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I am a student of history so will tell a little story to clearly analyse my assertion above.
In 2014, when the then President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP indicated interest to rerun for the Presidential seat against all odds, it was clear PDP was going to loss the election if they give him their ticket, because the indication that GEJ was no longer marketable was there for all to see. But because he knew that those responsible for giving tickets to aspirants (Delegates) are money lovers, he found his way, induced them with money and they opted to do the unthinkable and print ONLY ONE copy of the Presidential ticket and went ahead to endorse him as the soul candidate of the party. instead of conducting primaries like it was done before that time and elect a flag bearer. It shows they were not studying the situation, the resultant effect of that action is what we have today.
I am from Kogi state so will have to pick further history from Kogi state.
When it was time for Kogi election in 2015 after the general election that saw PDP out of power at the center because of the actions of the delegates, we warned the party in the state not to give their governorship ticket to the then incumbent governor, Capt Idris Ichalla Wada because he was no longer popular with the people for his inability to pay full salary to the local government workers and his emergence as governor which was believed to be a backyard arrangement by Former Gov. Ibrahim Idris. For this reasons, the electorate were only waiting for time to show him the way out.
I was coordinating the media Team for Alhaji Jibrin Isah (Echocho) then and wrote two articles to the party delegates. The first was Before the primary election urging them to save the party by electing the then sorted after candidate in the person of Echocho in order for the party to win the election. The second was after the primary election, telling them they have sent the party out of power in Kogi state because Wada was no match for Late Prince Abubakar Audu (May his soul rest in peace). The then delegates choose money, voted against the will of the people and chose an unpopular flag bearer, the resultant effect of that action is what we have in kogi state today.
Fast forward to 2018 that the party is an opposition in the country and state today, PDP seems to have not learnt her lesson but still clinged to the analog form of money politics that has yanked the party into an opposition.
Recently in Ekiti state, the party delegates who knew better that Eleke, the candidates of Fayose have no popularity on his own to win election still went ahead to present him to the electorates for election after being induced with money, today we have a story to tell from Ekiti.
Nigerians are politically advancing everyday, the party must advance too if she must win elections in 2019, she must scientifically analyse situation, go with the will of the people, give to them what they want and return back to power.
This step must start from delegates elections, we must as a matter of importance look out for people with a little bit of integrity and unquestionable characters and elect as the party delegates who will in turn elect flag bearers for us. You don’t continue to do the same thing and expect different results. We must learn from history and correct this.
While APC already knows the candidates who will be flying their flags in various offices down to the assemblies and already working on the electorates, PDP is waiting for the highest bidders even if not popular to give their tickets. You can not be in opposition and wait for money to choose a marketable candidate, rather, you should go out there check the popularity ratio of aspirants gunning for the various offices and select the most sorted after.
Kogi state is having a peculiar situation, our governorship election comes after the general election. But the Senate, Reps, and Assemblies elections are as important as the governorship election. You don’t lose this positions and expect to win the governorship in Sept 2019. This people will work for their party’s candidate and curry votes for him. We already have such history in our hands.
The party must save Nigerians and Kogites from the hunger laden, tyrannical and no direction government of President Muhammad Buhari and that of Gov Yahaya Bello in Kogi State, but they can only do that if they go out for popular candidates in place of money bags.
You have the knife, you have the meat, what to do with it is your choice
– Comrade Maji Isah writes from Kogi State
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