The Next Political Game in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States.
By: Sagir Sadisu Buhari
Politics is a game of numbers and the majority carries the vote in any given democratic election. For a successful political campaign, remember to allocate 20% of your effort towards strategy and 80% towards implementation.
To ensure you are on the right track, start planning that 20% strategy right from the beginning. By doing so, you will set yourself up for success and create a roadmap to follow.
In short, the earlier you start campaigning, the better. The best politicians are always managing their distributed organizing campaigns by building relationships, figuring out their future campaign stance based on what they hear and so on.
However, if we are talking about upcoming elections, then we will want to start assembling our team and figuring out the campaign strategy as early as is allowable. All of the campaign elements like donations, number of campaign team members, voters contacted, etc, will benefit from having a longer lead time.
In his acceptance speech after his inauguration, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje promised to ensure internal democracy within the party while sustaining and expanding the number of elected positions secured by the party in the last general elections.
He also pledged to evolve a scientific database of registered members of the party and manage conflicts quickly and effectively.
He said, “Our party must remain rooted among the people, must demonstrate a willingness to serve and make sacrifices, and must be willing to acknowledge and address our weaknesses.”
Dr Abdullahi Umar also promised that the party will have the masses as its focus under his leadership, as he pledged to administer the party with integrity and transparency.
He urged party faithful in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states to close ranks ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections this year.
There is no question on Dr Ganduje’s strategic planning prowess. In politics, he knows his onions. In 2018, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was appointed chairman of the APC campaign team in Osun State.
The Major task of the campaign team was to mobilize electorates in Osun State to vote wisely for the APC governorship candidate then.
Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje delivered. Against all odds, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged winner of the governorship election in the state that year.
Now as the New National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje next political game is to strategize and mobilize the electorates towards the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states.
In Bayelsa State, the Former Governor of and immediate past Minister for State, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, emerged as the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 11th gubernatorial election in the state.
The former governor defeated the former candidate of the party in the last gubernatorial election, Chief David Lyon, and four others to emerge winner in the contest, which took place across 106 wards in the eight local councils of the state.
The APC adopted the direct electoral system for the exercise in the 106 wards and eight local government areas of the state. Sylva polled 52,061 votes to beat the other contenders and clinched the governorship ticket of the party during the primary election.
Chief David Lyon who won the majority votes in the last gubernatorial election in the state, was removed by Supreme Court on the eve of his inauguration, and came a distant third with 1, 872 votes, while Joshua Maciver came second with 2,078 votes.
However, in Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodinma emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the November 11th governorship election in the state.
The chairman of the Governorship Primary Election Committee, Rear Admiral William Kayoda (rtd), said that Uzodinma polled 63,618 votes to emerge the winner.
In Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General for Local Governments in Kogi State emerged as the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Imo governorship election.
Ahmed Ododo, who polled a total of 78,704 votes, won the direct primary election with a wide margin to defeat six other contestants in the governorship race.
He defeated the distant runner-up, Barr. Mohammed Ozigi Salami, who got 1,506 votes, while the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, polled the least number of votes 311.
As the Game of Numbers continues, the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is well aware that no long term changes can be achieved without effective and efficient political strategies. His leading ambition is to bring about political development to the party.
For instance, decentralization of the party leadership from the national, state, local government and wards levels requires extensive planning. To achieve the desired results, several aspects need to be simultaneously taken into account to allow for the party’s supremacy.
This includes the party organizational structures, use of technology, finances, election of representatives and that of political administrators.
Indeed, the upcoming gubernatorial election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states centered on the model of campaign strategies to be adopted by the party in the three different states, for each state has its own political peculiarities and internal party politics, which the party must take into cognizance for the success and victory of APC.
I have no doubt that President Ahmad Tinubu, APC Governors and other Party Stakeholders have made the right choice by electing Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the New National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC). God willing (In Sha Allah) APC will become strong and win all its upcoming elections in Nigeria.
Sagir Sadisu Buhari, FCAI.
A Political Consultant and Strategist.
Former Director General Research and Documentation Directorate, Govt House, Kano State.
buharisageer@gmail.com
