By Chris Ben-Kato
Take it or leave it, primary elections are the most integral part of the general elections. Parties stand to win the general elections largely on the credibility of the candidates it elects during the primary elections.
To politicians who are members of leading big parties in their countries, they dare not toy with primary elections. Take for instance, there are many political parties in America but members of the leading parties like the Republican and Democratic Party don’t toy with primary elections. This is so as winning the primary elections in this parties is a big step in winning the general elections.
In America as in other countries of the world,the heat of every general elections usually springs up from the primary elections. Big names in the political circle usually comes up to the general public during the primary elections.
In Africa where democracy is still evolving, physical fights and sometimes even to death rear their ugly heads during the primary elections period. In most cases powerful candidates orchestrate the incarceration of opponents. This is an evidence of how serious the primary elections are viewed by many African Democrats.
In Nigeria primary elections of any political party is a serious business. No serious contender of an election takes primary elections for granted.
We have seen political scenarios where primary elections has done great damage to a party’s success during the general elections. In 2023, the primary elections that did not go well with some Senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants in Lagos caused the All Progressives Congress (APC) to loose the Presidential election to the Labour Party candidate in that state.
As a matter of fact the leadership of the APC has to quickly plead with the aggrieved aspirants before it could win the preceding governorship election in the state.
The formerly strong Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Nigeria is weakend today partly because of the outcome of the 2023 Presidential primary election. Three reasons have emerged on this. One, the party’s zoning arrangement which ordinary should favour the South Zone was slaughtered on the altar of greed.
Two, Nyesom Wike who was generally favored to deputize Atiku Abubakar after the primary elections was short changed for former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa. Wike was not happy with the arrangement and he took the fight too far leading to the party loosing Rivers State during the 2023 Presidential elections.
Three Wike later became a torn in the flesh of the party using his privileges as the former Governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja to play double standard against the party till date. These scenarios weakened PDP to its foundation and today it has large teeths which could not bite for electoral victories during elections. PDP as it appears today is almost taking the back seat while parties like the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the new Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are on the top burner of Nigeria politics. These parties as at today are making concerted efforts to wrestle power from the ruling APC come January 2027 Presidential elections.
Party primary elections are not tea parties.In the ongoing primary elections across the parties divide, we are now seeing a new development where aspirants are crying openly for loosing out from the consensus options of their party. It is a new development in Nigeria politics and it points to the fact that party primary elections are very serious matter.
And now to the Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC), the current primary elections where Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is the 001 of the party in the state is very interesting. Direct primary election or consensus option is the mantra for political parties in the country as enshrined in the 2026 electoral laws.The first step for every party is to try the consensus option and where it fails the Direct primary election option becomes handy.
The two options are not cheap to obtain. Many aspirants in the state like as it is in other states of the federation have openly rejected consensus option. In this situation, reaching out to aspirants, seeking for compromise among aspirants becomes non-negotiable. This is exactly where the political tactical Governor Ododo should be given credit.
Governor Ododo is a quiet politician. He does not believe in too much ado on political issues of his party. You can hardly hear from any Local Government where aspirants jostling party candidacy had ever said the governor has taken sides. This, indeed is what has made a clear difference in the political disposition of the governor.
So far so good, there has been no name callings against the governor. Every party aspirant was left to carry out his or her underground campaigns to win the party primary elections. This of course is the beauty of party politics in Kogi’s APC.
A good example is the high political stakes which involved Senator Sunday Karimi and Samuel Aro who were slugging it out for the Kogi West Senatorial seat for 2027 general elections. At a point politicians from Kogi Local Government Area held various Press conferences passing a vote of no confidence on Senator Karimi. It was a very serious matter. The fear of Allah and for the beauty of party politics, Governor Ododo in consultation of the stakeholders of the party in the area calmed nerves to allow the two aspirants go for primary elections of the party.
It wasn’t an easy effort for the governor to work out the political alignment but at the end it worked out. Kudos to the political resilient of Governor Ododo.
What is the big lesson here? Politics is a great game and politicians in the state and across the country should learn to imbibe the spirit of give and take. It might no favour one today but certainly there are other political opportunities to gain in the sharing of the national cake. If politicians have this great understanding, our democracy will be on the fast lane of progress.
In the over two years that Governor Ododo has remained on the saddle the people of the state have witnessed peace. You hardly pass on any street in the state capital, Lokoja and hear people pass aspersions on the governor. The civil servants who form the bulk of the elite in the state are happy with the governor.
He has succeeded in early payments of salaries, leave bonuses and implementation of promotion arrears. To an average civil servant in the state, these are hallmarks of a good leader.
The governor has also carried along the political elite in his administration. It is therefore of no surprise that the governor as the 001 of APC in the state had an easy sail in the conduct of party primaries in the state.
One thing that is very obvious in the life of the governor is the fear of Allah that is glaringly seen in him at all times. He lives a low key life in spite of the fact that he holds the number one position in the state with the official toga of “His Excellency”.
Kogi State politicians and the civil society in the state at large have a lot to learn on the simple life style of the governor. Many people in the state are tody prepared to stick their necks for the governor wherever it matters most. This is because people have watched the governor matching his words with actions in the state. This is the more reason he can always mediate on political matters across the state and the political actors will have good understanding with him.
I am not surprised that the current APC primary elections had less rancorous outing. Governor Ododo is on top of political happenings within the party in the state. He is indeed a great leader. He is leader being used by Allah to positively transform the political dynamics APC in the state.
Let me state here and very unequivocally too that humility pays. Kogi State youths have a lot to learn from the humble political disposition of Governor Ododo. The youths whom the people look to as potential leaders of today must shun political indecency and work towards the road of political integrity. With the benefit of zeal and energy on their side, the youths can politically galvanized the state political space for a better society.
All said and done, thanks must be given to the state Chairman of APC, Engr. Ezzu Aliyu Momoh and the twenty one Local Government Area Chairmen of the party for their positive support to the governor in ensuring a smooth sail of the party primaries in the state.
FOR HIS EXCELLENCY ALHAJI AHMED USMAN ODODO THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE – ONE GOOD TERM DESERVES ANOTHER.
Hon Chris Ben-Kato is the Senior Special Assistant on information and communication strategy to His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo the Executive Governor of Kogi State.
