DENISAURUS Views On Kogi, Bayelsa Election: PDP The Dead Horse

👤 By Adenike Lucas, DENISAURUS News

The All Progressive Congress has finally got a Governor in the South East.

In the election that took place in Bayelsa on Saturday 16 November 2019, David Lyon polled 352,552 to defeat his closest rival Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP who got 143,172 votes.

The PDP, which has ruled the state in the last 20-years, were informed that things could go sour for them if a candidate was imposed, yet, the former Governor, Henry Seriake did not listen.

Mr Seriake went on to support Douye Diri, a serving senator representing Bayelsa Central against the candidate of Goodluck Jonathan.

The former President who hails from Bayelsa, was in support of Ndutimi Alaibe. Mr Alaibe scored 365 votes at the primaries and Senator Diri received 561 votes.

Many believe the primaries was not fair. And Mr Seriake had influenced the votes in favour of his candidate.

This meant that some of the party members would inevitable work against the PDP.

Mr Seriake’s decision to impose a candidate, not only cost the party the governorship election, but it might have killed PDP in the state.

There are rumours that the former President worked against his party, and there are louder murmurings among supporters, who say many other prominent members will leave the party to join the APC.

Given the amount of violence deployed by Federal police, it would be hard for the party to gain back the state from the APC, which has federal might behind it and executive governorship powers, following its recent victory.

As the APC get its self-ready to lead in Bayelsa, the people of Kogi have re-elected the candidate of the APC, Yahaya Bello. Governor Bello, who refused to pay salaries for 39 months, was on able to gain 112,764 and the PDP candidate Musa Wada gained a measly 139. There were violence and allegations of ballot snatching in PDP strongholds. The Senator for Kogi-West had over 40,000 votes cancelled.

If not for Senator Melaye’s vocal attitude, who quickly raised the alarm about the shenanigans in the state, caused by fans of the incumbent Governor, the election might have been called in his opposition, Smart Adeyemi’s favour.

Smart Adeyemi, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has scored 80,118 votes, while the Kogi West Senatorial candidate of PDP, Senator Melaye, scored 59,548 with 46,127 votes cancelled. The cancelled votes is way more than the difference between the leading scores between Mr Smart and Senator Melaye.

The PDP, you would think, would be making a fuss about things. They should be hammering and challenging it over the use of force in the elections. But, no, they have taking the arm-chair position.

And as my brother in the PDP, Henry Shield notes, they remain a “press statement” only party.

They issue press statements, but never follow up with any actions. The elections were coming but the party leaders continued to focus on re-gaining Alhaji Abubakar Atiku’s mandate.

While, I would never deny anyone the choice to seek redress over injustice, but it should not have been the main focus. As an opposition, the party should be tackling the excesses of the Government.

It has not been able to do so. I wonder why?

The biggest danger in not having a viable opposition, is that the Government is no longer scared of making outrageous decisions.

For instance, take the regulation of social media and the “hate speech bill” which will see people hanged.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the PDP minority leader kicked against the bill, but did the echelons of the party speak out or reject the bill.

I don’t think so? Instead, it is ordinary citizens who went online to lambaste the Government about its plan on this bill. The role of the opposition is now being performed by ordinary citizens.

I am a journalist, not a politician and at the moment, I am performing my duties as the fourth estate of the realm. My criticism of both the All Progressives Congress, APC and the main opposition, is to help Nigeria.

Please put political affiliation aside, and think about this bill. It would have had an adverse affect on the majority. Yet the official opposition in the country, could not challenge it successfully.

The PDP not being able to push back the Government in this matter, shows its inefficiencies. It has become a dead horse.

For me, the PDP is no longer an effective opposition and we all know that a viable opposition is essential for democracy.

“Time for Uche Secondus to bow out. Enough of the tactless Secondus and a purposeless leadership,” Jackson Ude, a former Director of Strategy / Communication to former President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

Adenike Lucas is the editor and publisher of DENISAURUS News.