Book Review: Love Does Not Win Elections by Ayisha Osori
To understand Nigerian politics, you must read Ayisha's book.
As a Nigerian, there are two pieces of advice you must be wary about;
You write so well; you should write a book.
You are doing so much good; contest for political office.
Ayisha should have heeded the warning. She contested a political office, and she wrote a book. In her defense, this is a wonderful book. I enjoyed reading it so much that I read it in 48 hours.
Ayisha has done us a great service. While everyone agrees that Nigerian politics is dirty, no one has written about how dirty it is. What Ayisha did is to demystify all of that.
Ayisha Osori contested for the seat of the House of Representatives in the 2015 elections. Her experience will help you understand Nigeria's politics.
Reading through, you will journey with Ayisha from when she decided to contest a political office to how she navigated the loopholes, built her campaign, raised funds, engaged with the party bosses, and ultimately lost the election. She lost, not because she was not qualified, not because she did not do all she could, but because there was simply an entrenched system of incompetence that was driven by money and those in power. Ayisha writes with a reflective voice. She reminisces about former officeholders she met who were once powerful but have become poor and retired to a life of destitution.
Ayisha's story lays Nigeria's politics bare for every reader. She helps you see what happens. The first observation is the role of money in all the processes. Money is the key factor in Nigerian politics. Nigerian politics isn’t for the poor. Nearly everywhere she went, envelopes were changing hands. I couldn't help but wonder why some of these big politicians still collected envelopes. The sharing of envelopes is an integral part of the process. Perhaps the most important one.
Another critical factor is the power brokers. The godfathers and godmothers. Yes, godmothers like Patience Jonathan. Aisha kept hearing a refrain: “Have you met the First Lady?”. Patience Jonathan was one of the most powerful individuals in the Jonathan Era. Unfortunately for Ayisha, she could not meet Patience Jonathan right up to the primaries. She was pointed to so many power brokers, some from the community level and others at the national level.
There were the opportunists who saw every contestant as a cash cow. They approached Aisha so many times. She was naïve at the beginning until someone drew her attention to the fact that they could be swindlers; indeed, they were.
I was surprised to learn that in all her political campaigns, Ayisha was invited for a late-night meeting just once. The complaints against late-night meetings have been among the many legendary faults women use against participating in politics.
It is worthy of note that there are some Nigerians who did not behave like the power brokers. For instance, Ayisha tells of how she met some people who insisted on not collecting any envelopes from her. She tells the story of how she raised millions from Nigerians who donated to her campaign because they believed in her capacity and the Nigerian dream she was sharing. These are the people on whom Nigeria's future depends!
Ayisha's writing flows from a women's advocacy perspective. It has been her life's work to advocate for women’s rights, one of which is to increase women’s participation in politics. She got tired of just advocating, which led her to run for public office herself. Her book is a continuation of this struggle. Her loss is a reminder that it will continue to remain a dream until power brokers and citizens intentionally demand more women's participation.
All through, you will see Ayisha's courage and political smartness. I laughed at the parts where she bowed down to offer envelopes in one meeting. I laughed at the parts where she bent down seriously, apologizing for not calling one prominent person. She is a witty writer. No one could have told this story better. In this book, you will find her story and profound reflections on the Nigerian state and politics.
To understand Nigerian politics, you must read Ayisha's book. She is right, Love Does Not Win Elections. Money does. If that pisses you off, get involved and change it.