The military junta suspended the Constitution and ruled anyhow they liked.
Hopefully, the normal, acceptable and civilized way to change governments through the ballot box is here to stay. We would do well to embrace this style. The defeated should learn to be gracious in defeat and the victorious magnanimous in victory – until the next elections.
We simply have to learn to live together. And we have to know that our leaders must be held accountable for their actions or policies - whether we love them or dislike them.