WHAT THE APC MUST DO LEST THE ONDO ELECTION GO THE WAY OF EDO.
By Barr. Olufemi Mayor Omosuwa
The Edo election has been won and lost, at least for now. It is now time to shift attention to that of Ondo that is just around the corner.
Opinions abound regarding what caused the defeat that the All Progressives Congress suffered in the just concluded governorship election in Edo state. But an undeniable fact is that, it is a conglomeration of factors.
In this piece we want to draw attention to an important issue that may have contributed to the APC’s defeat that many stakeholders seem to be oblivious of. If the APC wants to boost their chances in the fast approaching Ondo governorship election, they should better start thinking about how to address the issue.
The current economic hardship in the land which the hike in electricity tariff and fuel pump price has aggravated, as well as the insecurity in the land are making Nigerians angry with the APC government. This anger against the APC may have contributed to the ruling party’s (at the national level) defeat in the Edo polls.
Many Nigerians are concerned that the APC government is not doing enough to address the challenges of development that confronts the nation. Lately, there is a spike in industrial disputes and this is usually a sign of uneasiness in the polity. It is a sign that the government needs to do more to reassure and win the confidence of the masses.
It is not rocket science to understand why the ruling party will have to struggle hard to win elections at a time like this. Since the issues in question are at a national scale, then Ondo APC is certainly immune from the backlash. Who knows, the issues may have an impact on the voting pattern in the upcoming election in the Sunshine state.
It is in the interest of the national ruling party to do something urgent to start building the confidence of Nigerians in the government’s ability to address the plethora of challenges that confronts them. If things don’t improve or probably gets worse before the Ondo polls, the party may be shocked by the outcome of the election.
The party and government should therefore do all within their powers to avert the looming nationwide industrial action being threatened by the Nigeria Labour Congress and it’s affiliates. The industrial action will aggravate the challenges and suffering in the land and cast the ruling APC in bad light, thereby increasing the masses displeasure with the party.
It is true that Ondo is not Edo. The dynamics and situations are very different but the reality is that the Nigerian people are getting more politically enlightened. They are in dire need of improvements in their living conditions.
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