When politicians squeeze water out of stone

THE ability of politicians, especially the Nigerian breed, to squeeze water out of stone, literarily, seems to be limitless. They are experts in creating something out of nothing when it comes to satisfying their quest to acquire political authority that can turn them into demi-gods in the midst of ordinary mortals, although they almost always fail to employ that special ability to satisfy the yearnings of majority of Nigerians.

Remember the statement of the late Chief Bola Ige, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the federation, as he was appointed the Minister of Power and Steel in 1999, when he said he would try as much as possible to squeeze water out of stone in the seemingly insurmountable task of providing electricity for Nigerians.

This “supernatural” ability of the politicians was on display during the conduct of last Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections across the country when, despite the low turn-out of voters and apparent apathy among the electorates, impressive figures were recorded at the end of the exercise.

Two hours after the commencement of the accreditation segment of the voting process in Ikeja, Lagos, and with only a scanty turnout of voters at polling units compared to what obtained two weeks earlier during the presidential and National Assembly polls, politicians had to embark on persuading the people to come out to vote by clanging church bells along the streets pleading that the PVC must be put to the use it was procured for.

One Mrs. Mary Awobayiku, an agent of the All Progressive congress (APC) who was one of the “emergency missionaries” spreading the gospel of voting to people around Ipodo/Seriki Aro area of Ikeja, said the process actually started on the eve of election and that the whole night was spent pleading to the residents.

Despite all these however, a lot of people still stayed indoors preferring to monitor events on radio and television within the comfort of their homes.

The situation was so bad that in one polling unit in Surulere area of Lagos, only two people came out to vote out of the over 200 that were accredited in a list of about 500 voters.

Even the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari said in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, on polls day that reports reaching him confirmed low turn-out and that “maybe the people just wanted a president and once they got one, they just walked away. They are Nigerians and there is nothing we can do.”

But somehow, something was done at the end of the day and the returns were higher than when people actually trooped out two weeks earlier. Talk of squeezing figures out of stones of voter apathy.