Some individuals have some perceptions about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This perception is mostly expressed by the opposition parties and their supporters. Their perception borders on why the PDP is always winning elections. This wrong perception has been there since the inception of democracy in 1999 when the party swept almost all the states and National Assembly seats.
As the local government election holds this Saturday in Delta State, that same perception is being expressed by the opposition political parties, that they hardly campaign to win votes. They are not even campaigning because of the perception that PDP has already won the election. This wrong idea is a clear indication that democracy is yet to be properly planted in Nigeria. How can a registered political party refuse to campaign to sell their manifestoes to the public and expect to win elections.
The truth is that those who know how to rig elections do not campaign. The PDP has not rested since the commencement of campaigns for the local government elections, moving from one point to another. Aniocha North is a typical example, where the likes of the DTHA Majority Leader, Hon. Engineer Emeka Nwaobi, former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Chief Nkem Okwuofu; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza alias ‘Agenda’ and a host of others have not rested in their efforts to capture the minds of the people. The truth of the matter is that if the opposition is right, they would not waste their time to campaign.
Their seeming lack of interest and apathy is PDP’s gain and erason for its political dexterity. It has has a successful governance of the state since the return of democracy in 1999. The people are happy with the party’s performance in the state and they would not want to taste the bitter pills currently being fed to Nigerians by the APC government at the federal level. Nigerians are suffering, and there is no sane person that will open his eyes and vote for an APC candidate in the local government election. It is better that the APC’s inglorious governance is left only at the centre, where the effect is melting down to the grassroots than bringing the ant down to the grassroots. That will be suicidal for the people to bear.
My happiness is that the state government has assured of a level playing ground for all the political parties in the State, so, any political party that feels it has done well or is uplifting the lives of Nigerians should chest out to campaign and contest in the forthcoming local government elections in the state. For the PDP faithful, they are not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that the people know what they have for them and the reason why they must vote for the party. The PDP believes that democracy is about the people; that the people must choose their leaders to be able to get their best and enjoy the dividends of democracy.
There is no doubt that since the return of democracy in 1999, Delta State has enjoyed peace and uninterrupted development. From the time of Chief James Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa down to the present Governor, Rt. Hon. Elder Sherriff Oborevwori, Delta State has remained number one, in spite of its ethnic diversity. The PDP government has been able to galvanize the people into one loving family. So, it is very clear that other political parties are not campaigning because they know that the people are in love with the PDP. In fact, to say the truth, every family in Delta State is PDP, with just a few who claim to belong to other political parties, but are actually neither here nor there.
As the local government election approaches, I salute the PDP for its grassroots campaign in every nook and cranny of the state. To say the truth, the PDP’s winning formula is its campaign strategy which is equal to none.
