JUST CONCLUDED PARTY PRIMARIES AND MATTERS ARISING
The primaries for the election of candidates for various elective positions for next year'sgeneral elections have come and gone.Those who won now have bigger challenges to confront, while those who lost now have enough time to plan for better outing next time or re-strategize for future
However, from what transpired during the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, there is no doubt that, next year's general elections will be filled with surprises and shock!In some states, the race is definitely not going to be between the PDP and APC alone, but more parties are also going to spring serious surprises in the polls. For example, in Oyo State, the governorship election is going to be a turf battle among four candidates. These are; former governor Rasheed Ladoja of the Accord Party, former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin of the PDP, incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the APC and former governor Alao Akala of the Labour party. These candidates are very strong because they command huge followers in the state and beyond. So, whoever wants to emerge victorious must go extra miles.
Also, in Ogun State the race is going to be between the PDP, APC and Social Democratic Party (SDP). The same feat is going to repeat itself in Imo State where it will be between APC, PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Similar thing may be witnessed in Ebonyi state where PDP, APC, APGA and Labour Party are going to slug it out. Benue and Kogi States are not left out. In fact there are many states where the governorship electionwould be too close call.
Another twist to next year's general election is the increased political consciousness of the electorates. And with the promise and believe that votes will count, some self-professed political god fathers who have succeeded in creating dichotomy between leaders and their followers over the years hoping or thinking that the electorates are going to follow whatever direction they take next year would be shocked by what will happen.
Similarly, next year's general election is not going to be tea party affairs as it used to be, because unconsidered variables are likely going to take the centre stage. Apart from the outcome of the various party primaries, voting patterns or decisions are mostly going to be influenced by sentiments than issues. I'm however sorry to say this, but,this is definitely the reality we found ourselves in Nigeria. For those who may call me pessimist, my answer to them is simple. I started political writing early enough with Young Nigerians for Change as a platform, thinking and hoping that before we get close to 2015 general elections, Nigerian politics would be based on issues and not sentiments, but till date there is no change, and from what swayed the voting decisions of the various party delegates in the last primaries and their outcomes, it is only a barefaced liar that will say sentiment and 'Ghana must go' did not play a role. So, why must we
keep living in make-believe world when the reality is the opposite? This can be likened to one the practices in some states of the South East Geo Political Zone where a father will beat up his son for calling a snake by its name in the night. Based on that practice, a child is not allowed to call a snake by its name at night, instead, the child would be asked to describe or call it stick. This is a classical example of one of the challenges still facing our democracy.
The other aspect I want to address is the tsunami that befell most of the ex-ministers who left the government to contest governorship elections in their respective states. Apart from the former Supervising Minister of Education,Honourable Nyesome Wike who won the PDP governorship primary in Rivers State, the remaining ex ministers woefully lost the election to their opponents. What does that speak about them? The answer is simple. It shows that they were living in ivory towers. They had no touch with the realities on ground. They were held incommunicado by professional sycophants who always tell them what their itching ears wants to hear. They alienated themselves from the electorates. Their association with people was master servant relationship. They surrounded themselves with security operatives who prevented anyone who wants to see them from doing so, no matter the objective. They even prevented some party stalwarts from seeing them while in office.
This is not to talk of the army of unemployed youths they never helped, yet they were the ones scheming by virtue of their positions to lead President Jonathan's re-election campaigns in their respective states next year. Somebody who left office with all the cash and other benefits of power, but cannot even win election within his party, how can he deliver an entire state to the president next year? The president should open his third eye to see things for himself.
Some of them are those who refused to understand that power is transient that only make the wise wiser. They are people who believe that instead of using power for the advancement of the common good, it should be used for the enrichment of themselves and their family members. They taught that the cries of the innocents they subjugate, humiliate and impoverished will not get to heaven! And I must say this, no matter how unpalatable it may sound, that what happened to the dry leaf and made it to fall from the tree should serve a lesson to the fresh one.
Hence, as we march to next year's general elections, the candidates of the various political parties should start acclimatising themselves to people before the main polls, while those in power should introduce pro-masses programmes. Anything less than that will cost them a lot next year.
Comrade Edwin Uhara is an Activist and Public Affairs Commentator.
He writes from Abuja.
Reach him on 07065862479 or [email protected]