As the 2023 general election in Nigeria gathers momentum, FIJ’s TOLA OWOYELE visited Sagamu, Ilaro and Abeokuta, all in Ogun State, to observe the ward meetings conducted by party members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP). The mission was to expose the various mechanisms put in place by the parties to influence voters’ decisions come 2023.
The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men. – Lyndon B. Johnson, President, United States of America, 1963 – 1969.
Just like Game of Thrones, a fantasy drama series that told the stories of noble families who were either vying to claim the iron throne (a symbol of power and sovereign rule) or fighting for independence from whoever sits on it, political gladiators running for various offices in the 2023 general election have commenced mapping out plots and strategies aimed at wooing prospective voters to their corner.
In Nigeria’s case, hundreds of candidates from 18 political parties will be competing for various political offices, including the presidential seat, come February next year. These candidates have set in motion various mechanisms to ensure that opponents are defeated.
One of such mechanisms was quite evident when this reporter disguised as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and went on to observe one of the party’s council meetings held in Sagamu, Ogun State, on October 31.
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Sagamu is the hometown of Ladi Adebutu, one of the party’s factional governorship candidates in the state.
‘THE MEETING BEFORE THE MEETING‘
The dimly lit and somewhat stuffy room served as the meeting point for all the attendees present at the gathering. The room was not almost airless because it was not big enough; it was stuffy because the organisers of the meeting felt the deliberations, conclusions and plans arrived at in the end had to remain confidential until they were executed.
The six slightly opened glass windows attached to the room served as the gathering’s only source of light and air.
The men and women at the meeting offered little words in pleasantries to one another; their passive facial expressions ushered a respectable degree of tension into the room. But for the sound of a nearby generator that provided them with an unusual level of dissonance, all of them remained silent.
“PDP!”, a man who appeared to be the meeting’s anchor suddenly rose to his feet and bellowed.
“Power”, the attendees muttered, choosing not to meet the anchor’s salutation with a commensurate response.
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It was a meeting that had all the 15 PDP ‘ambassadors’ representing all the wards under Sagamu Local Government Area in attendance. And it was tagged “The Meeting Before the Meeting”.
ACTS OF INDISCIPLINE ACROSS WARDS AND THE NEED FOR UNITY
The first 30 minutes of the one-hour meeting was spent on the need for the ambassadors to put an end to their past disagreements and begin working towards achieving success for the party in the 2023 general election.
The focus was on how Adebutu would emerge victorious as governor of the state in the 2023 general election. Little was said about the chances of Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, winning the state.
Deliberations were held in Yoruba all through.
After matters concerning the high level of indiscipline amongst members were discussed, a party chieftain in the gathering, whose is Lateef Ololade but simply referred to as ‘Abana’, delved into a more pressing issue.
“It is so bad that when members of the public ask us about the candidacy of Ladi Adebutu, we are always unable to convince them that he remains our governorship aspirant in the state,” Abana said.
“Our ambassadors have a lot to do in terms of sensitising the public on the need to turn out en masse and vote for our candidate. We all know he will emerge victorious in the ongoing court case, so, why are we not telling people what they need to hear?
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“They (the ambassadors) need to do everything within their power to convince them to vote for Lado (Adebutu’s nickname).
“At the end of the day, when we assume office, we will all reap the benefits therein.”
“Amen,” chorused the members in enthusiasm this time.
‘WE MUST DELIVER ON ALL FRONTS’
When Abana was done, he handed proceedings over to Wasiu Adebayo, another party chieftain.
Adebayo, a heavy-set man, wasted no time in bearing his mind to everyone present.
“Let’s ensure we get Lado into office (governorship office) this time. Now, our job shouldn’t stop at just the presidential and governorship level alone; we must also make sure we get our federal and state assembly and even local government aspirants into office as well,” Adebayo said.
“Look at us presently; to even get recommendation letters from the local government council for our children and wards who are still in school is now difficult.
“One of my wards just got drafted into the Nigerian Air Force. We saw hell before he could get a recommendation letter from the local government council.
