While the APC deserves credit for its tactical way of wrestling power from the PDP, the latter made some mistakes and decision that cost the party. The party not only lost the presidency but also lost the majority position in the House of Assembly and many governorship seats.
2019 however presents the party with the opportunity to mount a come back and win back power. To achieve this requires strategic planning and step away from the failed campaign method the party adopted in 2015.
Here are five things the PDP must do to win back power in 2019.
Field a Hausa/Igbo presidential candidacy
The choice of Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo as the presidential and vice presidential candidacy in 2015 was not a bad choice but there was no way the two could have stood against a Muhammadu Buhari. In fact, it is fair to say Professor Yemi Osinbajo played a minor role in the decision to elect Buhari as president. Without any sense of prejudice, the south west part of the country has always voted with focus on the candidacy rather the party. It will be recalled that in Lagos, the governorship election in 2011 was won by Babatunde Fashola of ACN while Lagosians voted massively for Jonathan of the PDP. In 2015, Lagosians changed gear and voted for Buhari of the APC. If the PDP presents a northerner as their presidential candidate, this will create a crack in the approval and unanimous voting of Buhari as it is safe to assume he is likely to run for office in 2019. An Igbo as a running mate is likely to secure the votes from of the south east and south south. The south west can be trusted to vote based on the assessment of the candidates and not swayed by the region the candidates come from.
Adopt a Ben Bruce-styled criticism
The seemingly dirty politics adopted by the Femi Fani-Kayode-led campaign during the 2015 election did more harm than good for Jonathan. Frankly, PDP’s campaign and criticism style helped Buhari to become president. This was because PDP channelled its energy towards discrediting Buhari rather than projecting Jonathan in good light. While the APC went about ‘dressing-up’ Buhari, Fani-Kayode and his partners went about defacing him. This left Nigerians with just a single choice of candidacy: a good or bad Buhari.
Senator Ben Murray Bruce has adopted a kind of crystal clear criticism that has brought life to the party. His ‘common-sense’ mantra is in tune with the level of exposition Nigerians have especially with the growing interest in new media. Nigerians have quicker and better access to information and can clearly deduce the clarity and sensibility of criticism.
Focusing on how expensive Buhari’s shoes are or that his daughter files first class is not likely to discredit a person. This is evident in the reactions that trailed the party’s tweet about the Buhari’s daughter flying first class.
The PDP must move beyond gutter politics and over-the-fence mudslinging and provide sound intellectual criticism, the type championed by Senator Bruce. Nigerians are not fools and can tell criticism is reasonable or just trash.
Outline APC’s unfulfilled promises
The road to 2019 already starts from the minute Jonathan made the historic call congratulating Buhari on his victory at the 2015 polls even before the official INEC declaration was made. The PDP is expected to start building a case for itself and try to convince Nigerians that president Buhari and the APC do not deserve a second chance. One of the ways to achieve this is to provide concrete promises and manifestos made by President Buhari and his party and focus on the promises that have not been fulfilled. The essence of a democratic system of government is not only candidates to contest and win elections but to put political office holders on their toes to either perform or risk being voted out. Nigerians must be reminded the promises the APC made and the PDP must capitalise on it.
Provide solutions
Outlining the APC’s unfulfilled promises is not enough to win back power in 2019 but also providing means of providing solutions. Nigerians have grown beyond ‘we will provide electricity; we will provide good roads’ without providing a frame work of how his will be done. The electorate is interested in knowing HOW it will be done rather than only WHAT will be done. Members of the PDP who are serving in various elective positions must begin to show what they have done and what they are still doing in order to sway the electorate to vote for their candidate at the top.
Corruption
Without mincing words, the PDP as party is synonymous with corruption and it is not uncommon to hear people say some played a PDP on his opponent as synonymous to using dubious means. The onus is on the party to change this mind set by taking a firm stance against corruption. The party should not hesitate to disown members of the party convicted of corruption and take a neutral stance when culpability of its member on the issue of corruption is inevitable. The party is yet to be free of the blame of the misappropriation of $2.1 billion dollars meant for the purchase of arms that was disbursed to it through the office of the national security adviser. While the APC is not the party of saints, the PDP has a point to prove that it does not support or represent corruption. Nigerians are aware of the effect of corruption on the country’s future and development and the PDP through its members occupying elective positions must try to maintain clean records in order to better the chances of the party in 2019. 2019 is not far, it’s just around the corner and Nigerians are the decider.
- Rexinews
- MaDailyGist
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