Three Kinds of Political Supporters in Nigeria by Andrew Oforma Eze

Kinds/types of political supporters

1. Political Conservatives
2. Political Jobbers
3. Political Deifiers

It should be noted that at the onset that all these supporters are powerful political and economical interest cliques.  They lobby in support of their existence and relevance. Each participant seeks to maximize gains and minimize losses. All the gains accrue to their activities; they use them to feather their nests. In other words, they only want to do well not good. They are political merchants.

I.    Political Conservatives

  The interest of this group of supporters is to maintain status quo. They are those who have achieved their needed economic power, who need a leader that will protect their economic interests. They are the wealthiest groups, comprador bourgeoisies, political money donors, party chieftains; and they have a common interest. Some of them are the captains of industries, importers and exporters of unseen goods. They are members of guardian or ruling class. Sometimes some of them are invisible (hardly known) but they have enormous power in determining government policies and programmes.

They support only government that agrees to protect their interests. That is why they do prefer to enter into pact with the incoming leader before election. They are powerful to the extent of ruining any government that reneges to do what pleases them. They are the most powerful supporters.

2.   Political Jobbers

These are the professional lobbyists and manipulators. They either know the leader or someone who knows the leader. They are often seen and not heard. They are usually seen around government premises with files lobbying for posts either for themselves or associates, but their aim is purely for economic benefit that will accrue to the post. For every appointment they secure, there is either a monthly or an annual percentage attached to it. They lobby for contracts and they do not have construction firms; they are post auctioneers.

3.    Political Deifiers

They are the political praise singers, jingoists and propagandists. These supporters are the most heard and seen. They are mostly constituted by political appointees and advisers. They deify their leader and exaggerate his performance.

They are like political flatterers who make evil to appear good in the eyes of their leader. They are political marketers and image makers. Insofar as things are going well and their economic interest is assured, they will remain active in deifying, praising, and dancing to the man in charge. Sometimes these people are the cause of bad governance because they make a leader who is not in himself wise to be myopic. They only tell the leader what will please him, not what is actually on the ground. They often say “all is well” while all has gone wrong.

In next post we shall treat how do deal with them...