2019 election: All roads should lead to 2023 for the rookies.

Oladeji Olaniyan

The much awaited and anticipated 2019 election came and its virtually gone,if not totally gone as some dissatisfied candidates are still trying to pull some strings together. It is left to them if those strings will yield any significant result. It is one of the few elections in the long list of elections in the country that usher in more newbies who participated in the presidential election. They all, in my view, made history for themselves. Their footprints as a candidate who participated in the 2019 presidential election will be indelible in the records of the Independent National Electoral Commission. If the ever susceptible memory of men erase them that will not happen with the electoral commission.

The 2019 presidential election though with plethora number of candidates, according to the electoral commission about 73 political parties contested during the election but the results of the election divulge it was merely a keenly contested affair between the two old brothers of major political parties in the country, The All Progressive Party the People's Democratic Party. The candidate of the former, the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari  foiled the age long ambition of the latter's candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from been actualised by edging him out after the collation of the election results.

Beyond the APC and PDP unending conundrum and dynasty in Nigeria, the newbies in the political landscape have a daunting task ahead of them if they indeed want to halt the dynasty of those ubiquitous politician who remained glued to political power and unwilling to relinquish it for any invaluable price rather fully willing to utilize all arsenal at their disposal to gain, maintain, retain and sustain such power at all the requisite cost. I avowed them as the Adolf Hitler of the German during the World War II in a democratic dispensation.

Like every other well meaning citizens who are overburdened and extremely tired of those siamense twin in our polity, I want to envisage and also experience a drastic change in our polity where those brothers will to a significant degree have meagre or no impact on deciding and controlling our political system.

It can be said that the rookies maiden performance in the recently concluded election is nothing to write home about in juxtaposition with those dynasties in the system. But for a first timer in the system it is not a bad outing considering their dearth of different might such as the federal might, states might and local might of the patriarchs cum their time of preparation for the election which was relatively short as a result of their late indication of interest.
However, Omoyele Sowore , the controversial public analyst and owner of Sahara reporters , of the African Action Congress, AAC, who was seen as the underdog during the electioneering campaign surprisingly, came third with 33,953 votes ahead of fellow rookies   like Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, 16,779 who polled and Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Peoples Party, YPP, who garnered 21,886 votes. From the election results, three of them combined were able to garner about seventy thousand votes (70,000) across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

On a lighter note, the clamour for a Conglomeration of the three of them may actually not have as much votes as they did individually and if they had come together to form a coalition. The total number of votes garnered above by the three of them is not anywhere close to half of the total rejected votes.

To the rookies in the game, the journey to the 2023 election has commenced immediately the 2019 election elapsed. I appeal to you all to commence the rigorous task of orientation of the electoral from their one  community to another. It will require your time and humongous resources but don't be deterred. Let the campaign start from the grass roots in all six geo-political zones in the country with a trajectory to the national level.


Elections in Nigeria are not won by the candidate brilliancy or youthfulness, No  its not. One of the keys to this plain reality is the availability of viable and dependable political party structures in all the geo-political zones in the country. No man wakes up one morning and starting building a house without ensuring the required materials for such construction is visibly available. Same is applicable to the rookies.

 You do not reap from where you have refused to sow. And you don't plant a perennial crop with the delusional expectation that it will yield fruits same year as an annual crop. No never, 'ko le work'. Start planning now, ensure the tentacles of your political party structure is expanded.

Messrs. Omoyele sowore, Fela Durotoye and Kingsley Moghalu should note that they can not wake up one morning and declare their intentions to lead the country with auspicious plans and that would hold sway for them, it will not, Nigeria is not a United States of America neither is it the United Kingdom. Therefore, they should not fold their hands and wait till 2022 before they commence work the election if they candidly have interest of the country at heart and not a mere political stunts and awareness creation.

 Let the work start now! They should remember that, what you sow Is what you will reap!.

Oladeji Olaniyan is a student journalist at Obafemi Awolowo University. He can be best contacted through olaniyanoladeji16@gmail.com. tweet @oladeji_andrea