Takeaways from the 2024 American election

WEDNESDAY COLUMN BY USSIJU MEDANER

info@medaner.com, justme4justice@yahoo.com

The American 2024 presidential election has come and gone with former president Donald Trump re-emerging as the 47th President of the United States of America. The surprise is and remains obvious: no one, going by what was largely broadcast over the US mainstream media, gives him the chance of winning the election. Outside America, governments across the globe were so sure it cannot be Donald Trump again, and they were not hiding it. At worst, they only imagined how a Trump administration could affect them, and the more they discreetly rooted for Democrat Kamala Harris. The Ukrainian President paid a visit to America, and spoke freely against candidate Trump because he was apparently so sure Kamala would win convincingly. The Democrats were so sure of winning and were only getting prepared for Trump’s denial of the election outcome as he did four years ago. Everyone was surprised but the reality now is that Trump won and is the US next president come January 6th 2025.
How could Trump win that election? The same Trump who lost in 2020, refused to accept the result, traumatised American democracy with rhetoric that damaged the very essence of the unity and democracy that the country holds high above everything else. The same Trump who allegedly instigated the attack on the Capitol on the 6h of January 2021 that was largely considered to have undermined the USA legislative institution and gave the country a bad name globally. The same Trump who is indicted severally for gross civil and criminal charges by courts across the country, and is about to face another sentencing any moment from now. The same Trump who has most of his supporters in prisons or on their way to prisons for doing his biddings. Yet, he is overwhelmingly elected by the majority of Americans.
Today, the fact is that democracy has defined itself more clearly. The people hold solely the right to decide who rules them. Human choice is sacrosanct. The premise for making that choice is a sole decision of the people; regardless of the character or antecedents of a candidate, if the people want the candidate, then, that is the rightful winner. It is apparent that you don’t need to be a good man to win elections in a democratic setting; all you need is to possess a charisma that resonates loudly among a large section of the community. All that is needed is to belong to a political party with blind followers and to enjoy backing of strong men of like passions.
We would be deceiving ourselves if we think otherwise, as it is obvious now, that democracy isn’t introduced to throw up the best; but the most supported. It might represent the will of the people, but it oftentimes, does not represent the best for the country. Following the Republican and Trump’s campaign already gave goosebumps as to what to expect from a Trump administration. We should be expecting a massive crackdown on the judiciary for all his travails in court for the offences committed. That much he promised. We should be expecting him going massively against the Biden Administration and established Democrats that he already considered to be behind all his ordeals in courts. We should be expecting him to carry out mass deportation to sieve out many non Americans as he promised. Yet, Trump is the choice of the majority of Americans. The result speaks boldly and loudly; Americans, no doubt, want all that Trump represents.
Americans have made their choice of a president in the conclusive election cycle; and the world has seen and accepted it. Donald Trump has won both the two times he contested against the two women contestants; first, Hillary Clinton, and now Kamala Harris. As despicable as a Donald Trump Presidency is projected to be, the bulk of Americans could not stand the possibility of having a female president, and so, chose the lesser devil as it appeared to them. Imagine the same Americans, being the ones that have been coming to Africa to, among other things, be preaching gender equality to us; and have succeeded in creating a tension in our system over a practice they apparently abhor in their own system. It is now ironically a convenient situation of ‘do what I say and not what I do!’ That should stop! We cannot continue to mold our practices and systems after a deceptive system and precedence.
Henceforth, we must recognise that following America’s dubious pattern would rarely do us any good. The country has in the last decade thereabouts, represents everything that is bad about democracy and national unity. The election in the country has become so monetised that it is a game of spending and enticing voters with resources. So much so that Donald Trump supporter, Ellon Musk, did a financial jamboree for voters in Georgia, without legal implications. This is a time we are trying to separate Nigerian democracy from money bags; a time we frown at and want to make illegal flashing of money before voters to get their votes. It remains a disadvantage to democracy that people would select a leader, because of financial incentive, and palpable self-gains. Now, the Americans would not have the right to demean our system for voting the highest bidders ever again. Like America, like Nigeria!
The division that manifested in the build up to the America election is another concern for not only the Americans but the entire globe. At a time, when the world is becoming a global village, at a much advanced stage, and is preaching hugely against racial discriminations and abuses, the Republican ticket ran on an open disdain for men and women of colours and a strong promise of mass deportations if they win the election. In fact, the moment Trump won the election, members of his political party are already clandestinely sending messages to the effect that the affected population should start submitting themselves as slaves to white Americans. We all know the next four years would not be the same for America and the entire globe.
These build up animosity can only disrupt national growth and development. The United States of America has already seen decline across many fronts as it becomes more difficult to bring its citizens to an agreement over many issues. This is of course, a major challenge for Nigeria, if not the most vicious factor pulling the country off the edge into the abyss of deeper underdevelopment. On all fronts, we find it difficult to create opportunities for unity. Rather, we keep building more fences by the day. The leaders who should by all means spearhead the much needed unity and peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians, would rather prefer a broken nation that would allow them to keep taking advantage of such fractures to win elections.
In the build up to the 2023 elections, we saw first hands the magnitude of the division made and expanded by the politicians. We saw politicians turning us against one another along religious lines; for instance, telling a particular religious group to take back their country. Literally meaning that the other religious group members have marginalised them. Till today, the wound of religious animosity already built over decades has widened and continues to effectively impede our national capacity to develop.
However, we didn’t stop at that, as it became so obvious that we are far from being one country in reality. The election supports and results have clearly shown a nation segregated into tribes and languages. We saw a particular tribe vote almost 90 percent for a particular presidential candidate. Even officials of the other parties and members in this particular case, chose to vote against their party candidate because of tribal sentiment. And since after the election, it has become nearly impossible to come together because the affinity for our emboldened attachments to our tribes wouldn’t allow us to accept election results in good faith.
Both Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar have continued to sow doubt in the election results; even till a few days ago. Apparently it is to further deepen their respective support bases’ antagonism against the rest of the country and to wax stronger disobedience to constituted authority. One positive lesson we must learn from the recent American election is the bravery of Kamala Harris’ acceptance of the defeat. It douses anticipated tensions and strengthens the country’s political institutions a bit.
Rather than focusing on issues of national relevances, projecting solutions and rallying Nigerians to work towards solving the country’s many problems, just like the American Trump, who won the election on the back of insults and gross attacks on his perceived and established enemies to the cheering and roaring of his supporter, we have the Obidient population that believe continuous attacks on the system, the ruling party and its members is the best path to stay relevant and winning the next 2027 election cycle.
Can we make a departure from these created errors? Yes! When should we attempt it? Now. If we put our houses in order, halt decisively against all forces that separate us and speak with one voice, then, we will become a people empowered to achieve any feat no matter how difficult. We will grow at the pace of our abundant endowments and elect for ourselves only the best of leaders. It is all in our hands.
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!