Have you been wondering how to snatch, steal and run away with power? Here are a few observations of what transpired at the just concluded 2023 general elections in Kwara State.
Who says the power of incumbency does not matter? It is either that person is just playing or may not know how politics is being played. The power of incumbency transcends from having enough resources and people that matters at your side—people who are ready to work with every drop of their blood for victory.
Judging from the gallery of the 2023 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC played a major role in sustaining the relevance of the party. Despite the strong forces that sprung up at the wake of the elections – the Obidients, Kwankwasiyas and Atikulates, no one could predict that APC will have such a smooth ride to victory.
Winning an election in a country like Nigeria does require permutations, calculations, alliances, sacrifices, money, connections, support from different quarters and in some cases, power of incumbency. The factors are not limited to the ones mentioned above, but the few points noted are what the APC cared about, that gave the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu a resounding victory.
The methods put to use during the presidential and National Assembly elections by the APC were replicated at the governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Kwara State.
The Kwara APC provided a workable permutation which ensured that the gubernatorial candidate —incumbent governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is from Kwara central, and the speaker of State Assembly, Rt. Hon Yakubu Danladi is from Kwara North.
And what about Kwara South? If you ask how the APC was able to get votes at that region, the answer to that is not far-fetched – at the wee hour before the commencement of the elections, some portions of Social Democratic Party, SDP formed an alliance with the APC – and there is this notion that SDP dominates Kwara South. So, the sudden defection of some members from the strong opposition party, PDP, and the alliance of SDP and YPP, gave APC an easy ride.
Far beyond snatching it, stealing it and running away with it, the Kwara APC deserves a big applause—and the victory it got at the polls. From the selection of party’s candidates, formation of campaign councils, to running of House-house campaigns, such great inputs should not go unrewarded.
During the primary election, Mallam Saliu Mustapha emerged as the candidate for Kwara Central Senatorial District, Muktar Shagaya as the candidate for Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, Yinka Aluko as the candidate for Ilorin South/East Federal Constituency — and the female-dominated state House of Assembly candidates summed up to give APC the electoral victory.
While for the PDP, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, won the ticket for Kwara Central Senatorial District, Ibrahim Ajia for Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency, Hon. Wahab Issa for Ilorin South/East Federal constituency—and mainly male House of Assembly candidates.
The Gubernatorial campaign council headed by Ambassador Abdulfatah Yahya Seriki, also played a vital role in unifying the party’s members. As the Director General of the campaign council, Yahya Seriki, called for the party’s unity, met with disgruntled members, settled a long rift, called for media partnership, and constituted the campaign council around the youths. That was well calculated—brilliant ideas that yielded a positive result.
For the PDP headed by Professor Ali Ahmad, he also demonstrated a high level of proficiency. But one thing struck the camel’s back, the campaign council and the governorship team —Alhaji Shuaib Abdullahi Yaman support group, did not work together with a common goal. Trouble emanated when some set of old Sarakites felt entitled to be among the campaign council. And nothing could be done to stop such pressure that came within.
That was how confusion set into the party. The Director-General of the gubernatorial campaign council, Professor Ahmad could not help in such a tense situation. He was pacified and had to succumb to the overbearing forces. On a long run, favoritism set in—the fabric of the party’s unity losen. And the party loses some of its key players to the ruling APC.
However, despite the dominant views which concluded that the APC-led administration in the state committed some unforgivable offenses that would have cost it the re-election, yet the opposition parties—most especially the PDP who is supposed to build on those weaknesses and strengthen its team, seems unprepared for the challenge…. From the selection of party’s candidates, formation of campaign council, to running of campaigns—the zeal was lost. There was no tight challenge. The errors were obvious and grave.
Nonetheless, the Otooge struggle which sent the PDP packing in 2019, seems fresh in the mind of Kwarans. It continues to resonate in their minds—and it seems the majority of the people in the state wanted Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for the second term. They were hellbent on reelecting him.
Even the votes the major opposition party, PDP, got could be traced to the genuine love some electorates still have for the leader of the party, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki—a two term Governor and the former president of the Senate. Ideally, such credentials and personality can’t fade so quickly.
The Kwara APC didn’t rely solely on the presumed outstanding performance of Governor AbdulRazaq. They came well prepared for the elections. They adopted all the means possible to win at the elections—recruiting massive youths for campaign, giving critical roles to the youths, appointing youths at the elms of affair, investing in the media, negotiating with key players of the opposition parties, doing House-house campaigns.
Taking reviews from some of the electorates after the elections in some part of the state, a voter from Afon in Asa local government area of the state, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that; he played a key role in ensuring that APC wins at his polling unit. He stressed that the PDP would have polled the highest votes in his area, If not for their efforts—APC members prompt interference.
According to him, they don’t want the PDP to assume power again in the state. He stated some of the decay and messes of the PDP-led administration that the present administration of APC had cleared—prompt payments of salary, remodeling of basic health care centers, renovation of primary and secondary schools, enhancing worker’s productivity, payment of salary arrears, pension and gratuity among others.
He said, with that reasons, they did everything possible to make sure the election exercises favoured the APC.
“During the election, we don’t mind stealing, snatching, and running away with votes—persuading people to vote for the APC, telling them what they stand to gain, compensating them in our own little way. All these were done just to make sure that the PDP candidates were not elected,” he said.
Another person who spoke to Wizardpen, from Owode-Onire Constituency in Asa Local government, disclosed that many of their people who were on ground to vote had the intention of voting for the PDP. Saying, “that was the old idea programmed in their mind”. He stressed that it was hard to convince them, adding that despite the persuasion, some of them were still adamant and followed their minds.
He stated: “Sincerely, the APC-led government in the state still has a lot of work to do to convince our people of the rural areas. They felt ignored, rejected by the government. They could not see the good sides of the government. They were so keen in seeing development transverse to the rural communities.
“We are hoping that the new phase of leadership at the state House of Assembly and National Assembly would focus on empowering the people in the rural communities—and not only in the city.”
The 2023 general elections were marred with different irregularities. The elections were not perfect like the previous ones. Although the introduction of BVAS helped reduce electoral malpractices—there were flaws recorded—reports of overvoting, voter apathy, disenfranchisement, alleged vote buying and intimidation. This is not peculiar to a state, it occurred in some parts of the country. Those who played their cards very well were favoured even in the face of glaring malpractices.
So, any party who feels cheated and has enough evidence, has been advised to approach the court to seek redress and justice. As it is in Kwara, some candidates of the PDP have rejected the results of the last elections. And they have vowed to approach the court, if vindicated, would reclaim their mandate.
“Snatch it, steal it and run away with it”, are phrases that translate into judicious use of power, rain of support, and continuation of good governance—meaning that the choice of the people will always prevail in an election, even in the presence of crass ignorance, extreme hunger, and massive unemployment.