Nigeria’s election – why the major opposition, PDP crashed in the presidential race

Nigeria’s election – why the major opposition, PDP crashed in the presidential race

ANTHONY OBI OGBO

This article is not an endorsement of the recently concluded presidential election because in Nigeria’s dysfunctional electoral system, the party which rigs the most wins the race. However, this paper investigates in clear terms, the parties, their candidates, and their preparedness in handling their election challenges.

Africa is a continent fraught with governance issues. At the root of its problems is a single but multi-faceted factor that the process of choosing the right leader through a credible election is yet to be institutionalized and modified to meet the integrity standards. This is further complicated by an unfair power of incumbency structure – a pattern where the incumbent presides over an election in which he or she contests. Unlike developed countries where the electoral process is significantly structured without interferences, Africa continues to walk the democratic path the other way. Although choreographed and muscled into subjugation of this cluttered selection process, the defenseless masses also play supporting roles as they cheer and enable the worst leaders in their domain.  

 

In Nigeria’s just-concluded Presidential elections, The People Democratic Party (PDP) failed to unseat their rival, the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari who ran under the All Progressive Congress.  President Buhari, faced off with Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and bombastically wealthy business leader who represented the PDP. Of course, there was a line-up of other party candidates on the ballot, but the race was clearly a two-man duel. Atiku however, described the polls as a “sham election”, rejecting the results and contesting it in the court system.

 

This current situation explains the structure of Nigeria’s shattered political system.  The ruling President, and indeed, his party, often reserved the ‘upper hand’ in supervising the elections process – making it difficult to challenge their incumbency. For instance, shortly before this election, the Buhari regime met with the defense service chiefs several times, reshuffled the electoral management, and apparently installed his trusted confidants in the core corridors of the process. Most importantly, Buhari brazenly reorganized the Supreme Court – a move that heated up the electorate. It was conclusively, a self-serving action to position himself favorably for possible post-election litigation. Without a doubt, these actions were carried out strategically to protect this incumbent from any poll surprises. That is just the power of incumbency in Nigeria, structured by the system to weaken challengers.

 

Viewing from another perspective, the issue of election preparedness remains the major reasons for PDP’s political loss. First, the Party’s failure in 2015 polls disorganized it. In fact, for almost three years into Buhari’s presidency, the PDP, sunk in internal strife, remained a harmless and voiceless opposition. Broken to smithereens, they submitted to a free-for-all in-house leadership wrangle. Later, under the National Chairmanship of one Prince Uche Secondus, the party struggled helplessly in the murky waters of apathy, while the incumbent APC overran the network with campaign propaganda.

 

Broken to smithereens, they submitted to a free-for-all in-house leadership wrangle. Later, under the National Chairmanship of one Prince Uche Secondus, the party struggled helplessly in the murky waters of apathy, while the incumbent APC overran the network with campaign propaganda.

 

It appears history repeated itself. In the 2015 election where the PDP lost as the incumbent, a similar blunder occurred. While the APC were ceaselessly overrunning the voting population with campaign propaganda, incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign coordinators were busy scrabbling and garnering funds for personal interests. It may be recalled that this sitting President and his wife at the time, did not even pass the election card- accreditation process – an indication that the digital voting system across the nation might have been  fraught with technical hitches and possibly, a breach of the  process. Even as President Jonathan and his wife were declined by the card readers at their home town, Otuoke in Bayelsa State; this President ignorantly missed the opportunity to question the integrity of the electoral process. The result was a miserable crash that has plagued the PDP since 2015.

 

Unlike the PDP, President Buhari and his APC handlers strategically mapped out a reelection roadmap way ahead of the Presidential Election. About eight months to this election, the APC repackaged their candidate Buhari, and made up enough excuses for his disastrous three-year outing.  Unfortunately, the PDP at the time was still far away from naming a candidate to challenge this dragon. To make up for a lack of a possible presidential flag bearer at the time, it embarked on a meaningless “Anybody but Buhari” campaign. This again, was where the PDP got it wrong. A proposal to replace a bad leader with just about anything is not a strategy. It is indeed an anthem for a failed opposition.

 

To make up for a lack of a possible presidential flag bearer at the time, it embarked on a meaningless “Anybody but Buhari” campaign. This again, was where PDP got it wrong. A proposal to replace a bad leader with just about anything is not a strategy. It is indeed an anthem for a failed opposition.

 

This article is not an endorsement of the recently concluded presidential election because in Nigeria’s dysfunctional electoral system, the party which rigs the most wins the race. However, this paper investigates in clear terms, the parties, their candidates, and their preparedness in handling their election challenges. While Buhari might not have been regarded as the best choice for Nigerians, his campaign was strengthened by the inactions of his challenger, Atiku Abubakar who was portrayed as having the tendency to share the national treasury with the wolves who surrounded his candidacy.

