Simon Utsu|16 November 2017
As much as I try, I find it difficult to associate myself with the APC. Just take a look at the worst state governors! We saw one of their own empowering his people with wheelbarrows earlier in the year. Just last week, another empowered his people with beverages and this week, his Katsina counterpart (Buhari's home state) empowered his people with goats. I've not even mentioned the misfiring Kogi state governor or his Osun counterpart who are birds of a feather. The only one of them who seems to be performing well is Ambode of Lagos and it's for obvious reasons; even though there's some level of disconnect between what he dishes out as governance and the yearnings of the average Lagosian. His Kaduna state counterpart, another APC governor who's supposed to be an egghead, prefers to play to the gallery. The above reasons and many more, is why I'm always double minded about supporting anything APC.
In my state for instance, the APC as I've observed, is very disjointed! There's no harmony or coordination. I see those who are supposed to be their leaders as very self-centred individuals which has led to those in the youth (leadership) cadre being turned to survivalists. In that mode, they can backbite, malign, back-stab each other just to remain relevant. I won't blame them per se, I would rather put the bulk of the blame on their bosses who have been able to condition them like the Chicken in Dictator Stalin's infamous experiment.
It's a model that is dead on arrival, it would never be successfully employed to win any elective office in Cross River!
I may not be Ayade's biggest fan but if he eventually clinches the PDP ticket, I would rather he's returned than walk blindly into a booby trap by supporting any person the APC throws at the electorate just because I'm rooting for a change in government. Like they say, the devil you know is better than the angel you don't.
Just like it happened in Anambra, the Cross River people must come together and screen the candidates that indicate interest to run. They must also be made to address active townhalls and face each other in televised debates. Also, the electoral docility that has hitherto been the trademark of the Cross River voting class must stop! Cross Riverians need to be bolder when it comes to challenging the status quo! This timidity hasn't helped us or has it? Do we have to keep waiting for fate to throw leaders such as Donald Duke at us? Can't we search for such leaders amongst our ranks and project them?
Simon Utsu
Is a Social Commentator
