By Victor Ojelabi
The All Progressive Congress, APC, won 2019 presidential election using three (3) strategies; pre, during and post 2019 election.
The party started preparing for reelection from day one it assumed tenancy in Aso Rock!
It is now very clear that every step taken by the government was measured at winning reelection.
It is then save to say that APC led federal government didn’t govern the nation but was busy planning how to trash the likely opposition in 2019 right from 2015!
I used to wonder why a government in power would continuously blamed its none performance on a govt it pushed over; why from day one, a govt in power set up a propaganda outlet called BMC with cells across the country putting each hunted head on monthly renumeration!
Unknown to many, it was digging the grave for its main opposition in preparation for a battle to be fought in four years time.
Amongst its preelection strategies also was the attempted removal of the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, which wasn’t successful and the attack by the State Security Service, self-styled as the Department of State Services, on National Assembly, which backfired and led to the ouster of its former head, Lawal Daura. He was replaced with Matthew Seiyefa by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. But the president, Mohammadu Buhari, on his return to the country confirmed Yusuf Bichi in his stead, for reasons best known to him.
Any moneybag that declared support for Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, was intimidated by FG’s dog, the EFCC.
The postponement of elections at the eleventh hour was intentionally done to wreck the purse of the main opposition while safeguarding its own, despite having access to the national treasury.
No wonder, the national leader of the party, Tinubu, was heard telling his followers that he wouldnt mobilise anyone until after the election. He already knew the elections would be postponed. PDP heard the encrypted warning but was too blind and deaf to decode it!
INEC blamed postponement on logistics.
PDP already mobilised and went to bed by 12:00 believing it had the win in the pocket.
PDP was thinking of correcting its mistake with Omisore; match APC money to money!
APC knew.
He who pays INEC’s piper, dictates the tune. ‘Ensure the opposition exhausted its money mobilising, then postpone election while they sleep?!!!’
By the time the next date came, PDP purse had been depleted and couldn’t matchup in a heavily monitised election like ours. For instance, it was alleged that where APC bribed electorates N7k, PDP was able to do a miserly N3k.
Mr. No Mobilisation drove in bullionvans on the eve of the said election despite his alleged ‘fear’ of being duped ‘as usual’.
APC outsmarted us all, PDP being the biggest loser.
On the election day, the two major parties rigged but APC rigged mercilessly the most. That was their strategy during the election.
PDP has the evidence. “We would reclaim our mandate in court,” it vowed.
Forgetting that APC tink tank had already taken care of that! It has removed a CJN that appeared not to have time for nonsense without respect to the constitution, bearing in mind that Nigerians are too forgetful. By the time the dust settles, the election is already prosecuted and an Onnoghen is long forgotten!
This was its post election plan.
Whether the PDP would win its case remains only with the judiciary which may decide to keep the sanctity of respected garment and treat all cases based on its merit.
But above all, Buhari has nothing to lose again. APC too, unless it’s still looking towards its own 16years of raping the nation.
It’s my prayer that the ruling party stopped governing like it’s the opposition in this new dispensation and consider the dying masses for once.
But if in the next three months of restarting his term in office, the nonchalant attitude to the masses continues, then Buhari would kick start another four years of #NotMyPresident.
As we hopefully await judgement to be done and a better day for the country, I wish you a happy new month.
Victor Ojelabi, a political analyst, writes in from Lagos
