Socio-political thinkers have, for ages, theorised about the origin, nature and purpose of the state. In fact, “Why should men live in a society?” has remained the pre-eminent question of political philosophy, especially since the Enlightenment Period. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as front line thinkers of that period, introduced us to the concept of social contract in their respective attempts to explain the origin and purpose of organised society.

In a nutshell, the social contract theory seeks to validate political legitimacy of the state as the only rational condition under which the rights and property of individuals can be assured. Without organised society, Hobbes, for instance, suggests that life would have been “solitary, nasty, brutish and short.” In other words, organised society is ultimately for the common good of all. We are likely to see the position as probable if we remember that the human being is essentially a social being. Man is naturally conditioned to be part of a group, to live among others.

Throughout recorded history however, mankind has also attempted different types of societal arrangements in the search for the most viable, for ensuring the common good of the collective, namely: monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, feudalism, slavery, democracy, and etc. Our country has adopted and practised uninterrupted democracy since 1999; but our representative, majoritarian model of democracy has periodic elections as a major feature. With party primaries underway, the election season is now upon us and politicking has commenced in earnest. The election season is quite an interesting season – and indeed it should be. It should be the time when political parties and compatriots seeking elective offices present their ideas, programmes and respective development objectives to the electorate. But election seasons can also be worrisome, especially when politicians get desperate and keep the polity on edge with their utterances and actions.

Proponents have argued that the merit of democracy is that it is people-centred. Indeed, active participation of the citizenry in the democratic process is an expected civic duty. It is therefore not unusual for people’s passion, anxiety and interests to be heightened during election seasons. But in the frenzy of the period we also notice untoward comments and actions from some people, when they defend or oppose political candidates or parties.

But it must also be said that, without caution and decorum, we run the risk of turning the election season into a time of unnecessary strife and violence. This is where all of us – as stakeholders in the Nigerian project – must come together to agree on a most civil and circumspect approach to the current election season. It is a sad part of the African reality that election periods across countries are usually marked by tension and violence. The unfortunate episode in Kenya, where electoral violence led to a reported death of about 1,500 Kenyans in the 2007-2008 crisis is still very fresh. From 1966 to as recent as the 2011 general elections, Nigeria has also had its ugly share of unwarranted electoral violence. Similarly, Burundi is still plagued by the aftermath of the violence that attended her 2015 elections. We must quickly appreciate the progress being recorded with the democratic process in Africa; yet a firm commitment must also be made by all and sundry to permanently eradicate violence emanating from elections (pre- and post) across the continent.

Indeed, the most important requirement, going forward, is for all stakeholders to realise that the interest of the collective is greater than the parochial interest of any candidate or political party. The state is a prerequisite for all socio-political and economic activities. So, the state (and the concomitant collective interest of her people) cannot be sacrificed on the altar of electioneering activities. The underpinning fundamental rationale of the state is actualisation of the common good for all. When we allow tension and violence to threaten the very essence of the state, its ability to achieve this is significantly diminished. This is why we as a people must encourage reason over emotions as election season goes full throttle.

All over the world, the political class is quick to employ propaganda, defamation, personality attack, trickery, misinformation, and outright deceit to advocate their agendas. The onus is however on Nigerians to think, first, about the country, before the narrow interest of politicians; and this does not preclude active participation in the electoral process, which is a civic duty. It was Martin Luther King Jnr. who said “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek; but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” What this means is that we must not encourage conducts that threaten the peace and stability of the country, which is a necessary condition for productivity and growth.

As we participate in the electoral process, Nigerians must be committed to good relations and harmony. Politicians must be magnanimous, inclusive in victory and honourable in defeat. We must never forget that this is the only country we can call ours and we must keep it united and strong. We, as a people, must shun violence, hate speeches, deliberate deception and misinformation, especially via social media. We must respect the laws of the land and do everything to entrench the growth of democratic institutions. Tension, strife and violence are impediments to development of the society. Consequently, we must ensure we work to entrench peace and stability, for our sake and the country too. Elections are periodic; they come and go, but society persists and it must do so in a stable condition for respective human endeavours to thrive.

We at Honeywell Group wish all Nigerians a happy 58th Independence Anniversary.

LET US PRAY    

Dear God, we thank You for yet another opportunity to commemorate the independence anniversary of our nation. Through growth challenges and hiccups, Your grace has enabled us to achieve modest progress whilst maintaining our unity. In our continued journey of development, help us to appreciate the complementary strength in our unity and the endless possibilities we can achieve therefrom.