Open Letter
2023 Elections: An Open Letter To Our Leaders Dr. RM Kwankwaso, Dr. MI Shekarau and Dr. AU Ganduje (OFR)
Dear Our Leaders/Your Excellencies/Sirs,
Salam Alaikum
Governor Ganduje has spoken the truth that “the year 2022 is the right time for APC to try reconciliation, negotiation and mediation on Political, Economic and Social Development in Kano State”.
Hence, any patriotic Kano indigene must welcome this golden idea. It is absolutely imperative for our leaders and followers to ensure reconciliation, negotiation via mediation for our dear State to get rapid development. Lagos State is an excellent example. They have written a serialized strategic planning based calendar time-frame that will be executed within the next 50years.
Negotiation in a nutshell
Mediation, negotiation and reconciliation experts assert that, it is important to look into relationship while going into negotiation. In view of that, we are to observe five styles of negotiation:-
1.Competition
2.Problem solving
3.Compromise
4.Solution
5.Yield
Issues to be looked into in negotiation include:-
People relationship; value; history and past leadership’s problems/information; distributive justice, trust, process; structure; fairness; resources, future contest for the party faithful, followers and 2023 elections’ contestants. This is because of the three key elements of politics; politics is a game of competition, interest and ambition. So, conflict is possible even in advanced democracies.The year 2023 is around the corner and each and every politician is now looking forward to the year 2023. Those that have interest be given the opportunity to contest via democratic means.
In negotiation and mediation, it is always imperative to turn negative into positive, which can only be possible by making proper diagnosis in any dispute or differences. The APC stakeholders must try to build trust with each other by respecting values, people, history and leadership of the past and present.
Also, they must as well do the same for all the stakeholders without any egocentric tendency. The year 2023 is elections time and the party must be prepared to avoid moving in to Political Eclipse, Harakiri or Oblivion. Factually speaking the opposition party is looking into possible weaknesses that they can capitalize on to win the 2023 elections. Therefore, it’s advisable for APC in Kano State and at National level to look into this advice ASAP.
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The Stakeholders must always observe their people, history, values, culture, interest, ambition and leadership. The only way to attain this is by solving the problem through negotiation and mediation process by putting a structure of fairness and distributive justice amongst the party stakeholders, followers and supporters.
Both sides must consider;-
1. Separation- this means separating facts from allegations and counter allegations.
2. Legitimacy- he whoever has a legitimate reason should be given the opportunity.
3. Honesty- this is the fundemental key to success in any negotiation and mediation.
4. Realistic commitment- each side must stick to realistic agreement without political shenanigans or deception whatsoever.
5. Responsibility- resposible stakeholders, intellectuals and pragmatic politicians amongst the party leadership should be involved in the reconciliation, negotiation and mediation.
In his excellent writing a globally acknowledge Professor of negotiation and mediation Sir William Zartman observed that “successful mediation means containing and mending. The mediator must be able to block the impending or escalating conflict, draw the parties away from conflicting perceptions and action, and bringing them together in a more harmonious relationship so that conflict is not only halted but is prevented from recurring”. Also, another Professor Daniel Dana is an expert in crises management; opined that management conflicts is simple so long as each side will give the opportunity to Communication. And again, William Zartman says that sometime the solution is within the air and all one need to do is grab it. Hence, this writing understand that what H/E Governor AU Ganduje (OFR) suggested on negotiation and mediation is the only way to success and develop Kano State.
Recommendations for negotiations:
Considering the history of negotiations, threats, incentives and broken hopes; it seems not difficult to offer new approaches for the future and for APC to succeed in Kano State and the nation. Nevertheless, we can identify a few promising routes to improve the likelihood that negotiations will deliver a solution to the party conflict.
Realistically, solutions must be found via Track One diplomacy that is tentative and unbroken promises where the governments and party stakeholders must sit down and develop a permanent solution. However, Track Two which involves intellectuals in the party can play a role in providing analysis and intelligence into the situations in each issue and address the possible points that will solve the conflicts. For example, what happened in 1979 between SANTSI and TA6O! Why? How NRC defeated SDP due to conflicts in Kano State? Why ANPP lost to PDP in the year 2011 despite the incumbency power?
Dr. Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,UK, Special Adviser to the Governor of Kano State on Public Affairs, Political Strategy and Communication analyst/Consultant