Our attention has been drawn to a well-orchestrated plan by the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) and its propaganda wing to rubbish the well deserved, heard earned victory of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the November 16, 2019 Governorship and National Assembly Elections in Kogi State.
We are not miffed by the millions they are throwing about to raise false alarms and cover their disastrous outing in the Kogi gubernatorial election. Though, we are much aware of the popular saying that ” you cannot beat a child, and not expect him to cry” as PDP is doing now, having been beating silly in the election, but the desperate dimension that the party is busy spewing outright lies, attributing APC’s victory to “guns” and violence in the media is alarming.
For purposes of clarification, APC’s victory did not come through the barrel of the gun nor through violence. The victory came via a combination of strategic factors ably marshalled and coordinated by the digital Executive Governor of Kogi State and leader of the party, Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello.
First, APC did a soul searching and realised it might not do too well in the election if it failed to come together as one united family. That led the leadership of the party to initiate a robust reconciliatory move that re-united the various factions within the party into one happy family.
Second, the APC went on an aggressive marketing drive across the state to showcase its achievements since it assumed power in 2016 and this endeared prospective voters to the party, having seen the margin of difference in what APC achieved in less than four years compared with PDP’s 16 years of waste.
It is on record that PDP never visited any local government in Kogi Central to sell its programmes yet the party wanted to clean up the votes from Ebiraland! Even in Kogi West, the party succeeded in campaigning in only few places since its warped strategy was built on getting astronomic votes from Kogi East which never came. Pity!
Third, PDP failed woefully in the election because of internal crisis that tore the party asunder. All through the party’s primary election to the general elections, the leadership of the party were at each others throats over the bitter outcome of the party’s Primary election where guns boomed to pave way for a particular candidate to emerge as the party’s flag bearer. We are at a loss as to how PDP intended to win an all- important election like Governorship with a divided house. In any case, the main gladiators in PDP who could make a difference in any election had all decamped to APC as a result of irreconcilable differences of the major actors within the stable of PDP.
PDP should do some introspection and soul searching instead of its current laughable resort to lies and guile to justify its disastrous outing in Kogi elections. It beats anyone,s imagination how an already beaten, battered party like Kogi PDP thought it could win the Governorship election! That would have amounted to the miracle of the century.
By the time we are done with statistics of the arrests made of PDP goons used to steal ballot boxes across the state, the world would see into the current propaganda of the PDP as nothing but a red herring intended to curry pity from unsuspecting public.
A sampler, it is on record that the 53 units canceled in Kogi West resulting in the National Assembly elections re-run slated for this weekend are units disrupted by the PDP thugs on seeing the tilt of the election against their party. And it is the same PDP that is shamelessly crying fowl all over the places! A Critical example is the viral video where a notorious thug in Oyo state popularly called Sunday Igboho confessed to have been invited by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to come to Aiyetoro Gbedde, the home town of Senator Dino Melaye to assist him win the election. No wonder, Aiyetoro Gbedde is the only town were deaths were recorded as a result of the violence apparently unleashed by Sunday Igboho and his gang.
When a candidate overrates himself, he is bound to fail.
Dino Melaye laid the foundation for his political downfall during the last PDP governorship primaries by tagging some local governments in Kogi West as betrayals, depriving them of the dollars he shared which resulted in the alienation of his key supporters from his Senate project. It was glaring that his use and dump tactics failed him this time around and we are surprised why he is pointing accusing fingers at President Muhammadu Buhari, APC and Governor Yahaya Bello for his own manufactured failure.
When APC wins any election, PDP propagandists and alarmists will consider it rigged but when PDP wins, it is considered the people’s wish. PDP should desist from self deceit and face the reality on ground.
Signed:
Kingsley Fanwo, Director General on Media and Publicity to Kogi State Governor
