By KENNETH DARENG
THE 2024 UK general election was a historic and poignant moment in British politics, with Rishi Sunak, the immediate past Prime Minister, standing outside 10 Downing Street, giving his farewell speech to the nation following the defeat of his Conservative Party.
Sunak’s speech marked the end of an era and a decisive moment in British politics, as he acknowledged the voters’ verdict with humility. Noting, “I have given this job my all, but you have given a clear signal that the Government of the United Kingdom must change. And yours is the only judgement that matters.”
The UK election result, which gave the Labour Party an overwhelming majority with 410 seats in the 650-seat parliament, saw the emergence of Keir Starmer as the new Prime Minister of Britain. This underscores Britons’ desire to send a strong message to the political class that power resides with the people. Perhaps, the outcome of the UK election was a reflection of the people’s dissatisfaction with the way and manner the British people had endured 14 years of the Conservative Party leadership marked by economic challenges, and at the end of it, they felt it was time to send the conservatives away through the ballot box.
To drive home these narratives, particularly here in Nigeria, there are big lessons that can be derived from the British general election. Our politicians must first and foremost understand that the primary responsibility of government anywhere in the world is the welfare and security of its citizens. This can be articulated through a democratic process, and failure to do so means those in leadership positions have no business being the representatives of the people.
Among some factors that made the UK election so fascinating was the accuracy of the exit-poll which featured graphic details and projections on how each of the political parties was going to perform, which at the end was just almost 100 percent accurate. In the Nigerian political space, polls projections may be seen as magic or voodoo, especially in a situation where the political gladiators themselves do not believe in the permutations. This is because it is in most cases a ‘Do or Die’ affair where a winner must emerge by all available means, especially in a system where the actors are not willing to take anything to chance.
However, what can be seen as a model for any democratic process anywhere is when a defeated candidate acknowledges and accepts that the will of the people had prevailed and that the vast majority have made their choice known through the ballot. This, no doubt, enhances the credibility of the exercise and confirms the legitimacy of the winner.
In the case of Rishi Sunak, he didn’t wait till the end of the counting of votes before he conceded defeat. He quickly called the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to congratulate him on his victory. And in his farewell speech, Sunak offered his kind words by stating that Keir Starmer, the new Prime Minister, is a decent man and promised to support him succeed in the task ahead in the overall interest of Great Britain.
Sunak said, “Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on both sides. That is something that should give us confidence in our country’s stability and future. Results are still pending, but the Labour Party has the 326 seats needed to take the majority in the British parliament.”
Sir Keir Starmer, in his acceptance speech, also thanked Mr. Sunak for his service to Great Britain while serving in his capacity as Prime Minister and also wished him and his family well in their future endeavours. He also said to Britons, “But a mandate like this comes with a great responsibility. Our task is nothing less than renewing the ideas that hold this country together for national renewal. And alongside that, we have to return politics to public service. Show that politics can be a force for good. Make no mistake that this is the great test of politics in this era. The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age. It is why we have campaigned so hard on demonstrating we are fit for public service.”
That was a complete opposite of what obtained in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria particularly where the runners-up in the presidential election, made up of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and that of the Labour Party (LP), led by former Governor Peter Obi, who both came a distant second and third respectively. However, neither of these two candidates was able to congratulate the president-elect nor accept the outcomes. Rather, they both outrightly rejected the election results which dragged to the Supreme Court and, at the end, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s election was affirmed.
In Nigeria, politicians often promise to ‘hit the ground running’ while marshalling their plans after winning elections. But, unfortunately, that is not always the case.
For instance, the contrast is so glaring looking at the speed at which the new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, was able to roll out his policies based on addressing government bureaucracy and inefficiency in the public services along with other urgent matters such as housing, immigration, national health services, industrialization, etc. These prompted him into taking immediate steps to announce his cabinet within hours after his victory.
However, going down memory lane to the assumption of former President Buhari to power in 2015, it took him almost six months to assemble his cabinet. And when asked why the delay, he said, ‘Because I am Baba go-slow.’ And in the case of President Tinubu, it took him almost two months to announce his cabinet and as things presently stand, Plateau State is not represented in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) after the departure of Barrister Simon Bako Lalong, who resigned his ministerial seat to go to the Senate.
Yet, no replacement has been announced close to one year now.
One novelty about the recent British general election was its inclusiveness and political diversity given the fact that a UK Yoruba-Nigerian cultural movement was able to stand as a registered political party. Although the group was able to secure only 200 votes, that cannot be contemplated in a country like Nigeria where the heavy burden of defining the status of an individual’s right to live and actualize one’s political ambition in a state outside that of his or her origin, remains a tall order. In addition, the settlers/indigenes division which further polarizes the Nigerian society along the path of ethno-religious suspicion is often exploited by the political class as a smokescreen to achieve their dubious and selfish goals.
The 2024 UK election clearly demonstrates that there are basic lessons to be drawn by the Nigerian political class and the followership. That is, considering the fact that, just like in the UK, power also resides with the people in Nigeria. What happened during the British general elections can also happen in Nigeria if only the people can realize that they possess the fundamental responsibility to interrogate those given the mandate to serve them. Also, it is within their reach to express their power through the ballot.
And when the people are conscious of their constitutional rights, then they must be ready to show the willingness to change the leadership through the right processes, especially when things go wrong.
