The Street Protest Against Abubakar Audu’s Emergence As Apc Flagbearer; A Puerile Response To A Supposed Democratic Anomaly

I read about the protest staged by some individuals against the emergence of Alh. Abubakar Audu, as the APC flag bearer in the upcoming governorship election in Kogi State and was really amused. The reasonable question to ask the protesters is what they are not comfortable with because the last time I checked, none of the aspirants who participated in the primary have complained of any anomaly in the process. Yahaya Bello and Engr. Olumoroti have accepted the outcome of the primary while pledging to work for Audu’s victory at the polls, so whose interest is this people protecting. Even if we all agree that, the horse-trading and deal-wheeling of the elders with the connivance of the greedy delegates have inserted a clog in our wheel of progress as a people, the process was transparent though neither free nor fair. It merely confirmed what most of us already knew that what transpired was plutocracy and not democracy; bottom line was that the hopes and aspirations of over two million traumatized people have been traded off for lucre by less than three thousand persons.

The maelstrom this has created can be addressed in a more matured and reasonable manner by every patriotic indigene of Kogi State to use the ballot to express their rejection of the despicable choice of these few individuals. We must rejig our strategies and resist being used as pawns by these politicians. We must all realize that this struggle for a prosperous state we can all be proud of is about us; the people and not the vaulting and inordinate ambition of the ropey and treacherous band we regard as leaders.

APC is not the only party in Nigeria and we are not in a one-party country so all these whining and shouting must stop. If we are truly fed up with the status quo, then we have to begin to enlighten our people on the danger of making any wrong choice. We have options to improve our lives and nobody will do it for us especially, not the present group of marauding felons we have as rulers.

By Olalekan Aiyenigba