The emergence of African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in Nigeria political space belched political consciousness among Nigerian youths, and lexicographically encrypted a speck of, our political lexicon. A politically domesticated discourse, hall hosts – town hall meeting, surfaced.
Abuja-to-oversee politicians, in solicitation for votes, though still bluffing, work up indigenous constituents through a question and answer session: speaking of myriad of projects they have won to their constituency, of sponsor bills and more bills is sponsored to better the lot of the electorate when re-elected, and quickly adjusted to swift novelty, and got defined by it. Sowore, it is whether we will favour that fact or not, is quintessential to novelty in our recent political discourse: no politician or medium, at least from 1999 till now, has ever held a town hall meeting to speak to Nigerians or Constituents in their different constituencies or collectively as an audience, until when Sowore started it.
In his quintessence and zealousness, he drove discourses to logical destination. This made him stood as a new order to abolish the ageing belief and the practices that have aligned Nigeria’s destiny to a few hands, which had scuttled its space for the infiltration of poverty and corruption. Although, the Oligarchy hegemony he desired to fight still stands above all odds, although the hegemony foundation is yet to be crushed by what looked like a revolutionary hurricane, which seemed to scrape the long shenanigan political landscape in Nigeria, some parts of the country witnessed a crack in political landscape which awaits the verdict of the electorate’s will at the gubernatorial election for absolute destruction.
Kwara, Oyo, Benue and Akwa Ibom states witnessed a crack in political landscape: the comeuppance for greed, unguarded talk, Messiah syndrome and selfishness, as said by electorate and political observers, acclimated to the acme of ‘O To gé slogan that swept the Senate president, Bukola Saraki away, presumably, a brief respite from political dominance in Kwara state. If Kwarans only desire is to shift Bukola Saraki from Kwara political space, the awaiting gubernatorial election stands for its clarification and validation.
Other states which experienced a tiny crack in their political landscape have nonverbal accreditation of Kwarans’ slogan, but electorate’s will at the poll validated political consciousness and education to end political dominance of a few politicians across the southern and central northern states. The potency of electorate’s choice across these states sent a few packing: the one-term senator, two-terms governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi, was handicapped in his negotiation to represent Oyo South Senatorial District by his constituents will. The serving Senator of Oyo South Senatorial District, Senator Ridwan Adesoji, who claimed to have brought the ongoing rail project to south-west, seasoned political shenanigans, is also a victim; David Mark of Benue State, one of the long serving senators and Godwin Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom, were not spared either.
Renunciation of APC’s membership, Long reign of Saraki’s Dynasty and Offa robbery allegation, these ordeals, presumably, stamped Bukola Saraki out of political dominance in Kwara state. Unguarded discourse, pride, wickedness, spitefulness, Hitleric tendency and insatiable appetite for primitive acquisition of wealth, as pointed out in the recent satirist essay authored by Chief Adeniyi Akintola, authored Senator Ajimobi downfall at the poll. These qualities of the Governor have been in Oyo state’s sphere and beyond long ago. Attestation to this: a friend who was transferred to Ibadan, upon listening to the governor speak for the first time since he arrived Ibadan, he quickly called my line to dispense his own definitions and description, perhaps, a bit weaker compared to Chief Adeniyi Akintola conjured descriptions. Messiah syndrome and renunciation of PDP’s membership pruned Akpabio out of the representation of his Senatorial District. He might still grow, because, his petition was favoured to stop the presentation of Certificate of Return to the opposition’s candidate of the same Senatorial District, who said to have won the election.
The electorate deferment to scrape up sloppy polity may not go down well with the big politicians that were induced to sleep with this potency disruption in the 23rd February elections. The final race has a way to determine if the electorate really desire a total crack down in the polity or their choice was to hamper a few who have seen prided themselves over their political strength and worth. In the final race, unleashing gory celebration, politicians might choose that path, if that is the way, to coast to victory. If politicians don’t choose the path directly, the dogmatic followers and political apologists, who feed fat through hooliganism may speak the politician’s voice indirectly to tie up, a scenario we witnessed in some parts of Lagos state during the February’s election, electorate’s choice. In Ibadan, areas which host members of NURTW need to be mounted by special forces, to flavour the serenity of the areas and electoral process.