Preamble: You can’t strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
Every political contestation involves several components. There are in the first instance the dramatis personae who are the political parties and their candidates..next you have the umpire which in the case of Nigeria is the Independent National Electoral Commission. Then you have the police or if you like the security agencies. Finally you have the electorate who constitute the most significant factor in the whole of the political mix.
Ideally, the political parties and their candidates rally support from the electorate through their programs and manifesto. Then the INEC is required to be superintendent over the election in such a way that the process isn’t just free and fair but it is seen to be free, fair and credible by all. The police on their part are required to provide cover and protection for every other component in the political grid irrespective of their political choices or leaning.
In Edo State’s forthcoming election for September 21st, it is clear that the police have become biased participants in the election. The PDP and its candidate now not only have to contend with other political parties but also with the “Nigeria Police Political Party” (NPPP) with the Edo State commissioner of Police as its gubernatorial candidate and the inspector general of Police as his godfather.
Clearly the opposition APC has seen that without the use of brutal Police force, there is no way it can stand a chance against the very organized PDP and its highly cerebral candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo. So, now with the police as it’s accomplice, APC is going about hounding and harassing our members and senior party officials perceived to be strong in their various localities with arrests and forceful
abduction.
What is the crime of the PDP and these guys that they have arrested and the ones they plan to arrest? Is it our fault that we have a brilliant candidate and they, the APC, have a dullard as a candidate? Is it our fault that people naturally love our candidate and organically gravitate towards him while their candidate is lackluster and unappealing? Is it the fault of PDP that Dr Asue Ighodalo is well educated with a rich history of achievement while their candidate is barely educated with no impact of a successful life in any credible business activity.
APC and its accomplice the Nigeria Police are cowards. If they think they can win the election they should come out and fight straight instead of using the police as a shield and smokescreen in their attempt to weaken the PDP. This tactic is old and crude and it will not work. What they fail to realize is that there is no force on earth that can stop a people who are resolved to get results.
No matter their underhand tactics, Monday Okpebholo will not suddenly become brilliant and smart. He won’t suddenly become attractive and loved. He will still remain slow and unattractive in his outings and presentations.
No matter what the APC does they would still remain the wicked and insensitive political party which has destroyed Nigeria and want to extend the same arm of wickedness and destruction to Edo State. These are the real issues and the earlier they realize that the only people supporting the APC are greedy people who are focused essentially on what they can benefit and not the betterment of Edo State. The majority of reasonable Edolites, whether home or abroad have long concluded that Edo State is safer and better poised for a greater tomorrow under Dr Asue Ighodalo and his deputy Barr Osarodion Ogie.
