After the unhealthy manner in which the Kogi state chapter of the APC conspired and carried out its governorship primary election,aiding th...
After the unhealthy manner in which the Kogi state chapter of the APC conspired and carried out its governorship primary election,aiding the incumbent governor to manipulate the entire process to his advantage by making sure that all the major contenders are screened out is a strong indication that the forth coming election is not going to be smooth ride to victory even when the people of the state has shown and register their large support for the party.
It is also strong warning to party to become even more careful and calculative on which aspirant they mandate against the desperate governor who is willing to stop at nothing to emerge victorious in the forth coming election.
Party delegates and faithfuls must this time around disappoint the world by refusing to compromise the integrity of the party and give support to an aspirant who has a wide appeal,who the people of the state will be willing support with out any question.
Party delegates must the former manner in which they have been operating and piloting the affairs of the party, the extent at which they are willing to go to enrich themselves even at the detriment of the party and the people - take the road of liberation and development for the people of Kogi state which they are all a part of.
Their poor strategies and calculations are also some of the things they must be willing to watch closely and must be willing to work as a party if it really wants to come out victorious in the election - the people of the state have made their position clear that they will only support a neutral aspirant,the party must therefore present a neutral aspirant if they want to gain their votes in the election.
The APC in the state has failed the people and as it stands the entire state now depends on the People's Democratic Party to liberate them,but our party can not liberate the people if our party does not first liberate it self,and in liberating it means the party must desist from family politics and politics of recycling aspirants who have failed the people over the years.
there is no way we will be able to put up against the ruling party if we are to work with aspirant who the people have lost all sense of trust in,because of previous failures and disappointment.
Through a people oriented aspirant the party will be able improve on its relationship with the masses,especially those at the grassroots who are always abandoned during and after elections. The party will also be able to strive towards regaining and strengthening the weak ends and the parts where the party has fragile support and encourage it's members there more than it did in the last election.
There are a lot of disagreement and grudges bedeviling the party both at the grassroot and at the apex level in the state,this conflicts are likely to worsen if the party makes the mistake of giving its ticket to the wrong person.
it is therefore important that even before the primaries,that the party should ensure that this tensed situation are reduced by giving its mandate to a neutral aspirant,so as to strength the cord of unity across the party faithfuls and encourage them to work together.
With a closer look at things,it is clear that the party is divided into three parts in the state,PDP Kogi west,PDP Kogi east,PDP Kogi central,not to talk of the minor divisions amongst this zones,Any party that wants to take power from the ruling party can not archive this if the party has such divisions inside of it,the party leadership must therefore strive towards correcting this by getting an aspirant who will be a peace broker amongst the aggrieved members.
The law permits every citizen of the state the right to contest and be voted for,but never the less the party must be blunt enough to ask certain aspirants to rather support others,this will reduce the tensions at the party level and even help the party to concentrate it's strength at a singular point.
It will also help the party to strategize easily and even reduce the rate of disagreement that may come up with the party or amongst its members after the primary election.
There are a lot of party members who are strong grassroot mobilizers,influencers and well recognize forces that were behind the previous victories of the party,but because of one reason or the other they withdrew their support from the party,the party needs them to energise the party structure and can only do this by bringing a neutral aspirant who they can trust and who will also in return listen to them and carry them along.
While the party is building its media strength the party must not concentrate on it alone,there is a serious work to do at the grassroots if the party really wants to take back power in the forth coming elections.
-Jide Olubumi.
Political analyst,
Lokoja,Kogi state.
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