It is an obvious fact that Cross river state is no longer a one party state, as it is evident in the affairs of the polity, and hence it can not be business as usual. But one group of people who are yet to come in terms with this current realities is the state PDP, they could be said to be living in a fools paradise as my keen observation, their evident and obvious actions for sometimes connotes such. Perhaps, they feel having the party's ticket means automatic victory at the polls, I laugh from an informed view stand. My quest for investigative reporting has reviewed a salient fact which is only visible for the chief strategist to see, just like a blind woman was once asked what can be worse than being born blind, she said having physical eyes but not been able to see beyond current realities.
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Over the last weekend I made some journeys around the state and was so dumbfounded at the revelations I uncovered. While serious APC candidates in the likes of Chief Alex Ogbonna who mean business for 2019 are going round consolidating on their past attempt at the polls and mending their fences to ensure this time they cling to the position, some PDP foot soldiers and their intending aspirants have taken to the social media to fight a sycophantic war.
My observations revealed that the erstwhile chief of staff to Sen Liyel Imoke who contested the last election but lost, has been on the field for a very long time since he lost the last election, he has being a grassroot politician, over the weekend he could be seen visiting some council wards creating a close and firm relationship with the electorates, it is no doubt that the highly placed chief and well loved politician who feelers have it on good grounds is vying for the seat of house of representatives for Abi/Yakurr Federal constituency would win the election if it were to be held today. Yes, and the following are my reasons for the assertion.
In the last election in Abi Local Government Area, which has ten (10) council wards, Chief Alex won four (4) wards and lost nominally in two (2) wards, and facts have it in good records that if the election were to be held today he would cling to those wards he won then again, he has even gone ahead of the PDP to lobby for votes from other wards.
It is a painful and regrettable fact, that you can not alienate primordial sentiments from our today's politics and only the grand master's like Chief Alex understands this fact, that is why during the last festive season he was seen showing love to people around the council wards, sharing gift and alms, information from reliable source has it that it has become a norm for him as he does that often, which has in return transcended into becoming a signature of his. Little wonder his ever rising fame in Abi and beyond.
It was also gathered, and I can say authoritatively that he is the preferred choice and aspirant for APC, in the forth coming Abi Yakurr house of representatives contest, with this fact in mind he has been working assiduously in the field, he has been interacting with the electorate on a constant bases while his uninformed and unsuspecting opponents in the PDP are there fighting and pulling themselves down on social media, disqualifying each other as though they had the sole right to issue out their party's ticket at the soon coming PDP primaries, When they should be telling their party's delegates for the primaries why they should be the preferred candidates for their party, instead they are employing 'pull him down and discredits him' approach, without telling the populist why they think they are any better.
It is evident the PDP needs to be advised to know that the political contest in the state is between them, and the APC which happens to be the nation's ruling party, and any political pundit would understand how much influence that can pull in our today's political system. Considering the plus, if the APC aspirants can still be seen working in the field without banking on any Abuja connection, I wonder why PDP aspirants are still living in fools paradise believing once you destroy your fellow contender's public image and paint them black that would earn you the position. A question pundits are asking is, even if such PDP 'power drunk vampire like' aspirants clings to their party ticket, who would they then work with in the party to defeat the popular APC candidate at the poll?.
My quest for investigative reporting over the weekend showed that, while the state PDP founding fathers are out there at every given opportunity garnering support from both young and old, the young aspirants are delighted and obsessed with social media rhetoric and clash of the titans.
Sen Liyel Imoke (Avatar) was seen at different occasions engaging youths and addressing them, when he came for the funeral of the late Itigidi chieftain. I was marveled at the amount of convoy the people's leader had when he was driving back to Calabar to make the airport, a convey lead by his political son , who is also referred to as the 'son of the avatar' (speaker John Gaul), party leaders and other party faithfuls and political children of the ex-governor of the state.
If the current breed of PDP politicians do not reconsider their campaign strategies, and outline their goals with best practices devoid of pull him down syndrome, they could just make the labour of their founding fathers go in vain. I employ them all to look beyond self and think also what their actions and in-actions could result the state democratic process into, just when pundits like your faithfully were beginning to enjoy the euphoria of having multiple big party's in the state, we can not afford to go back to the days of single party system.
This is not a diatribe or any form of avalanche targeted at any individual, group or institution, as the writer remains an apolitical public affairs analyst devoid of any form of primordial sentiments. And would accept no claim of damage whatsoever.
Victor Adaha (Mr apolitical)
Public affairs analyst.
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