“One termite is never the cause of the house falling,” an African proverb goes. “But when the swarm arrives, the house begins to tremble.” Yesterday’s, Kaduna State trembled. The local government elections, intended as a beacon of democratic expression, were undermined by the quiet gnawing of corruption, inefficiency, and indifference. In the same way termites gradually devour the foundation of a house, the fundamental pillars of democracy in Kaduna state were eroded. As election materials went missing and polling officials failed to show up, a larger truth emerged: democracy itself is under siege, weakened from within by the very individuals entrusted to protect it.
A Rotten Core, Not Logistics
At the heart of yesterday’s debacle was not a simple failure of logistics, as some might claim. The delayed arrival of materials and absenteeism of officials were symptoms of a deeper rot, a decay caused by the persistent erosion of ethical leadership and civic responsibility. I stood at my polling unit for over three hours, watching as voters gathered in hope, only to leave in disappointment when no one from the electoral body showed up. Elsewhere in Kaduna, ballots arrived too late in the day to allow for anything more than a rushed and inadequate process, while some units reported no election activity whatsoever. The elections, if they could even be called that, seemed designed to fail.
One could initially assume that this was merely incompetence, an unfortunate mishap caused by poor planning. But as the day wore on, it became clear that this was no accident. It was a deliberate attempt to undermine the process, a slow, calculated effort to strip the local government elections of any legitimacy. Like termites eating away at a wooden foundation, the subtle, often invisible workings of manipulation gnawed at the integrity of the system. This was not a case of oversight, but one of insidious intent.
Power’s Ethical Dilemma: Lessons from Philosophy
Political philosophers have long warned of the dangers that arise when the ethics of individuals in power are compromised. Aristotle, in his work Politics, remarked that “Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all.” This idea resonated powerfully in Kaduna yesterday, where those tasked with ensuring the law and justice of electoral integrity separated themselves from these principles. The chairperson of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), for instance, instead of embodying the ideals of democracy, allowed results to be announced even as ballots were still being counted. This is the worst of man’s potential, when power is misused not for the public good but for personal gain.
What Aristotle described as the degeneration of leadership echoes in Thomas Hobbes’ view of the social contract. Hobbes believed that without a central authority to keep order, societies would descend into chaos, where life becomes “nasty, brutish, and short.” In Kaduna’s elections, the social contract—the trust that exists between the state and its people—was shattered. Those in power, rather than safeguarding the public trust, have chosen to degrade it, unleashing a state of disorder and disappointment. It is not chaos in the streets, but a more insidious disorder where citizens, robbed of their democratic voice, are left helpless in the face of corruption.
Abilene Paradox: Consent through Silence
The fraud of yesterday’s election was not solely the work of a few; it was also enabled by the silent consent of many. The Abilene Paradox, a concept in organizational behavior, explains how groups often make decisions that go against the individual desires of their members because no one speaks up. In Kaduna, this paradox played out on a grand scale. Voters, knowing that the system was broken, still showed up to cast their ballots in the vain hope that their participation might somehow make a difference. The election officials, knowing the process was compromised, still went through the motions. And the citizens of Kaduna, despite witnessing the collapse of the democratic process, remain largely silent in the aftermath.
In the Abilene Paradox, people take actions they know to be flawed, thinking they are alone in their dissatisfaction, yet believing that it is the “right thing to do” because no one else is objecting. This collective silence allows the termite-like destruction of democratic integrity to continue unabated. If more people spoke out, if more officials refused to participate in a rigged process, the outcome might be different. But in Kaduna, as in so many parts of Nigeria, silence and complicity reign, allowing the termites to do their work.
History’s Warnings: When Democracies Fail
History offers countless warnings about the fate of societies that fail to protect their democratic institutions. The Roman Republic is one such example, a state that began with a robust system of checks and balances but gradually succumbed to corruption and power grabs. In the end, the Republic fell not because of a single catastrophic event, but because of the cumulative effect of compromised leaders and a disengaged populace. Julius Caesar’s rise to power was merely the final blow to a system that had long been weakened by the erosion of its foundational principles.
In Kaduna, the local government elections reveal a similar trajectory. Yesterday’s fraud was not an isolated incident, but part of a long pattern of political malpractice that has been eating away at the core of Nigerian democracy. The chairperson of KADSIECOM, in validating the results declared before ballots were counted, did not just commit a procedural error; she contributed to the ongoing degradation of democratic norms. Each compromised election brings us one step closer to a state where democracy becomes a hollow shell, a mere facade behind which corruption reigns.
Like the fall of Rome, the collapse of democratic governance in Nigeria will not happen overnight. But it will happen if the termites are allowed to continue their work unchecked.
Time for Accountability
The termites in Kaduna’s local elections did their work quietly, but their impact is undeniable. The citizens of Kaduna now face the grim prospect of living under the governance of officials who claim their positions through fraud and deceit. These so-called leaders, installed not by the will of the people but by manipulation, will preside over local governments that lack legitimacy, trust, or respect.
If history teaches us anything, it is that democracies cannot survive long under such conditions. The philosopher John Locke, in his treatises on government, argued that the legitimacy of any government rests on the consent of the governed. When that consent is manufactured through deceit, the social contract is broken. The result is not governance, but tyranny, a slow tyranny that eats away at the freedoms and rights of the people, much like termites hollow out a once-strong tree from within.
To prevent the complete erosion of democracy, accountability must be demanded. The chairperson of KADSIECOM and her must resign, not as an act of personal shame, but as a statement that the democratic process is too important to be treated with such disregard. Furthermore, the people of Kaduna, and indeed Nigeria as a whole, must reject the Abilene Paradox. Silence is not neutrality; it is complicity. By failing to speak out, by failing to demand better from those in power, we are allowing the termites to continue their destructive work.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “A republic, if you can keep it.” The question is whether we are willing to do the hard work of keeping our democracy intact, or if we will allow it to be eaten away until nothing is left.
The termites have done enough damage. Isn’t it time to reclaim our house?
Mr Aliyu writes from 43 Ashiru Road, Unguwan Dosa New Extension, KadunaA
