By Mike Ozekhome

THE recent gathering rumour of a possible military coup is not only worrisome, but is quite disturbing. It is not only the floundering APC party that should condemn and resist such an ignoble misadeventure as alleged, but the entire beleaguered Nigerian citizenry will rise up and defend our hard earned democracy by resisting any intrusive military khakitocracy.

To be sure, the worst form of democracy is absolutely better than, and preferable to,the most benevolent military dictatorship. The recent revelations of hemorrhaging pilfering, crass barbaric and primitive acquisition of our national wealth and common patrimony, have shown the military to be even worse and more satanically luciferous than our thieving political kleptomaniacs.

The military has proven itself to be a horrifically sad amalgam and complete negative approximation of the entire 1999 constitutional three arms of government joined together, and which some creative minds have derisively labelled Legisllooters (Legislature, section 4), Executhieves (Executive, section 5), and the Judisharing (Judiciary, section 6). The gigantic iroko tree that has become today’s endemic and cancerous corruption was incubated, planted, watered, nurtured, manured, cultivated and weaned under successive rampaging military juntas. Because the military does not possess democratic blood in it’s autocratic veins of brute force, it can never give democracy (government of the people, by the people and for the people – US president, Abraham Lincoln, in his 19th November,1863 Gettysburg Declaration).

The hallowed principle is “nemo dat quod non habet”(no one can give what he does not possess). But, make no mistake about the rumours, as there can hardly be any smoke without fire. The military has never ever written to, nor received a sweet-heart love letter of invitation from, their collaborative political class before striking. They watch the inclement season of anomie, the debilitating political and socio-economic environment of the particular time, the pervasive disillusionment, the haplessness and total hopelessness of the suffering hoi polloi,the smouldering flames of divisiveness and schism deliberately engendered and engineered by politicians in the polity, etc, before striking.

While calling for thorough investigation into this alarming scenario and the proactive smoking out of all possible culprits, the panacea remains that politicians who find themselves in government must deliver to Nigerians the positive change and democracy dividends they were promised. After all, the the maxim is “pacta sunt servanda”(agreements must be respected). Even among robbers, there is honour and dignity in sharing.

Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is a constitutional lawyer and human rights activist.

– May 21, 2017 @ 1:17 GMT