 

Yet the APC projected two campaign strategies to sugar-coat a catastrophic first term. They started with “Next Level” crusade, claiming that this incumbent was set to take the country into the next level of economic comfort zone of possibilities. A few months to the election, it launched another campaign – the “4+4” mantra – demanding the completion of another a 4-year tenure for their candidate. The opposition strategists failed to impugn Buhari’s strategists, nor did they provide a superior crusade. Sadly, PDP’s structure remained chaotic, unable to conceptually implement effective campaign strategies, as their enthusiasts sporadically engaged in innocuous social media rants.

 

To win an election, there must be strategic plans or convincing programs to sell to the electorates. But attempting to bribe voters or compromise election workers are definitely not the options for consideration.    Sadly, without any meaningful preparations, PDP and its candidate handed Buhari another 4-year tenure of potential policy vagueness. The question now is, would this opposition go back to a usual sleep and wake up a month before the next election in 2023 to resume an impossible electoral victory? The reality is, if any party is serious about unseating this incumbent government, it must start right at this moment.  Thus, PDP should go back to the drawing board, embark on self-process audit ad revisit its people, structure, and strategy.

 

♦ Anthony Ogbo, PhD is the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015)  and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us

Police Rush to R. Kelly’s Apartment Amid Fears His Girlfriends Had Carried Out ‘Suicide Pact’

Chicago Police rushed to R. Kelly‘s Trump Tower condo Tuesday evening in fear that his girlfriends were attempting to carry out a “suicide pact.” It later proved to be a false alarm.

In a police radio call shared online, a dispatcher, who received an anonymous call, can be heard telling officers that Kelly’s girlfriend Azriel Clary and “four other women, who are victims of R. Kelly are planning to carry out a suicide pact at one of the condos at Trump Tower.”

The anonymous caller, however, did not specify when the alleged suicide would take place or give a specific unit number.

Emergency responders arrived on the 400 block of North Wabash just before 5:30 p.m., the Chicago Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.

“Police received a call from an out of state anonymous caller stating that people at the location were going to carry out a suicide pact. Police on scene conducting a wellness check and it is not a bonafide incident,” the statement said.

When asked to comment, Kelly’s lawyer Steve Greenberg told PEOPLE, “It is offensive that anyone gives this any credibility.”

Joycelyn savage, R. Kelly and Azriel Clary

Prior to the release of Lifetime’s documentary series Surviving R. Kelly in January, one of Kelly’s early alleged victims Lizzette Martinez spoke to PEOPLE and claimed Kelly had a suicide pact with the women living “in his house.”

“I was the beginning of the predatory behavior. I was… I met him after he married Aaliyah. I had it bad but what I hear today is that he’s taking this to a whole other level and I’m so worried about the young women in the house,” Martinez said.

“I mean my anxiety is constantly through the roof because I hear the parents, I hear there’s a plan in place. That he’s put it in place that if something goes down they’re all going to take pills and kill… I just can’t.”

“I just don’t understand it and I’m so worried about them. It just breaks my heart. I’m so angry with him,” Martinez added.

Last week, Clary, 21, and Kelly’s other girlfriend Jocelyn Savage came to the disgraced singer’s defense during an interview with Gayle King for CBS This Morning.

Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary

In an emotional clip from the conversation, both women deny the singer tore them away from their now-estranged families after already denying claims that Kelly has been holding them hostage in his home for years.

The parents of both Savage, 23, and Clary claim the women are living with Kelly against their will and are a part of what the parents describe as his “sex cult.”

RELATED: R. Kelly Ex on Singer Withholding Child Support: ‘By Trying to Punish Me, Your Children Suffer’

“I’m crying because you guys don’t know the truth,” Clary said to King, 64. “You guys are believing some f—ing facade that our parents are saying. This is all f—ing lies for money, and if you can’t see that, you’re ignorant and you’re stupid.”

Clary’s parents Alice and Angelo were interviewed in the explosive docu-series Surviving R. Kelly, claiming they haven’t had contact with their daughter for nearly three years. Savage’s parents, Timothy and Jonjelyn, were also interviewed in the series, where they revealed they believe Kelly is holding their daughter against her will.

Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary

During the interview with King, Clary, who first met Kelly when she was 17, claims she never had sex with the singer while she was underage, but that her parents pushed her to take photos and videos of a sexual nature with him, so they could use them as blackmail, should they ever need to.

Clary’s parents, Alice and Angelo, released a statement via their attorney Michael Avenatti on March 7 shortly after the interview aired, claiming their daughter “is presently suffering from years of mental abuse and manipulation by R. Kelly,” as they denied the allegations made against them.

