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Wake up, vote wisely

By Theo Adebowale
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The Peoples Democratic Party announced that it would produce President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and be in charge for 60 years beginning from 1999. By its projection and determination, it was confident to produce every President till 2059.

Its pioneer President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo did not shy away from telling Nigerians that elections for him were a ‘do-or-die’ affair. Each time a general election was approaching, or any election for that matter, PDP chieftains confidently proclaimed they were going to ‘capture’ power. In 2015 however, it was impossible for them to carry out their enterprise hence, they lost the Presidency. Even at the point of declaration of presidential election results, Chief Orubebe, you remember him, a one-time Federal Minister, and as such a statesman in his own right, tried desperately to throw the audience to pandemonium and scuttle the exercise. But Attahiru Jega, political scientist, public administrator par excellence calmly deflated his plan. If fell flat.

Since inauguration of the administration of the All Progressives Congress, we have seen the roles played by the advance party of PDP that seized the National Assembly working tirelessly to frustrate any progressive agenda. You would have learnt of how the Anti-Corruption Bill has been kept in the cooler. The Bill to set up special courts to try corruption cases has been pocketed; even the bill to confiscate recovered proceeds of corruption would not pass through the National Assembly. That is the pattern in the legislature. Their influence is palpable in the Judicature. No doubt, a number of convictions were secured at the courts on corruption charges, but the way the celebrated cases of non declaration of assets by the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki were disposed off was frightening. Then Dino Melaye, the controversial Senator of the Federal Republic has successfully evaded the courts and the police, returning to his home party confidently expecting the electorate to return him to the Senate. A glance at the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and their antecedents foretells the type and quality of governance the party intends to give Nigeria. With their high decibel propaganda, one believes the PDP in spoiling to ‘capture’ power and not necessarily to win the general elections. The main obstacle of the party is lack of access to the national treasury and the lost authority over the Independent National Electoral Commission, the armed forces and security agencies. The party that was in the saddle for 16 years is certain that the institutions it left behind cannot deliver credible elections.

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If the PDP had allowed the institutions of the Nigerian state to be independent and follow due process in its 16 years in power, would it be possible for the new hands to dismantle those patterns and official machinery in just four years? It was when you recall the times and antecedents of Prof Maurice Iwu, former INEC chairman appointed by Obasanjo with Prof Attahiru Jega appointed by Dr Goodluck Jonathan, which the PDP must have regretted later, that one would appreciate the attitude and purpose of PDP for governance.

The hue and cry of chieftains of PDP should be understood from this perspective. They keep ‘discovering’ plots to rig the election; they keep ‘unearthing’ plans by the INEC and the security agencies to compromise and aid the ruling party to falsify election results in favour of the ruling party. Instead of concentrating on the task at hand by selling the party platform and canvassing for votes for party candidates, officials and candidates of the party are moving from Dubai to London to Washington or wherever to impress the international community. It called off its campaign to demonstrate solidarity with the Chief Justice of Nigeria who has been alleged to have violated the code of conduct. Whereas there are many gullible Nigerians carried away by propaganda, the party should be assured that even among those who believe that PMB’s government should do better with the economy; they would not give out their votes to a party that has not deemed it fit to share with them its manifesto.

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The issues are clear. The teeming population of youths, graduates, artisans, market persons and creative minds need a performing economy where activities are bubbling, forces of demand and supply are active, they can get jobs, be challenged to produce goods and services. Nigerians are expecting a government at the centre that would rehabilitate, reconstruct, and construct infrastructure. They would be glad to know what would be done to the power sector generation, transmission and distribution. They won’t be calmed that licenses of the present distributors, especially BEDC would not be renewed. They want to know how they would be replaced and what conditions would guide their contracts. Nigerians are interested that corrupt politicians would be made to return their loots, be excluded from power and their place be found in the jail house where they would spend their days.

All politicians should leave Independent National Electoral Commission out of it, to concentrate on the onerous task of organizing and conducting transparent elections. Law enforcement agents must be ready to apprehend and prosecute criminal characters that may want to sabotage the exercise and undermine its credibility. The electorate must not settle for any candidate short of being the best. The electorate must know that no rational human replaces the good with the bad. No sensible human would replace a righteous leader with a stinking, unrepentant corrupt candidate. ‘Once beaten, twice shy’ is a popular saying in the land. A group that has despoiled the land and its people deserves to be rested, and consigned to the dustbin. The next level for Nigeria must guarantee uninterrupted power supply and pay quality attention to energy.

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The party that will  constitute the next government should design an oil and gas policy that would refine crude oil at home providing jobs for the army of unemployed.

Nigerians are anxious to get economic hardship behind them which is possible if we just bear a little bit more, do some more self sacrifice knowing that the good life is just a stone throw away.

Only fake people peddle fake news. Those who dispense fake news have no other thing in stock. Those who allow themselves to be continually fed with such garbage would remain in poverty and economic slavery. Once the land is open up and we have alternative means of transportation, a vibrant private sector would show up and the people can effectively take their destiny in their hands.

As Nigerians prepare to go to the polls next Saturday, they should resist undue influence, intimidation, or the temptation to trade their votes. They must vote wisely.

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