The Triumph of the Purse and the Professor’s New Garment 1 And it came to pass that the great Gubernatorial Election did arrive upon the land of Anambra, on the eighth day of the eleventh month, and the eyes of all Nigeria were fixed upon the contest, for the people awaited a true demonstration of democratic righteousness.
2 And Soludo, the learned Governor, did seek to renew his covenant with the people for another term, proclaiming that he would shift his governance from the third gear unto the fourth, even faster than a chariot of fire.
3 Yet, the political dust did not settle, for the rumors and accusations of the previous contest did wax even bolder. And it was openly spoken that the party of Soludo did promise cash rewards unto their faithful supporters whose wards would deliver a plentiful harvest of votes.
4 Thus, the sacred act of the ballot was, once again, weighed down by the burden of the purse, and the free choice of the populace was compromised by the allure of immediate silver, even as the Independent Commission of Elections did warn against all manner of electoral malpractice.
5 And when the results were tallied, Soludo was declared the victor, having won in all the twenty and one local government areas, defeating his nearest challenger by a great and overwhelming margin, securing his second term.
6 And the Professor, in his moment of triumph, did not choose to wear the solemn garment of a humble scholar, but rather, the finery of a partisan victor. For he did boast of his colossal victory, proclaiming it a “resounding endorsement” and a clear and “emphatic statement of confidence.”
7 And he did praise the President of the Nation, saying that the chief ruler had shown himself to be a “genuine democrat,” for allowing the will of the people, though purchased with much expenditure, to prevail. And he likewise lauded the new Chairman of the Electoral Commission, for conducting a process he called “credible and transparent.”
8 This was the greatest contradiction of all: that a man of great academic pedigree, who had written much on the purity of markets and institutions, would place his seal of approval upon an electoral process where the buying of votes was a persistent, open wound upon the body of the state.
9 Soludo did then extend a conciliatory hand unto the vanquished, saying, “We have had fun, we have competed, but in the end, we are brothers and sisters.” But the people did mutter, “What sport is there in a race where one contestant doth carry the heaviest purse, and payeth the runners with silver from the market?”
10 For the learned one, who was expected to elevate the discourse above the fray of dirty politics, had instead, mastered the very game he ought to have condemned, and made light of the corruption that ate at the soul of the democratic process.
11 And the elders lamented, saying, “Woe unto the land when the Professor doth shed his robe of wisdom for the cloak of the politician, for his great learning hath been used not to cleanse the stream, but to justify the muddying of the waters.”
12 And thus, Soludo moved into his second term, with his head held high, having secured his political throne through a contest where the power of the purse and the will of the voter wrestled in darkness.