Dear DVAA,
Having featured in your political journey in the last one year or so, and also a member of your formidable campaign structure with its pioneering, innovative and pace-setting strides in several aspects, I am indeed eminently qualified to talk about the numerous pristine political strategies and innovation that you brought to bear in all your engagements with the electorate across Kogi East Senatorial zone.
For the very first time I encountered political campaigns built on nothing but the truth.
You were building a structure and campaigning at the same time. Even though we started 3 months ago under the platform of an unpopular/ relatively unknown party, you got 30,996 votes (of course we know your ‘legitimate’ votes which got stolen or burnt is far more than this) without paying the electorate a dime, without arming thugs and without party agents in most of the Polling Units.
It’s a clear testimony of the people’s love for you. The crowd wherever we went, the cheers of ‘Adoji’ whenever you alighted from the vehicle. Your love for the land and her people shone through every movement you made. I kept hearing “Adoja is back” from some who watched you in wonderment. Many called you the ‘Peoples Senator’.
We ran a beautiful campaign devoid of pettiness, violence and character assassination. We went everywhere..the nooks and crannies of Kogi East. We met all stakeholders that needed to be met. We met youth groups, Farmers, Teachers, Traders, Widows, Persons with Disabilities, Road Transport Workers, Okada Association, CAN, Bishops, Imams, Students, Traditional Rulers, Women Groups etc. We met many associations. You attended 418 Town Hall Meetings, 702 closed door meetings and 87 private meetings. We met the Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa Communities across our land. We sent bulk SMS, did Robocalls, made personal calls via our call centre, got endorsement portraits done for your supporters, put up blimps and banner boards (1st of its kind in Kogi state), and even got our Igala-achi designed for our canvassers. We ran an issue-based campaign built on a social contract with the people.
The peoples’ acceptability was loud. It’s why our votes got protected in some PUs despite the absence of party Agents. One instance was a lady who kept calling the situation room from Igalamela. The lady who protected our votes in her PU just because she got a text message from us.
And we had passionate Volunteers who did everything they could at the risk of their lives & properties. Our supporters were arrested, vehicles destroyed, home burnt, yet they didn’t relent.
Just like I did for PMB in 2015, I took 3 weeks leave to enable me join the campaign train. Most times I went on those campaigns with the team was to listen to you, because I knew I was going to learn something new. For this reason, I now know ane’igala more than many who were born in Igalaland.
Kogi Easterners may have been deprived of the right voice at the National Assembly, but this is only the beginning our dear Leader/Thinkist. The DVAA Innovative Movement is unto bigger things.
Kogi Shall Arise and Shine with #TheNewVoices In Shaa Allah!
It was an honour working with you on this beat, and I look forward to doing more on a bigger level.
God bless you my ‘Legitimate’ Senator (Dr) Victor Alewo Adoji.
God bless and replenish all DVAA Volunteers/Supporters.
Signed:
Safiya Stephanie Musa fce, pfd
DG, DVAA Innovative Movement.