“We need to work hard so that PDP can get to power too. Once we get to power, I would only need to make a phone call from my sitting position and the letter would get to me.”
THE PDP LOCAL COUNCIL MEETING
The main local government party secretariat meeting was held on the same day at a location called Oriyanrin in Sagamu. By 4 pm, party members from the 15 wards in the town had gathered in their numbers for the day’s proceedings. Just like in the earlier meeting that had only the executives in attendance, the council meeting’s addresses and deliberations were also made in Yoruba.
After the minutes of the previous meeting was read and adopted, Adebayo, who was the party meeting anchor, took over..
Within two minutes of taking over however, he became incensed when members would not stand up from their seats and join him in “singing a worship song”.
“Just last week, we deliberated extensively on the lack of discipline amongst party members. The same act of indiscipline has just played out again,” Adebayo said angrily.
“Why would one be singing a worship song to honour God and some party members would choose to remain in their seats instead of getting up to thank Him?
“Even the elderly members amongst us did not rise to their feet too. You can’t expect younger members to behave differently when you yourselves have chosen not to lead by example!
“While praying to God to grant us victory in our battle, you’ve chosen not to honour Him; that does not make any sense at all.
“I pray God grants us victory.”
The entire gathering immediately chorused a resounding “amen” to Wasiu’s prayer. This reporter thought it a deliberate gesture to appease the angry anchor.
THE CALLING OUT OF PARTY AMBASSADORS AND WARD CHAIRMEN
“This is the period for us to work. By God’s grace, we shall succeed. For those that have been paid to infiltrate and cause confusion within this party, God will expose them,” Adebayo said.
Just like the first time, the gathering shouted a resounding “amen” again.
Adebayo then called upon three party ambassadors and three ward chairmen to address the crowd.
“I greet you all, my fathers, my mothers, brothers, sisters and colleagues,” said Nureni Alimi, the party chairman for Ward 1, when he was handed the microphone to address the gathering.
“God will continue to bless all of us that are Lado’s supporters.”
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“I want to use this medium in congratulating everyone present here today for making the right choice.
“Good times are here. During the Ojude Oba festival, Lado stole the show. Over 200 tables were single-handedly paid for by our principal. Members of the opposition could not even make any sound. This means that God has paved a way for us. There is hope for all of us.
“Everything is going according to plan in my ward.
“We have also been executing plans as directed by the leadership of our local council.”
WARD PLANS AND SPONSORING PROSPECTIVE SUPPORTERS TO PICK UP THEIR CARDS
When Alimi was done, he handed over the microphone to the Ward 2 chairman, whose name is Kehinde Soboyejo.
Unlike Alimi, Soboyejo is a slightly rotund man.
“I would like to let everyone know that our PVCs are out. For those that transferred their cards to new wards, their cards are also ready for pick-up,” the chairman said.
“Today, in my ward, I had to ‘sponsor people’ so that they could go and collect their cards. I had to sponsor some people on Friday (October 28) as well.
“Please visit the INEC office from time to time and ensure that you pick up your cards. We have been working assiduously in my ward to ensure that things go according to plan.”
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Just like Soboyejo, the Ward 3 chairman, a light-complexioned man, who did not introduce himself while speaking, also wasted no time in bearing his mind.
“We all know that times are hard. But we as a party are doing everything we can to ensure that good times are restored,” he said.
“We all know that once PDP gets to power, both the old and the young will enjoy governance.
“Our ward meetings are going according to plan. Looking at the current trends, we are the party everyone wants to see assume power.
“We also have a fast-selling brand at the moment (Lado). People have even said the only reason they would be stepping out of their houses to cast their votes on election day is Lado.”
The ward chairman’s last comment was welcomed with cheers from the gathering.
“We have been “selling” Lado to people and the reception has been wonderful,” he said.
“We are also very optimistic that he would be our governor in the end.”
The three ambassadors appointed to speak after the chairmen did not say anything different from what their predecessors had said.
