Austin Agada: In Benue APC, democracy triumphed 

There is this popular adage which says “ you cannot keep doing the same things while expecting different outcomes “. The bane of Nigeria’s current Democratic dispensation has been a deficient leadership recruitment process.

In previous eras, candidates for offices sold themselves through constructive engagements. Those were the days of the charismatic players. As growing kids, we looked forward to political rallies where orators thrilled us with witty comments. Watching the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ibrahim Tahir, Chuba Okadigbo, Kingsley Mbadiwe and Waziri Ibrahim was a real theatrical spectacle.

Fast forward to this era, what we now see is leadership emerging from dark conclaves, from self centered conspiracies by egocentric elites who present candidates to the populace as a fait acompli. No longer are candidates connected to the people. We now have strange lexicons in politics like “endorsement”. A group of leeches retreat into their living rooms and come out pronouncing a “ consensus”. By their “ fatwas”, every other person is sentenced to kow tow or ship out. Where then is the import of democracy?. Where is the place of the people in this enterprise?.

The just concluded congress of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Benue State which was chaired by the Speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly and duly supervised by INEC has called to question the democratic credentials of some larger than life names. It is disheartening to watch people who have risen to the tallest heights of national prominence via the democratic route work assiduously to scuttle the democratic process. It began with the zoning formula in which the chairmanship position in the state was allocated to the Benue South Senatorial District (zone C). This did not go down well with the likes of Audu Ogbeh, Ameh Ebute, Dan Onje etc.

However, once aspirants began to indicate interests from the zone, they quickly constituted themselves into a pseudo electorate , choosing who they thought was most ideal as “ consensus candidate” while ordering others to step down. In so doing, they attempted to deny others the right to vote and be voted for. They openly presented the former State LegalAdviser, Barr Omale Omale who was their preferred candidate over the rest such as Comrade Austin Agada and Solomon Danjuma.

The directive from the APC National Headquaters was for the party to where possible adopt the consensus option. In the event of failure to achieve same, voting was to occur. It is also instructive to note that the waiver granted to the incumbent members of the party executives at all levels to participate in the contest punctures the notion that zoning or micro zoning could disenfranchise any aspirant.

I do not think it is contemplated in a democratic setting to force down anybody who is convinced that he possesses the qualities or qualifications to aspire to any office. Where Chief Ogbe and his crew could not negotiate with or convince the other candidates to step down for Omale, the second option was automatically activated. And that is exactly what happened.

When it dawned on the aggrieved group that their self generated candidate stood no chance in an election where voters were present from other zones, they threatened to pull out delegates from zone c and boycott the congress. As accomplished Democrats in their own right, one expected the trio of Ogbeh, Ebute and Onjeh to canvass for votes from the other zones for their candidate. Disappointingly , they chose the coward’s way out by attempting to discredit the process. Comrade Onjeh, the mouthpiece of the aggrieved group in a Facebook post described the process as a sham. They did all they could to fracture the party but the delegates from Benue South Senatorial District (zone C) which is a stronghold of the APC stood firm and fully participated in the congress where comrade Austin Agada emerged triumphant as the new APC Chairman.

Contrary to insinuations, AGADA wasn’t imposed on anybody. He was popularly elected. Rather than castigate the outcome, it is expected that these leaders who remain valuable assets to the party rally round the new Exco to rescue the state from a savage and rogue regime which operates a sub human agenda.

The hopeless mismanagement of the affairs of the state coupled with the tragic disconnect from the center has impacted on every Benue citizen. We must therefore confront this monster as a United entity and must never allow egotism to derail us from our focus. The task to salvage Benue from the brigand hordes of PDP larceny requires all hands on deck. With the youthful energy and mobilizational ability of Comrade AGADA, the battle is already half won. In Benue APC, democracy triumphed.