The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been in power for over five years now, and has made tremendous impact in many areas of our country’s political space. We have won landslide victories in elections and we have the love of the electorate. But certain political miscalculations and rough riding within the party has robbed us of opportunities to maintain acolytes from the electorate. We have moved with hope but with caution as well in the recently conducted governorship election in Edo state that was supposed to be our chance again to put opposition to silence.
However, we are not regretting even though the fall was heavy. We admit it was our mistake, and we would continue to thank Mr. President for the display of maturity and statesmanship. As progressive people, members of the APC are moving forward to the next round of governorship election in Ondo state. But we must not fail here again.
The election in Edo state has come and gone. It was sad that our party, the ruling APC, lost the election despite all the support by party men and women. However, I personally believe and like I would always say, the set back was brought about by our former party chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. It was his own rascality that plunged the party into crises and subsequent loss of the election where we were formally the pride in Edo state.
The truth is, our defeat as a party in Bauchi, Zamfara and Adamawa states hinges on the same attitude internally developed and escalated to force our losing grip on those states. With the situation in Nigeria today, people are becoming keen watchers of political activities and when such internal entanglement begins to raise its ugly head, it gives opportunity to external forces to begin to cash in on the situation to pilot its dream and with little push establishes itself.
I need not to make mention of so many things that went wrong with our party in the states wherein we have lost elections. We narrowly escaped in Kano and Lagos states as history will always recall. It is time we took the party interest more seriously and above any individual interest. In the case of Edo state, it was Oshiomhole’s mistake to have opened the party to a sucker punch. The mistake of attempting to remove a sitting governor all because of minor misunderstandings that can be settled has thrown not only the party but also many individuals including himself (Oshiomhole) from a graceful haven to a political bottomless pit.
Sad! But I am still very confident as a member of the ruling party looking at what President Muhammadu Buhari did in respect of the Edo state election by giving everybody a level playing field, and also by congratulating Governor Obaseki after his declaration as the elected governor of Edo state. This demonstration of sportsmanship has further endeared many party men to move shoulder high as progressive people. The president indeed has shown that he is behind any Nigerian that chooses to be on the right page with his people.
Edo state is done. We have ahead of us the election in Ondo state. I believe we have learnt good lessons from what transpired in the Edo election. Ondo should not fall in the hands of the opposition. If it happens again, we may have tougher times in the coming elections in this country. I hope that, it is time all our aggrieved members wherever they are particularly in Ondo state are brought back into the fold by all means and to ensure they are assured of the party’s support.
We cannot afford to lose Ondo state after what happened in Edo. We need every support from the national to the grassroots. What happened in Edo was a sad and bad experience for our party and it was not as a result of lack of appreciation from the electorate but this was as a result of political rascality and lack of wisdom in approach to political matters and governance. For a political godfather to succeed, he must also play his part by allowing some air of support to his political godson.
The finger that has pointed to the Edo way must be cut-off in our political space because power is power and those handling it are becoming more and more bold in the way they use it. Respect begets respect. That is my candid advice for those who think they have the monopoly of control. The political space has brought many examples and only those who follow instructions will survive it. Edo is no longer in our grip, but must we allow Ondo to go the way of Edo?
As much as we believe that politics is about maintaining strength, we must make the move to keep a balance so that our relevance can continue to speak after Ondo and beyond 2023.
Yusuf Adamu writes from Maiduguri
