THE time for Nigerians to pick another president and national assembly members to lead the nation for another four years is around the corner again. It is yet another defining moment for the match to true democratic governance in Nigeria.
This match began when credible Nigerians in February, 2013 found the APC in their search to end bad governance and all its attendant consequences in the country.
This culminated in the overwhelming victory for change during the March/April 2015 polls in the country which gave a kick to the worst government in our history.
Explicitly put, that a new social contract was formed between the APC and Nigerians in making our dear mother land a great country. In effect, from May 29, 2015 our hope as a people yearning for free, independent, egalitarian, qualitative and efficient nation was rekindled.
Few months during politicking preceding the elections PDP had wasted lots of precious time trying to scare us about what might happened if it did not keep its grip on power under its tattered umbrella.
However, by their votes Nigerians spoke that PDP had lost moral right to continue to govern.
The party’s antecedents need no soothsayer to tell the world that its administration lacked the political will to usher us into an equitable and prosperous nation.
One and half decades on power, it had not been able to transformed our infrastructures, and social services like; roads, electricity, transportation, education, healthcare, water among others not to talk of economic and entrepreneurship so critical to development.
Rather our fortune under the shadow of the umbrella was daily dwindling with soaring unemployment and concomitant scourges of security challenges that ravage every part of the country.
Corruption was one agent that had remained vigil under PDP administration. Hence, little wonder that the government did not only turned blind eyes on indicted public officials but also put under protective cover of the umbrella all corrupt persons including those found guilty by various investigative panels set up by even the government itself.
Revelations from the party’s hierarchy on how campaign monies were misappropriated, cornered and diverted only confirmed the perception of average right thinking Nigerians that PDP represents mediocrity, corruption and all forms of criminality in governance.
Matters even became worst for us as a nation from the time some hitherto shoeless persons assumed the helms of our affairs. This in spite of the advantage they had in obtaining education from the sweat of our heroes past.
Ever since they assumed power they did not shamed their critics even for once on thier ability to govern. Rather than concentrating in finding solution to the nation’s problems the PDP inundated us with empty slogans. Slogans that had only existed as an idea to deceive people as the party lacked the courage and decisiveness required to execute them.
Disappointment is one word that aptly described PDP tenure. More disappointing was that every passing day of PDP rule made Nigerians nostalgic of previous administrations.
This was what informed Nigerians to elect APC demonstrating that leadership is about moral rectitude, charisma, transparency and above all decisiveness.
Indeed Nigerians want leadership with integrity savvy enough to manage diverse issues with the aim of enabling the country realize its true potentials.
Indeed those with good memory of history could only likened what happened at exit of the PDP to what took place in Algeria when their erstwhile colonial power, France was leaving.
However, we all then understood the message fully well; collective punishment for rejecting the rotten mango.
Yes, the message was also very clear; let’s make the country ungovernable for them, let’s frustrate their patriotic demands for good governance even out of office, and above all let’s suppress the reckoning day.
Yes, the bullies were scared of our unity as a people, they were scared of the prolific profile of a patriotic leadership in the country and above all they were scared of the greatest tsunami that awaited them while out of power.
But did these mischiefs of the last kick of a dying horse deterred us as a people matching for progressive change? No. we remained undaunted in our resolve in 2019.
And we are going to demonstrate same this weekend, assuring that Change has come to stay and should be supported to blossom and flourish in our entire endeavour.
Indeed we have chosen a path with a positive plan of restoring our hope for making reward and opportunity as our birth right and not an exclusive preserve of a few individuals.
The choice before Nigerians therefore is as the APC vice presidential candidate, Kasim Shatima once said, a choice between light and darkness.
Among these choices was some one who bought all government owned companies at very cheap rates, sent the workers packing created unemployment, poverty and concomittant insecurity. He stripped the assets of these companies and sold them at great profits. He warehouses his loot in Dubai, his now new aboard.
His main campaign promise is a threat to Nigeria’s farmers, producers, manufacturers and teeming employees who graciously enjoyed the dividends of the APC administration programmes and policies that supported local productions.
More damaging about this candidate can be found by his former boss whom they ruled Nigeria together from 1999-2007 where he described him as his former vice president as “a corrupt, shameless and blatant liar.”
There is also another among them who made fortune only by importing foreign goods and making huge profits and hide them in far away, foreignland. All these at the expense of domestic economy.
We should recall the monumental consequences of the actions of such people to the nation especially to the collapse of local companies.
This is also a major factor responsible for high rates of unemployment, poor infrastructural development and resultant insecurity.
With the unflinching support of the people, the APC led administration had courageously began the journey to reverse the trend through painstaking policies that are yielding manfest results. The PDP however had all the opportunity to do that but failed.
To fully harness the advantages of such painstaking measures Nigerians should support a candidate who had the track record of recruiting and mentoring the best brains which developed and implemented a master plan that turned around the fortune of a region hitherto tagged wild wild west.
His courage, team work and foresight led him invested in talents that produced a system which built people and Infrastructure, and consequently created opportunities that turned around the fortune of the region as safe haven for investments.
This pragmatic approach to socioeconomic and politics lives saw him building an empire unequal to in contemporary Nigeria’s history.
However, as a federation Nigeria requires a president that has the support of at least two-thirds of the union. And from the prevailing configurations no candidate can match Tinubu’s broad base support across all regions.
He is the candidate with more formidable structure and blocks backing. There is no any candidate especially of southern extraction better fit to partner with the North than the Jagaba today.
He is the most trusted ally for our region today. It’s on record that Tinubu had been the pillar in ensuring that a political marriage was fully consummated between the north and south west which gave birth to the presidency of our son Muhammad Buhari. This was unimaginable before.
We have tested the fruits of this alliance and should continue to water its tree for more fruits for our children and children yet unborn.
However, na ka sai na ka is a dangerous, archaic and selfish agenda for the north. The north is so sophisticated to be associated with such myopic political calculations.
The north which we are proud of, the north of Sardauna the north of Aminu Kano, the north of Awoniyi, is known for the truth justice, equity, and fairness even if it’s against our own selves.
The Tinubu/Shettima ticket therefore represents unity and progress of our country.
Therefore, as we continue to bid bye to bad governance of the PDP for ever, it is our prayer that we will continue to smile for a renewed hope. A hope in the continued improvement of our lives through eradication of poverty, provision of basic necessities to every family and ensuring that the last man in society gets the first opportunity to rise in life.
Ladan is a member, Media and Publicity Committee, APC Campaign Council of Katsina state.