About a week ago, Nigeria’s longest serving Senator, David Mark declared his interest to run for Presidency. He had been a two-time Senate President, a retired Brigadier General, a former Minister of Communications, and a one-time military Governor of Niger State. He was the fourth PDP Senator to show interest in running for the highest office in the country. He has also joined the other aspirants who believe RESTRUCTURING is the way Nigeria should go.
Amongst the heavyweight Politicians who have indicated their interests in running for Presidency under the People’s Democratic Party are; a current President of the Senate and a two-time Governor of Kwara State, a two-time Senate President, a former Vice President of the Federation, a two-time Governor of Kano State, a two-time Governor of Jigawa State, a former Minister and a two-time Governor of Kano state, a current Governor of Sokoto State and a former Speaker of the House of Representative, a two-time Governor of Kaduna State who had also spent eight years as a senator in the National Assembly, a one-time Governor of Sokoto State, the current Governor of Gombe State, a former Minister of special duties and governmental affairs, a one-time House of Representative member and a Senator, a former Governor of Plateau State.
The list above consists of Nigeria’s most influential politicians, most of whom have spent more than a decade in Government. With the way almost all the aspirants are going on about the need to restructure Nigeria, one would think the power to restructure lies only in the hands of the Number One Citizen. It doesn’t. And these guys have been in Governance for years? And none of them remotely thought Nigeria needs to be restructured? Indeed. The hustle for the Commander-in-Chief is real. The government in Nigeria may be in shambles, but the Politics here is definitely thriving.
On the 16th of February 2019 and on the 2nd of March 2019, Nigerians would be going to the polls. It is going to be a tough match between the incumbent, the toughest of the heavyweight from the People’s Democratic Party and the Young and fresh aspirants. I do not think we would be seeing any ballot box hijacking in 2019. What happened at the last Ekiti Gubernatorial Elections would likely play out again.
The other kind of Rigging.