President Muhammadu Buhari was the least financially endowed among the contestants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Primaries in December 2014. He was also the least amenable in terms of personal propensity to spend money to woo or buy delegates. However, Buhari won the primaries because there was a consensus on the part of men of goodwill in the party to field a clean candidate with a good leadership acumen not given to corrupt enrichment and one who did not soil his hand as a former military ruler.
It is also noteworthy that the APC rode to power at the general elections on the strength of bringing change to the polity: specifically, to rid Nigeria of corruption and impunity. President Buhari no doubt has been making efforts in this regard, but he is yet to adopt an all-inclusive approach in a manner that party members across other tiers of government will key into his philosophy. An enduring change can only be achieved through collective responsibility and it must be deliberate. In essence, the governors and local government chairmen must key into the APC Change to achieve intended goals.
The emergence of Prince Abubakar Audu, as the candidate of APC for the November 21, 2015 governorship election, is still generating mixed feelings within and outside Kogi State. The reason is not far-fetched; Audu is still under the trial of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of corruption. Although he is qualified to contest the election since there is no court conviction hanging on his neck, however, the moral side of Buhari’s anti-corruption posture indeed raises posers: Is Abubakar Audu the best APC can offer in Kogi? Can APC come to equity on anti-corruption by fielding candidates under corruption trial?
Fast forward to Bayelsa State where there is every possibility that a similar situation is more likely to present itself, except men of goodwill intervene as in the case of Buhari. Political pundits will have no problem staking it that there was no way Buhari could have defeated Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso or Atiku Abubakar if the the Kogi scenario had applied to the APC Presidential Primaries. It was a deliberate intervention for Buhari to pick the ticket. Consequently, any attempt to make Bayelsa to go the way of Kogi is likely going to finally alter the anti-corruption image of the President and the APC.
If APC truly wants positive change in Nigeria, it must be deliberate and this surely goes beyond free and fair Primaries. As it is, no remedy with Kogi, as the contest is now between APC candidate and the incumbent governor from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The election has been largely dubbed by political commentators as a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea-not encouraging by all standards. In Bayelsa too, the countryman governor is already classified by some political analysts in similar negative rating. It remains to be seen if APC will get it right with its own candidate.
We have to get serious with the fight against corruption. Of a fact, we must understand that APC cannot make any impactful change and fight corruption without having governors that will inspire transparency and accountability. Buhari cannot make any meaningful change without his party supporting his crusade at the state level. We must also realize that Nigeria has not been able to overcome some of it challenges because States and Local governments are doing little or nothing to strengthen good governance.
As for Bayelsa, I will like to urge all APC stakeholders across the country to make the change a deliberate and positive one. As a matter of sincerity, I have found just one man who will not even pay anyone to write for him. Yes, I want APC to pitch it tent with the submission made by a writer, Sufuyan Ojeifo, on the choice of Emmanuel Otiotio, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Japan (1999-2003). After reading Ojeifo’s treatise on Otiotio’s aspiration, I went to enquire more about him from some Bayelsans. The verdict was remarkable- if the APC can truly support Otiotio, he will not only send the countryman to the countryside, he will indeed bring good governance to the state.
Let me reproduce a few lines from Ojeifo: “But the aspirant who distinguished himself the most in the manner he came to submit his form was former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Japan, Emmanuel Oseimiegha Otiotio. No hired or rented crowd. He was driven into the party secretariat in two vehicles: a Peugeot 406 in which he and his wife rode and a Toyota Sienna Sedan that conveyed his children driven by his eldest daughter.
“For, in Otiotio, a gentleman that I know very well, an uncompromising man of faith, Bayelsa people will find a compass to God. Under his watch, Bayelsa will be ruled with a palpable and tangible fear of God. His words will be his bonds because he believes in the power of the spoken words. He is therefore not a frivolous talker.”
I think President Buhari has in Otiotio, an incorruptible man and someone of his Spartan nature, one who can support his vision and lead APC anti-corruption and good governance revolution in the South-South, as an alternative to the PDP. This is a serious intervention that is needed on September 22, 2015 as the APC selects its governorship candidate in Bayelsa.
- Mr Ainofenokhai, a political analyst, sent this piece from Benin City. [myad]
