LEON USIGBE writes on the effort of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stave off manipulations in the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial election.
WHEN the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), flagged off its Ondo State gubernatorial election campaign last Saturday, one thing weighed on their minds: how to avert the Ekiti and Ondo states scenarios when they thought they had both states in their pockets, only to have victory snatched from under their noses.
The main opposition party had alleged that July 2018 Ekiti governorship election that returned Governor Kayode Fayemi to the office was stolen from them. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared result of that election gave Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 197,459 votes, while it ascribed a total of 178,121 votes to the PDP candidate, Professor Kolapo Olusola. Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s national spokesman, did not mince words at the time when he blamed the APC and the security agencies for concocting a different outcome for an election the PDP believed it was certain to emerge victorious. The party rejected that outcome as “a daylight robbery.”
The 2018 Osun State gubernatorial election was even ‘messier’ as far as the outcome for the PDP was concerned. The party’s candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke. was poised to win it at first ballot until a rerun was contrived and the PDP came away with nothing. Again, the party recognised that something was amiss and rejected it. It declared the rerun day as a black day, the worst day in the history of Nigeria. The national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, reasoned that Osun was put under siege and the citizens’ rights trampled upon by security agents, whom he said were backed by both the APC and INEC officials.
Saturday’s flag-off of the Ondo gubernatorial campaign was, therefore, a rallying cry of sort for the PDP intent on preventing all the pitfalls that caused it to lose the Ekiti and Osun elections. Secondus had a terse but firm a reminder that the country was on the verge of collapse and to save it, the President MuhammaduBuhari-led APC administration must commit to conducting free, fair, and credible elections. “Let us tell the Federal Government of APC that the only thing left for Nigeria is for Buhari to conduct a free and fair election because the economy has collapsed; security has collapsed and they are swimming in corruption and Nigeria is on a keg of gun powder, waiting to explode. The only way out is for Buhari to conduct free and fair elections in Edo and Ondo states so that Nigeria can remember him,” the party boss told the cheering PDP faithful in Akure.
He said that if the people could have their way, Ondo people would vote the PDP. “You are fit; you are strong; you are able to win this state for the PDP. I believe strongly that OndoState is PDP,” he assured. “By the special grace of God, what you shall do on that day is to vote out that governor (RotimiAkeredolu of APC) that has turned the Ondo state government to a family business, and that man who is bringing the change is Eyitayo Jegede.”
The governor of Oyo Stater, Seyi Makinde, who is also the chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for Ondo State, believes that Ondo people’s vote will count when the electorate vote and protect their votes. He told the party faithful that through this, their state would be liberated. He was confident that if he could win in his home state when the PDP was not in control of the federal and state governments, it can be replicated in Ondo with fervent supplication to the almighty. The Oyo governor said: “They are saying you should vote for them because they want Presidency to come to Yoruba land. This election is not about Presidency to Yoruba land, this election is about delivering EyitayoJegede and putting Ondo state among the states that will lead the charge to restructure Nigeria. 10-10-2020 is a special day and you will deliver special results. This election is about you choosing between continuous servitude and freedom. We want freedom for the entire South-West. It has started from Oyo state, it will continue in Ondo state on 10/10/2020. Will you rather stay with a candle when you have the sun? Ondo state is the sunshine state. They have been lighting a candle for you. So, it is time to let the sun shine again. So, you will come out, cast your votes, and stay with your votes. Your votes will not only count, but it will also be counted, and it will liberate Ondo state.”
The chairman of the PDP Governors Forum (PDPGF) and Governor of Sokoto State, AminuTambuwal, added a twist to the tale, telling party supporters that the APC could not be trusted to provide good governance to Ondo people, given the incompetent way it handled its leadership crisis. The governor highlighted APC’s dissolution of its National Working Committee (NWC) and the setting up of a caretaker committee against the provisions of its own constitution, which he said indicates that the ruling party is in disarray. Tambuwal also pointed out that rather than rejuvenate the economy and provide palliatives for citizens, the APC has removed subsidy from petrol and hiked electricity tariffs at a time of pandemic to complicate the already dire condition of ordinary citizens. The PDPGF boss affirmed that the governing party has failed in its promise to revive the economy and fight corruption as he observed that the situation is worse now than the party inherited.
For Ondo people, therefore, Tambuwal posited, the October 10 election will be the beginning of the restructuring of Nigeria, which makes is necessary to vote for Jegede, the PDP candidate in the election. According to him, “The other party, the APC is in disarray not only in OndoState where they are busy fighting but even at the national level whereby they unlawfully, against their own constitution, went and dissolved their own National Working Committee. Are they not in a state of confusion? Are they capable of governing Nigeria? Have they not proven it? As we speak, they do not have a Board of Trustees for their party. Since the inception of APC till today, they are yet to constitute even a board of trustees of their party. Is that not enough confusion? That also goes to confirm to you that APC is not a choice for Ondo State and any other political party for Ondo State other than PDP.
“Also, they came and said that they are going to fight corruption. What is the situation in Nigeria today? They came and promised that they are going to ensure the security of the lives and property of Nigerians. Are we secured at all? Are we secured at all? How about the economy? Instead of them at this time of COVID-19 to bring succor and relief to the people of Nigeria by way of economic rejuvenation and palliatives, they are unleashing hardship by removing fuel subsidy, by increasing electricity tariffs. The timing is very wrong. I assure you this election in Ondo state is the commencement of the beginning of the work in progress by PDP for the restructuring of Nigeria. Join hand with us and elect EyitayoJegedeimmediately after the election of Godwin Obaseki by the grace is God in Edo state. We will carry on from there and reclaim Nigeria and retrieve Nigeria from the brink of collapse from the hands of APC.”
Tambuwal, thus. stressed the need for the PDP to be united and work hard together for victory in Ondo, suggesting that beyond the suspicious fire incident at the Akure INEC office, which destroyed card readers, there may be attempts to intimidate and blackmail Ondo voters. Rather than submit to that, he advised, they must turn out in huge numbers to vote for Jegede.
The PDP leaders, though still seeking answers to the numerous questions thrown up by both the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, are unwilling to place themselves in a situation where they will continue to wonder what went wrong after the forthcoming exercise. They are hopeful that their pressure will keep the Ondo election free of any sort of manipulations so that the outcome can reflect the will of the people.
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