NINE THINGS WE LEARNT FROM APRIL 9

1.      Jega is set to put his name in the history books

A free, fair and credible election by all standards, Jega, after taking all the stick for the hitches experienced en route the polls, would be showered with a lot of encomiums. He has 2 major hurdles to cross though: the presidential and governorship elections. Success in both and Jega becomes a national hero. Actually, he already is.

2.      Free and fair elections is one which PDP loses

No more no less.

3.      Nigerians crave change

After 50 years of poor governance which includes the last twelve years of imposition, manipulation and politricks, the populace stood up to be counted this time around.

4.      Our votes counted

To you all who said your vote would not be counted, your vote was not counted because of one reason – you did not vote. I expect an impressive turn out come Saturday.

5.      ACN remains a regional party

Yes, they swept the southwest. What happened to the rest of the country? If they are counting on the southwest in the forthcoming polls, they better forget it.

6.      PDP remains a force to be reckoned with

I had tipped PDP to come crumbling like a pack of cards in a free and fair election. How wrong I was. The PDP had a strong showing nationwide. Despite losing most of the southwest, they gave the winners a good run for their money. In the other political regions, they still account for a large number of winners.

7.      It was more about party than persona

My last piece was bordering on what line the electorate would toe in the forthcoming elections. INEC answered my questions at the arrival of ballot papers. Only the party logos were on the ballot papers. I did not know the people I voted for, though I am sure they have a broom. However, It’s going to be a totally different kettle of fish during the presidential polls.

8.      There is only one way to fully overthrow PDP

MERGER. I took a critical view at the result from different constituencies. Statistics show that the total number of votes garnered by the opposition parties put together by far exceeds that of the PDP. These parties should put differences aside and make this political race more interesting. I see PDP having that edge in the presidential polls again.

9.      We are forgetting to thank somebody

Everybody is screaming Jega! Jega! INEC! INEC! But I think there is one person we are forgetting to thank: President Goodluck Jonathan. Truth be told, the president created an enabling environment for Jega to operate. He gave all the support needed and promised Nigerians not only free and fair, but credible polls. The president has delivered. Random question: do you think Jega would have performed this good had …….. been in power? (I did not mention name o.)

PLEASE COME OUT AND VOTE ON SATURDAY, 16^TH APRIL 2011. IT’S THE BIG ONE, THE PRESIDENTIAL POLLS. ONE MAN ONE VOTE. DON’T SELL YOUR VOTE. IT’S YOUR VOICE. HISTORY BECKONS.

Twitter: @oseroke

Facebook : facebook.com/oserokeigwubor

campusnigeria.com

2011 POLLS: PARTY OR PERSONA?

Ever since the political office seekers rolled out the campaign drums, I have been in a quandary as to which line to toe in the forthcoming elections, starting this Saturday. The question on my mind is, and remains, will I (and you) be voting for candidates based on political parties or personal capabilities.

Political parties are not what history told me they used to be. In those days, parties were identified by their manifestoes. The Second Republic readily comes to mind. UPN (Unity Party of Nigeria) was known for its free education programme while NPN (National Party of Nigeria) was known all over for its promise of provision of affordable housing. These days political parties have been transformed to political platforms – just look for a party that would give you the ticket to run for whatever post you desire. This is why we have an outrageous 63 parties.

Of the infinite incidents of cross-carpeting, one readily comes to mind – Atiku Abubakar. A vice-president for eight years on the platform of PDP, he decamped to his party’s fiercest rivals to actualize his presidential ambition. He called the ruling party unprintable names and vowed never to have anything to do with them again. Fast forward four years. Atiku was back in the PDP and even posed the greatest challenge to the sitting president in the primaries. Question is: if we have no shame, don’t we have pride?

A school of thought would say that it is the party that makes the candidate. In my opinion, it is pari passu. The Executive Governor of Lagos State comes in handy. There is no gainsaying that BRF has done a marvelous job in Lagos. “Marvelous” is actually taking some credit away from the man. But have you ever assumed he did not win his party’s flag for this election. Are you sure he would have won from another platform? Are you sure?

After twelve years of misrule and inept leadership, it still amazes me that the PDP still stands a chance in this election. Aside the power of incumbency (which, for the records, has never failed in Africa) the candidate they are presenting gives the party a major boost. A major reason, I feel, they had to jettison their zoning policy.  Nobody is actually saying that they are voting for PDP, but I have heard countless people say they are voting for Goodluck Jonathan.

After all said, I would suggest a balance of both party and persona. Left to me, the right man to lead this country is Professor Pat Utomi: his intellect, his charisma, his vision is not rivaled by any other candidate in this presidential poll. A special adviser at age 27, Professor Pat has come a long away and has the ability to rule this nation. In the NEDG debate, he was outstanding and the most convincing. Unfortunately, his platform is so weak that I don’t know the name. he realized this after the debate and has since stepped down. So the candidate I would be voting for is…