Customarily, politicians make assumptions about what they would do if elected to office, consequently expressing their agenda in the context of individual or party manifestos.
Whereas no scientific research has been conducted to validate the percentage tangibility of their election promises executed, the electorates would rely on perceptions as to what extent the elected legislators has fulfilled his/her blueprint development plan.
However, it should not be lost on us that election to the office of the member of parliament has a time limit upon which the legislature would obstinately get cracking to implement his campaign agenda and other attendant ad-hoc promissory propositions that suit the socio-economic import of his people.
Balancing the constitution prescriptions viz a viz public interest in so far as expending NG-CDF and Road Levies, the MP is embroiled in juggling and struggling dilemmas, thus vitiating development programmes.
In this regard, they humanly require time and space to contrive a modus operandi to actualise their constituency action plans, hence judging them objectively on their development and legislative scorecard after five years.
However, we are lately treated to apprehensive scenarios in which no sooner the member of parliament is elected than early campaigns begin in earnest building up to the semblance of an election calendar.
In what political epistemologists would argue, political competitors would leverage negative public perceptions against the incumbent and unleash propaganda or misinformation to undermine the legitimacy of the office holder.
Moreover, the use of sponsored/ spontaneous vocal arts (poems) to castigate the incumbent and/or lionize the contenders in public functions ushered in a phenomenal conundrum in the political arena.
Our lives should not be defined by divisive politics. Elections will come and go. But what should drive one to run for elected office in the past may still drive him today.
Nonetheless, the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are worthy of winning.
Accordingly, the idiomatic prophecy of “what goes around comes around” comes in handy.
If you are a beneficiary of a dishonourable political robbery, you will reap its fruits.
It’s therefore instructive that we give the members of parliament in office time and space to work for the people until the end of their term.
Based on their performance record, we have the liberty to send them home or otherwise.
Ibrahim Hish Adan
The writer is a senior Educationist camp political commentator.
