It has become fashionable to shout Change in Nigerian political space.
Politicians from diferent political parties seem to be talking the change Talk. What manner of change
Is it a Change of the nomenclature PDP, APC ,APGA, LP or the character or ideological change of the candidates?
Every political party and every candidate seem to be chanting change.
I hold that if the general chorus of change is not premised on total change of the world view of the candidates and parties with a view of meeting the yearnings of the masses, then the chant of Change, is sycophantic, primitive and misplaced, it is a fallacy and a fruit of intellectual indolence.
More often than not candidates who have worked and served a political party easily switch parties and begin to shout CHANGE!!!!! , what manner of Change? At what point did they realise that the parties they had served all along lacked democratic ethos?
One respects individuals constitutional rights of association. What beats my imagination is fact that it is only when one feels his personal ambition to contest or get appointment is violated that he begins to chant the change slogan with two fingers in the air.
Across the country and across party lines, people crossing to the other party demonise the former and preach magnificent sermons of the new parties. ONE EASILY BECOMES A SAINT BY DECAMPING FROM A RULING PARTY TO AN OPPOSITION PARTY.
In Benue today we are faced with a similar situatio. I hear people say I won't vote for PDP yet show support to PDP candidates who just decamp to the opposition. It therefore seem to me that the issue is about the name PDP or APC. Is there an injection of democratic principles that take place in the opposition?? Too many questions without answers.
In my considered opinion looking at the manner the candidates emerged, the PDP remained a pacesetter of democratic choices in the State. It is instructive to note that all the other Governorship candidates of the party have accepted defeat and have since joined the campaign train of the Governorship candidate.

Internal democracy is cardinal for a party aspiring to take over from another. Critical minded people have questioned the oppositions lip service to internal democracy with the manner their candidates emerged. There has been one drama or the other as the opposition candidates emerged. Do we need the NWC of a party to settle for a candidate for Benue people? The answer is a Big NO! , do we need the courts to determine our candidates? Still a NO! How genuine will the former PDP members who worked supported and served the federal administration now CHANGE to ask people to vote for another candidate? If today one agrees that there Is a clarion call to change the federal government that is not performing and these people served under the same administration, will they not be infected with the virus of non performance as well?
Hon Terhemen Tarzoor has an advantage over the other candidates, he is young, vibrant and a good learner, well educated. As speaker of any state house of assembly one practically governs that state.Even as speaker He did exceptionally. He is simply a prefered choice. I join to chant CHANGE with two fingers in the air too, but mine is a generational Change that will usher in Hon Terhemen Tarzoor as Governor come may 2015.
By Teryila Ibn Apine
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