Delegates, Our Biggest Problem, Our Enemies
By: Oriaifoh Godwins
Our flawed selection process in identifying candidates by the different Political parties, is the main cause of our bad, irresponsive and irresponsible governments, at the Local, State and Federal levels in Nigeria as the so called DELEGATES, after being paid, simply sell off the future of a whole constituency to the highest bidder, irrespective of whether such a person is a buffoon, insane, or an imbecile…they are never bothered about who they vote for to represent their party, as long as they get their money.
During electioneering periods such as the one we are about to begin very soon in Edo state, the process and criteria of selecting who gets the ticket, and eventually become the candidate of the political parties, will begin with the conduct of the primary elections, where the electoral college, the so called DELEGATES of the different political parties gather to vote for one out of the aspirants. THIS IS WHERE THE ERROR IS.
The so called delegates end up in casting their votes for the highest bidder, who pay heavily for securing the ticket of his party. In some instances, those delegates are placed on monthly stipends, so called salaries. As all these are going on, they go about singing the praises of their paymasters, some even fight dirty in the process of supporting their candidates; eventually, if they succeed in making their candidates to win the final election, they will expect the goodies to continue to flow from their paymaster to them; but in event it fails to continue like they anticipated, the same person they called the best candidate, that they fought for and assisted to come to power, will automatically become a bad Chairman, a bad Legislator, Senator or Governor. If you doubt this, ask Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The same people that hailed Obaseki to high heavens when Oshiomhole brought him on board, the same DELEGATES that voted for Obaseki during the primary election in APC in 2016, those that voted for him in 2020, during his second term bid, are today condemning him as a bad governor… a governor they assisted into power, suddenly became a bad person, just because their parochial interest is no longer being met. UNA NO GO GO LOOK FOR WORK?
The question now, is: Were the delegates that thumbed up for Obaseki during the primary election, insane, stupid or foolish at the time they supported him? No, they weren’t; they were only blinded by their selfish, self-centered, silly interest of enriching themselves, and since Obaseki stopped satisfying their gluttonous tendencies, who are they to now begin to condemn him? They have no moral rights whatsoever to do so.
If our constitution had provided for the emergence of independent candidates, maybe Peter Obi would have been the President of Nigeria today; maybe he could have been able to change things for the better; but definitely, Nigeria wouldn’t have been this humiliated before the international community for certificate identity inconsistencies; but the delegates were blinded by the bribes they got. THE DELEGATES ARE OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN INSTALLING A RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.
The funny part of it is that, these greedy set of people are never satisfied. A number of them don’t have any job, or legitimate business, they don’t have a clear means of livelihood, other than to keep going from one politician to another to tell lies and slander others just for peanuts. I sometimes imagine how they feel comfortable in this their infamous trade.
Another election, Edo 2024 Guber is approaching; these same vampires and sick gluttons are again gathering and scheming on how to make money from whoever can offer the biggest pay. They will again vote for such person in their sick so called primary election, irrespective of whether the person has the integrity, capacity or track record to deliver and lead Edo state out of the woods; they will present same person to their respective parties as the candidate, and the ordinary voter will have no choice other than to either vote for the empty candidates, or not vote at all. Tomorrow, when the same person either fails to continue to grease their pockets, or fail to deliver on mandate, same shameless so called delegates will be the first set of people to cry out.
FINALLY, THIS IS MY MESSAGE TO THE DELEGATES: in the selection of who becomes the next governor of Edo state, the delegates should have it at the back of their minds that their sick and wrong choice will spell doom for Edo state, as the deplorable state of our infrastructures, irresponsible wastage of our resources, continuous suffocation of our state university, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and several others, may continue. The delegates should save the people of Edo state these incessant embarrassments, avoidable backwardness in the state and perpetuation of this vicious circle of poverty. However, for those that will not change, may whatever they are sowing today, (Good or Bad) in the selection process of who becomes the candidates, be reaped by them and their generation. EDO STATE IS NOT FOR SALE.