February 16: Atiku Battles Buhari

 

• Buhari Must Fall – PDP
• We’ll Cage Atiku – APC
• How Edo People Will Vote

By Honours Akhigbe

The long awaited presidential election in the country will hold up on February 16, 2019.

With great expectation, Nigerians hope for free, peaceful, fair and credible general elections that will usher in new crops of elected government functionaries into the executive and legislative arms of government.

Although there are several political parties and presidential candidates, but the odds is between only two of them. They include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with President Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential flag-bearer and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential standard bearer.

Therefore, all eyes are on both the APC and PDP to produce Nigeria’s next president who will be in the leadership saddle of the country for four years.

Already, candidates, officials and supporters of the PDP and APC have been transversing the length and breadth of the country, soliciting for supports and votes from the eligible millions of Nigerians.

In doing so, both parties have been creating tensions with their accusations and counter-accusations with so much hatred and many hidden strategies.

Only recently, the two parties had hot exchange of words over the presence of two governors from Niger Republic at the APC presidential campaign rally in Kano state.

The PDP viewed the presence of the foreign governors as a major security threat to the country, alleging that the APC and its presidential candidate had used the visit of the Nigerien governors to secretly import miscreants into the country to cause mayhem during the general elections.

But this allegation was swiftly and sharply debunked by the APC which accused the PDP of jealousy, noting that the participation of the foreign governors did not broke any law in the nation.

On the other hand, the two biggest masquerades in the 2019 presidential election – Nigeria’s sitting president, Mahammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have been avoiding each other, at least in the public.

Both of them had refused to attend the presidential debate and instead engaged in unholy bashing of each other even as they claimed that they have what is needed to take Nigeria to the next level or move Nigeria forward.

Nonetheless, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, agreed that both Buhari and Atiku have issues as regards to leading Nigeria in presidential capacity.

However, Obasanjo disclosed that Atiku is far better than Buhari because he (Atiku) has the capacity to demonstrate a natural skill, enterprise development and job creation programmes that can cater for the youths.

But on his part, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka said both Buhari and Atiku are not worthy to lead the nation. “We do not need to be enslaved permanently to the old discredited order. We need a new order”, he added.

Besides, there are several political endorsements for the two notable  political gladiators in the February 16 presidential election from religious leaders, retired army generals, Miyetti-Alla, Ohaneze, Afenifere, Arewa, PANDEF, potical associations, Unions and NGO’s , amongst others.

The situation is not different in Edo State as most, if not all the contestable elective positions will go to only PDP and APC. It is easier for the camel’s head to pass through the eye of a needle then for candidates in other political parties to win considerable positions in the state.

Indeed, it is highly unpredictable which of the two dominant political parties will triumph over the other in the 2019 general elections in the state.

In Edo South which forms about 52 per cent of the population in the state, the political battle would be fiercest. This is because it is the stronghold of both the PDP and APC.

It is a truism that if the elections were to have been held three months ago, it would have been a straight and landmark triumph for the PDP due to high level disenchantment that existed in the APC that period and coupled with the excellent performance of the Senator representing the district, Pharmacist Matthew Urhohgide of the PDP and some of his National Assembly (PDP) members from the area.

But few weeks ago, the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki who hitherto had seemingly shown ‘I don’t care’ attitude to the political activities in the state, suddenly woke up from his political slumber and started massive political evangelism for his party (APC).

Obaseki’s stout campaigns are now yielding positive dividends in favour of his party and candidates. However, not a few of the APC members have indicated interest in voting all the party candidates, except its presidential candidate.

“Many of us (APC members) have decided to vote for our party candidates in the state but I’m not sure that many of our members will vote for our presidential candidate because he is a wrong choice”, an APC leader who would not want his name in print stated.

Therefore, even though some of the APC leaders and members are not genuinely with Governor Obaseki, a good percentage of the masses will definitely vote APC because of the governor’s achievements.

“Many Edo people will vote for APC because of the great work that Obaseki is doing in Edo State. We are going to show our appreciation to him by voting for his party”, Pa Osatohanmwen Omoyemwen posited.

Investigation revealed that most leaders of the APC are not happy with Governor Obaseki due to lack of generosity and patronage. They accused him of not spreading the dividends of democracy to them.

“It’s not a hidden thing that most leaders and members of the APC in the state are not happy with the governor. He is not serving or patronizing us directly or through award of contracts, instead he (governor) prefers to use contractors based outside the state,” one of the aggrieved leaders who pleaded anonymity said.

But on the other hand, Senator Matthew Urhogide of the PDP is loved for his generosity by his party leaders and members as well as being highly respected by most people in his senatorial district (Edo South) because of his effective representation and effectively delivery of democracy dividends in physical structure and in kind.

Therefore, the electorate in Edo South are mainly going to cast their votes based on their conviction about the achievements of Governor Obaseki and Senator Urhoghide.

Coming to Edo Central Senatorial District, which was predominantly the heart of the PDP in Edo State until lately when Governor Obaseki created lots of inroads into the minds and souls of not a few of the inhabitants of the district.

Governor Obaseki has started to change the narrative of the people who had suffered the worst marginalistion during the eight years reign of ex-governor Adams Oshiomhole who is the political godfather of Governor Obaseki.

The Reliance learnt that the state government has started to put smiles on the faces of the people through projects execution, particularly road construction.

Edo Central would have been a go area for the APC but for Obaseki’s good performance, fuelled by the laziness of the Senator representing the district, Mr. Clifford Ordia who many described as “a tight fisted politician”.

They had vowed to punish him with their PVCs come February 16, 2019.

“We have not felt his positive impact. So we can’t wait to punish him with our voter cards on election day. For almost four years, he did nothing and now he is hiding under PDP National Assembly members to go back to the senate”, said Okoebor Otaigbe.

Therefore, Esanland is no longer a walk over or the birth right of the PDP. For sure, the APC is expected to do better in the forthcoming polls than the previous ones.

On the other hand, Edo North Senatorial District is going to be a battle ground for both the APC and PDP.

The major political gladiators including the immediate past governor of the state and current national chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and former House of Reps member, Hon. Abubakar Momoh of the PDP are the men to watch.

Abubakar Momoh, a strong grassroots politician is pressing hard to wrest power from the weak APC Senator, Francis Alimekhena who many of his constituents in Edo North regarded as a visiting or absentee Senator.

Other notable politicians in the area include the state deputy governor Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu (APC), state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, Hon. Pally Iriase and Dr. Simon Imonkheme. These men are the frontlilne kink makers in the district.

Indeed, Edo North had been the stronghold of the APC since 2007. But high level impunity, recklessness and imposition of candidates on party members have contributed immensely to the dwindling fortunes of the APC in the area and the party may pay dearly for it.

Now that the elections are few days away, political pundits are forecasting that the election will be very tight and could go either way, PDP or APC.

But in all these, the remarks of Pa Johnson Agbede of the PDP and Madam Osayamen Odoro of the APC are strikingly divergent.

Whereas Pa Agbede believes the “PDP for sure will make Buhari to fall”, Madam Okoro says “APC will conveniently cage Atiku”.

Who Will You Vote For?

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