Osun Decides: A take home assignment for APC after smelling defeat in a stronghold.


The most popular definition of democracy that Nigerians are familiar with is that, it is the government of the people by the people and for the people. However, this definition appears to be theoretical and not practicable in the Nigeria context.

An average Nigerian has the mentality that their votes won't count and only apply for voters card mostly for business or official purposes. The recent election in Osun state has revealed that things are changing and there is hope for all Nigerians. It has shown that their votes do not just count but echo that a new mindset should arise.

APC no doubt is the ruling party which is normal for every other political party to aim to pull down but it's quite sad they have not learnt a lesson of sustainance rather choose to dwell in the euphoria of pride of never to be defeated. Thanks to Osun election that bruised the bragging rights and showed the party the need to reassess, re-strategise and define a new pathway for victory. Dwelling too much on Ekiti victory is one of the ways to guarantee defeat.

Permit me to highlight some of the miscalculation and wrong deeds of the party as a whole. I know some people's ego may be bashed with this but I am not sorry as the ship if allowed to sink will consume all.

I still find it disappointing that a ruling party decides to give Adeleke and Omisore a free hand in their comfort zones and not trying to reduce the winning margin from your opponent's home.

On every APC members lips is echoes of Adeleke will win convincingly Ede and environs and Omisore will win Ife and her environs. This can only make me pity APC the more. Even a nuclear biological family have difference in ideology which an outsider can benefit from to their own advantage and this doesn't stop them from being biological family but just ideological differences and since political parties is the coming together of people with similar ideologies why is this principle not taken into consideration and a bold step not taken to give a fight at Adeleke and Omisore's comfort zone with amazing political strategies doubling our political reinforcement in those areas.

Changing a winning strategy in politics is always suicidal but strengthening the strategy based on peculiarities of every geographical area is wisdom.
I still can't believe a ruling party that defeated a sitting Governor of the opposition party is struggling to win convincingly in a state controlled by her.

Perhaps, the APC don't know that a rerun for a ruling party is not different from a loss but taking consolation is good if this is a temporary consolation that will terminate shortly after the rerun is done. The party agents whose methods are best known to the party leaders who were assigned to beat the opposition tactics for tactics later dashed the hopes of even party members. Only God knows if they voted their party when some of them were given degrading amount in some polling units.

A ruling party who knows that some people's conscience is attached to how much they received at the polling units before voting was giving #1000 when the opposition was giving #2500, #4000 while opposition was giving #5000 and in some areas opposition giving even more. The opposition was always ensuring they gave something more as if they were in partnership with the ruling party agents to ensure they were seen as giving more at several polling units which went a long way to create impressions in the heart of some voters as being taking for granted and over confidence which ripple effect is where we are today and the loss of polling units by APC party leaders affirm the obvious.

The current unsettling of Akinwunmi Ambode by Lagos APC really went a long way in affecting the confidence to vote continuity as some voters saw the act as imposition at will knowing some of them have not been to Lagos nor have a full know how of how Lagos political structure is positioned.

Some voters that have been to Lagos that sees the governor as a working governor compared to some of his contemporaries felt the APC in Lagos was looking for what to eat at the expense of the citizens and felt this is the best time to show the party they are different from Lagos even though they are not convinced Adeleke is better than Oyetola.

Many voters which are also people working for party victory, convinced that Ambode erred, still wonder why Asiwaju cannot forgive him. One of them even said, "so Oyetola is going to put us under Lagos mandate structure? God forbid!" and as such sees Adeleke as a lesser devil.

Aregbesola no doubt did well infrastructure wise but paying the hasty months salary is a very wrong strategy as the Governor took no time to explain explicitly how and why the salaries was paid so close to election. The timing was wrong as some civil servants who have tagged the governor "Baba Hafusa" based on the mode adopted for payment of salaries felt their salaries which is their entitlement was used as a political bargaining tool which may be the feedback mechanism of the governor.

I wish not to bore us with a long epistle but I will want to end by saying if the party sees all those who left the party as enemies who should not be contacted, lobby those aggrieved first within the party sincerely over Oyetola's choice and reach out to those not happy within the opposition parties. Talk to all contenders and pretenders on the ballot and most importantly dialogue with Omisore irrespective of the opposition reaching him first or considering his political genesis and ensure political trading are sincerely and not desperately done like a man hungry for sex.

If we do not address these obvious cracks in the party, we may be welcoming Adeleke as the governor-elect based on our insensitivity.



Fafoluyi Olayinka M. Solace
08037368062
Fafoluyiolayinka@gmail.com
Twitter: @senatorsolace