Newsie Events: #Opinion
I laugh so hard when people open their mouths to either say you don’t need structure to win elections or that the masses are the structure. These are people who are very oblivious of Nigerian realities and perhaps have never been to an election venue in Nigeria to see how these things are done.
Let me share a story in 2019.
I had just graduated from the University the previous year November and while waiting for my NYSC call up, I went to stay with one of my favorite young uncle in Enugu.
As a fresh graduate filled with so much exuberance and enthusiasm, largely disconnected from Nigerian reality, I made sure I heated the house with idealistic talks about political participation in Nigeria. My uncle kept laughing at me and told clearly that I have not seen anything. 2019 was my first chance to actually witness elections live. In 2015, I was in Portharcourt, there was too much tension and gunshots. My aunty didn’t want me to die in her house so she made sure I didn’t step out.
On the day of elections in 2019, I was enthusiastic to witness the election not just to vote but to observe the process for research purposes. My uncle started his bike, call me to join him, let’s go and vote in one primary school nearby. He told me clearly that today, I will understand that this Nigeria is not for the faint hearted.
At the election venue, people were already gathered. We arrived at 10 AM. There were boys playing football in the field. In the corridors of the shops across the road people gathered and we’re busy gisting. In the veranda of the other classroom blocks, Women sat there chattering and gisting too. I was surprised. Despite all these people around, nobody is actually voting. Only very few middle class persons who perhaps have something to do came to vote in their one’s and two’s. My uncle told me to calm down that the magic will soon happen.
At exactly 2 AM, one day guy came to the school in a Sienna. Some young boys went to meet him. After a short discussion, he went to engage the INEC officials and youth corpers. Suddenly another guy who happened to be an APC agent began to flare up. It was sure that he has suspected fraud. After all the flaring up, they went to the other side of the field and he came out as a tamed lion. Verily verily, he has been settled. The man in sienna now left.
At exactly 4 PM, he returned and this time, was greeted with a triumphant welcome. Boys rushed to him and he took them to a corner and after all the abacadabra, they all came and shouting that people should come and vote. To my greatest surprise, all those people that were sitting around rushed and formed queue. They were being paid 2k. Whether you have voters card or not, it doesn’t matter. The boys brought out a carton full of voters cards. You can vote twice, thrice or as many times you feel. People who voted even went and called their friends and family who weren’t around to vote. It was very clear that the people there were waiting for that party agent to come with the money and that was the incentives they needed.
I looked at that fat party agent guy, he was working to and fro. It was raining heavily but man did not leave. He was moving Helter skelter in that rain ensuring that everything was working. In my mind, I was like Atiku does not know this guy, he may never meet this guy in this life but see how the guy is under the rain working for his success as a party agent. The real wonders was when INEC announced the vote in that polling unit, it was triple the number of what one could guess. They had been sorted too. This is an example of how one polling agent delivered a polling unit for his ward.
My uncle laughed at me and told me Shebi I have seen how these things work. I was sad. On our way home, I began to think. That polling agent guy is just one. Imagine there are many party agents like him in different wards, polling units, local collation centers and everywhere that matters delivering their party’s victory. As this one is making sure the party wins here, another person is in another place doing the same. A vastly connected activity. In the end, the results will show.
There are big people in their local government areas and villages who would do anything legally and illegally possible to make sure their party wins in those areas. You will hear them say “it is a shame to me if I don’t deliver the party in my sphere of influence”. Imagine being a PDP chieftain here and another person now wins this my home ground, they will refuse and do everything possible to win for their party. Now imagine many of these kinds of persons in different local governments and states. That is structure.
We would not talk about the ones in collation centers or the police or the other angels and demons working together in different units and capacity to ensure their party’s victory in their respective areas. If they tell you the amount of money they spend to win a single ward, you will marvel. One person will be responsible for mobilizing voters, another person will be in charge of organizing thugs Incase they are needed, another person will be working with the police, another person will take care of INEC officials, another person is covering the judiciary and so on and so forth. They are all working together for one goal. That is structure. Tell me how you can defeat this without a counter structure of your own ? Do you have people that will stay under the rain for your victory ? Do you have people that can take a bullet or put their lives on the line for you? Do you have people whose who and reputation are at stake if they don’t deliver for you ? Politics is not rice and beans.
When you add all these things together, you will understand why the big parties get millions of votes.
I have since learnt that politics is not a popularity contest. Even in America, popularity do not win elections.
You need to have people that can deliver their wards. People that can deliver their local government. People that can deliver their zones. People that can deliver their states. All this out together gives you victory in a presidential election. In a Gubernatorial election, you need to have people that can deliver their wards, people that can deliver their villages, communities, local government and senatorial zones. Now this is structure and without it, you ain’t going no where.
As for the masses, they are pawns. They are very easy to swindle. Look at what is happening in Ekiti at the moment, the people that are shouting enough is enough yesterday are either missing in action or collecting small change to let thy kingdom come.
Politics is not a popularity contest. You need structures and systems, systems and structure
Okay bye bye
© Caleb Onyeabor
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