“Azriel Clary is presently suffering from years of mental abuse and manipulation by R. Kelly,” the statement read. “Sadly, like so many girls before them, Azriel and Joycelyn Savage have been manipulated and convinced by Kelly to protect him from serious criminal charges. Azriel’s parents never attempted to blackmail anyone and never suggested their daughter take nude photos or sexual videos. And they have never asked R. Kelly for a single penny. These are absolute lies fabricated by R. Kelly and we have evidence to show that these claims are bogus.”

Gayle King with Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage

Backing up Clary’s claims, Savage told King, “our parents are basically out here just to get money and scam because they didn’t agree on what happened with music, or whatever it could be and they’re just very upset.”

When Kelly sat down with King he struggled to contain his emotions when speaking out about his “real” relationship with the young women.

“I love them and it’s almost like, they’re my girlfriends,” Kelly said. “It’s like, you know, we have a relationship. It’s real. And I know guys, I’ve known guys all my life that have five or six women, okay? So don’t go there on me, okay? Because that’s the truth.”

Although Kelly has been accused of engaging in sexual acts with a minor, he alluded to the fact that Savage and Clary are both of age when King inquired about the 30-year gap between the women and the singer.

“I don’t look at much younger than me, I just look at legal,” he noted. “I just look at, you’re you, I’m me. Now I don’t know if you’re married. I don’t know. I don’t know if you had a relationship. I don’t know. But one might be older than the other, one might be younger than the other, okay? So I just look at legal, okay? There are older men that like younger women. There are younger women that like older men…. I’m an older man that loves all women.”

Kelly was released from jail on Feb. 25 after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four alleged victims, Cook Country Sheriff confirmed to PEOPLE.

R. Kelly

The R&B singer secured his release by paying 10 percent of his $1 million bail amount. Hours earlier, Kelly’s attorney Steven Greenberg pleaded not guilty on Kelly’s behalf, reported the Associated Press.

Last week, Kelly was arrested again for failure to pay outstanding child support. Cook County Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari confirmed to PEOPLE that Kelly was transferred to the county jail.

He was released from jail on March 9 after a payment for the $161,000 in back child support he owed was made anonymously on his behalf.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Culled from the Celebrity

For the Love of Nigeria – Do Something

Ifeoma Patty Ugwu, Opinion Writer

Have you been burdened or exasperated by reading WhatsApp messages or videos that show fellow Nigerians selling their votes for a few thousand naira, or those chasing after garbage trucks for scraps? You probably have also read the post by Victor Okechukwu Anyegbuna (VOA) describing current state laws that have generous compensation packages for governors, ex-governors, their deputies as well as senators, ministers and other elected officers.  Where former governors serving as senators receive up to 100% Governor’s salaries as pension while receiving full compensation for their new position.

According to VOA’s post a Nigerian Senator’s one day pay is more than

  • a year’s income for a medical doctor;
  • a year’s salary for 42 Army Generals;
  • a year’s salary for 48 Professors;
  • a year’s salary for 70 Commissioners of Police
  • twice the pay of the US President
  • nine times the salary of US congressperson.

The injustice of it all could make one want to throw up hands and say forget it, its never going to change.  Or believe the message that says that Nigeria is full of those who have good ideas but no power and those who have power, but no good ideas.  We must reject such thoughts. 

For the love of Nigeria, people with power/money could hire people with good ideas and skills to convert the ideas into actionable policies to improve the lots of all Nigerians.  Nigerians can do this! 

The time has come for all those who love Nigeria, those who see her promise to stand up and do something.

How?  For starters any Nigerian government official currently collecting a full salary in any office cannot simultaneously collect a pension.

  • Current governors must commit to paying civil servants, teachers and all state workers their full pay on a monthly basis.
  • All workers in turn must work their full day with something to show for it.
  • Teachers must commit to teach in a way that helps students learn.
  • Students must invest time on task to study and learn.
  • Legislatures must work together to introduce bills to address the glaring inequities in compensation and tax laws.
  • The President must ensure that there is reliable electricity, clean water, and safe roads for all.
  • The President in collaboration with each governor must commit to building first class and specialty hospitals to meet the needs of Nigerians.

What about those not in public offices? 

  • Individuals should commit to becoming “game changers” who take responsibility to improve their neighborhoods for everyone.
  • Business owners should commit to pay fair wages timely. 
  • Individuals should refuse to be bought or scared into perpetuating injustice.

Whatever you do, do it for the greater good, for in the end, each of us will account for what we did or failed to do, to better mankind, specifically those in our motherland, Nigeria.

#Ifitistobeitisuptome.

#FortheloveofNigeria

#saynotogreed.

#IamagamechangerforNigeria.

#Wearethechangethatwearelookingfor.


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