Efio-Ita Nyok|8 November 2016
Every 8 November has been established constitutionally as the day the United States of America elects its President. So, this Tuesday 8 November the US will be deciding who occupies the most exalted political office in the world.
In this 2016 general election, the race is hotly contested between Republican Party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Because of the strategic position the US occupy in the global scheme of things, how it goes about its politics, economy and culture, etc affects the rest of the world. This explains why citizenry of other sovereign countries particularly get interested in the affairs of the United States.
In Nigeria as in other countries of the world, the 2016 general election has been on every lips. In Cross River State, indigenes both residents and living in the diaspora especially in the US have contemplated 2016 election. Cross Riverians are pitched on two camps, some for Clinton and the others for Trump. Onabe Edward and Simon Utsu represent these two factions. The former represents the supporters of Trump while the latter are for Clinton. Mr Edward is the founder of Cross River State Coalition for Change while Mr Utsu is a social commentator.
Mr Edward is a Christian preacher who on the 30th of October prophesied that Trump will win the 2016 general election. These are his exacts words: ‘God has chosen and anointed Donald Trump to succeed Obama to rebuild the broken wall of his people. People of God, whatever you are doing, please, take a minute and just pray from your heart for the will of God to be done in the U.S election. God told me that He has chosen Donald Trump. Now I pray, Father let your will be done in the U.S election in Jesus Christ name we pray. Amen!’
For Utsu, Clinton will clinch on the presidency. He has been very vocal about it on his social media account. In one of those occasions, he argued thus:
‘I like the way the race to the White House is turning on its head only a few days to the election proper…this way, Trump supporters will understand that their man was DESTINED to lose the race when he eventually loses. In the end, no matter how close the race gets, there’s going to be only one winner and she’s going to take it all… There’s no prize for the best presidential runner up of all time… because in 50 years to come, the world will only remember the winner and not the runner up-oops, sorry, I meant loser… Sai Hillary!’ This was on the 31st October, a day after Edward’s prophecy.
‘I like the way the race to the White House is turning on its head only a few days to the election proper…this way, Trump supporters will understand that their man was DESTINED to lose the race when he eventually loses. In the end, no matter how close the race gets, there’s going to be only one winner and she’s going to take it all… There’s no prize for the best presidential runner up of all time… because in 50 years to come, the world will only remember the winner and not the runner up-oops, sorry, I meant loser… Sai Hillary!’ This was on the 31st October, a day after Edward’s prophecy.
So, Cross Riverians are thorn in between the dilemma of Edward’s religious prophecy and Utsu’s secular prognostication. The implications of their individual stances is this: Utsu wants us to believe that Americans will vote for a Liberal, left-leaning political philosophy; whereas Edward contends that Americans will elect a Conservative, right-leaning political outlook. There are ten areas these two parties differ, in terms of Tax Policy, Social Issues, Labor and Free Trade, Health Care, Social Programs, Foreign Policy, Energy Issues and the Environment, Education, Crime and Capital Punishment, and Individual Liberty. In terms of foreign policy, Enki Village, a website contends that, ‘When it comes to differences between democrats and republicans, the foreign policy can not be missed. Each party has had differing stances in relation to foreign policy over the years depending on the situation. Generally speaking, when military involvement may be required, the Democrats favor more targeted strikes and limited use of manpower while Republicans favor a full military effort to displace regimes that are totalitarian and detrimental to their own people and who are threatening others. Both parties typically agree that sending aid to other countries is a good thing, but disagree on the nature of that aid and who should be receiving it.’
Between the secularism of Utsu and the spirituality of Edward which will be vindicated to be true? Only time will tell!
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org
