By Ibrahim Habu Suleiman
The storm that swept across the country since August through September up until the first week of October heralding the political parties’ primaries has eventually subsided generally with winners and losers counting their blessings. For many of the contestants it was just an experience they may live to cherish for many more years to come. To others it was a wake up call made possible through the spirit of democracy. Yet, to still many others it was a period that would forever linger in their memories – the sweet scent of victory.
The parties’ primaries fared differently from one state to the other. In some states there were several aspirants declared unopposed both from the governing APC as well as the opposition. However some incumbent governors faced fierce opposition from within their parties.
The Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom became a victim of his machination when he was compelled to dump the party that brought him to the position in the first place. He has already been elected as the flagbearer of the PDP in the state, even as the APC labelled him “unsaleable”. In Zamfara State the APC primaries have remained inconclusive with the state governor refusing to give in to demands for more transparency through direct voting. Reports of skirmishes have trailed the the situation in that state. The closing stages of the primaries provided Nigerians with highly captivating spectacle that could beat any Hollywood blockbuster!
In Nasarawa State the build up to the primaries suggested that the governing APC was heading to a disastrous showdown as intraparty squabbles took a rather fierce dimension pitching the state’s first executive governor, Abdullahi Adamu against the incumbent. At the beginning, there were over twenty aspirants for the sole ticket of the APC. Many Nasarawaians became alarmed at the unfolding situation and people started praying in mosques and churches for peace to prevail. And as God would have it the whole exercise with a few unfortunate exceptions remained peaceful, even if not entirely free and fair.
Of course the authorities in the state described the APC primaries as free, fair and transparent. However, allegations of intimidation, coercion and use of money by the government to induce the delegates to vote the government preferred contestant abound. In fact there were rumours circulating that the Kano-based billionaire business tycoon, Aliko Dangote had supplied hundreds of millions (billions?) of naira to be shared around to key APC stakeholders to facilitate the victory of Engr. A. A. Sule.
Meanwhile, as the exercise was going on, the main opposition parties in the state sat back in readiness to sweep the spoils from the raging intraparty war between the state government and it’s preferred choice on one side and the rest of the numerous APC governorship aspirants including the state deputy governor Mr. Silas Ali Agara on the other hand.
There was a unanimous condemnation of Governor Almakura’s decision to wait until the tail end of campaigns by the aspirants to announce the government’s candidate and worst still to demand that others should adopt him. Besides a lot of people were afraid that Governor Almakura’s inability to marry his developmental/infrastructural projects with a human face in terms of the total absence of people’s welfare in his programme, especially as it affects civil servants, the engine room of government, would be transferred to the APC flagbearer. After all both come from the private sector and might share the governor’s capitalist doctrine of making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Indeed, from the utterances of the spokesman of the opposing aspirants, Hon. Ahmed Aliyu Wadada it appeared as if the government’s preferred candidate would be beaten at the primaries hands down. Apparently the government had it’s way in the end.
Now that the storm is over the APC appears to have given the opposition something to cheer. But, can they exploit the opportunity?
Keen political observers might recall that the last US Democratic Party primaries that ushered in Hillary Clinton, former US first lady as the party’s presidential flagbearer in 2016 had equally raised questions over the unity of the party as supporters of her closest opponent Bernie Sanders pledged protest votes in favour of the Republican flagbearer, while others would rather remain neutral instead of voting Mrs. Clinton for President – all because they were not satisfied with the conduct of the party’s primaries. We now know how the Democratic Party fared in the last presidential elections. This was in spite of Hillary Clinton’s higher popularity rating than the Republican candidate, Donald Trump and the fact that the Democrats were still at the helm of affairs at the White House.
Of course the opposition parties in Nasarawa State can equally take advantage of these seeming cracks on the wall of the APC and snatch the governorship seat under the nose of the incumbent governor. Furthermore, the electorate are now more concerned with individual contestants’ rating than their parties. The average voter today is much more enlightened than before and can distinguish between a genuine democrat who has the interests of the masses at heart and a pretender whose main objective is to hoodwink the masses for his/her ulterior motives – to loot the state treasury.
Hence it doesn’t matter whether it is APC, APGA, PDM etc or indeed PDP the pendulum could swing to anyone. It all depends on who has the wherewithal to convince the entire electorate of his genuine ambitions as a true democrat and patriot, someone who would work to develop our society to a higher pedestal with a human face. Someone who is equally sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of the masses of the population and not someone whose stock in trade is that age-old capitalist strategy of making the rich richer and the poor poorer or taking from the poor to give rich.
To this end the flagbearers should take cognizance of the need to play the game by the rules. The electoral process is guided by the laws of the land – the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic, etc. Of course nowhere does the law support violence because it only breeds untimely deaths and destruction. It therefore behoves on all to embrace peace which is the bedrock for progress and prosperity.
Therefore, all political parties should inculcate in their members particularly the contestants the relevance of issues-based campaigns, shun all campaigns of calumny and above all expunge the culture of spreading fake news which is fast sweeping across the whole country.
Remember, for elections to be credible, they must be free, fair and peaceful. Government must take into account that its main responsibility in the process is to ensure security so that all citizens can cast their votes without fear or/and intimidation, as well as to provide a level playing ground for all contestants. The candidates also have a duty to ensure that their supporters conduct themselves in the most civilized manner and avoid incitement before, during and after the elections. In fact all heads must be brought together to keep the peace – not only for duration of the elections but also for posterity.