They were all waiting for Lado to emerge as their party candidate, and eventually, become the next Ogun State Governor so that they could “reap the fruits of their labour”.
THE SCRAMBLE FOR N200 RECHARGE CARDS
After the ward chairmen and ambassadors returned to their various seats, Abana was handed the microphone.
“I’ve got good news for the gathering,” he said with a smile.
“Our ambassadors have decided to give out four N200 recharge vouchers to the gathering.”
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The loud cheers that followed the announcement forced this reporter to ask a party member, who later introduced himself as Abayo, if the figure Abana had mentioned was “forty”.
“No, he said four, merin!” A clearly excited Abayo responded with a smile.
When he realised that his response had taken this reporter aback, he gleefully added:
“At least it is something na. It means some of us won’t leave this meeting empty-handed. Once you are able to load the card, you will feel encouraged to attend the meeting next time.”
At that moment, a nursing mother sitting across where this reporter and Abayo sat quickly stood up to tighten her wrapper so that her baby would be well positioned at her back.
As she did this, she, with a game face, shouted, “Abana, e duro o, e ma yi ti i pe e o (Abana, please wait. Don’t call out the voucher numbers yet).”
In an immediate twist however, Abana suddenly elected to hand the vouchers over to Adebayo, instructing him to look for two elderly party members who were above 70 years of age, one male and one female, and give them a card each for loading.
This decision was met by a few groans from the crowd.
Adebayo immediately gaged the mood at the gathering and tried pushing the task back to Abana.
“I don’t want to sleep at night and start having bad dreams. I’d rather you do it sir,” Adebayo said and attempted handing the vouchers back to Abana.
The action irritated Abana and he rebuked Adebayo on the spot.
“We have been talking about indiscipline within this party all morning and something similar has just played out again,” Abana said sternly.
“How can a superior party member delegate a task to his subordinate and get an instant push-back?”
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Abana’s comments forced a rather reluctant Adebayo to search within the crowd for elderly members as instructed.
As he began his search, many elderly members leapt up from their sitting positions and surged forward with outstretched hands in a bid to attract Adebayo’s attention.
Eventually, the meeting anchor selected a frail-looking male elderly member and gave him one of the vouchers. When he did this, Abana quickly directed him to a female elderly member who graciously clasped both hands around a voucher when it was extended to her.
After the anchor had given out two additional vouchers to two other elderly members, Abana decided it was time for all other members to benefit from the “goody bag”.
The atmosphere became “charged” when the ambassadors decided to add five new vouchers to the four already supplied. At this point, a rehash of the popular TV game series Who Wants To Be A Millionaire played out. To load the vouchers, members were expected to be very fast while the digits were being called out.
At this point, the level of concentration of the members present at the meeting was unparalleled. The nursing mother and Abayo also held on to their phones with fingers poised. It was as if their lives depended solely on the outcome of the exercise.
“MTN! 8-2-4-3-9-7-0-2-0-8-0-4-4-0-8-8-9-7!” Adebayo soon called out the digits.
Suddenly, a lady leapt up for joy from the crowd, signalling to everyone that she had successfully loaded the voucher. A beaming Adebayo seemed to be the only member happy for her as all other members eagerly waited for him to call out the digits on the next voucher.
At this point, Abayo rose to his feet with a determined look.
“I must not go home empty-handed,” he said.
There was relative silence as he gestured to the crowd that he was about to call out the digits from the next voucher.
“MTN! 3-1-4-6-3-1-7-7-3-0-4-7-5-5-9!” Adebayo said, reading out the digits of the second voucher. This time, a member simply referred to as ‘Oyo’ loaded the airtime.
The digits of a third MTN voucher were soon called out and another lady nearly hugged the elderly woman sitting close to her in excitement after a successful recharge.
After this, two other members were silently handed two vouchers, bringing an end to the airtime-loading segment.
Knowing she had missed out on the freebie, the now disappointed nursing mother exited the meeting before it came to an end.
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On the other hand, a much optimistic Abayo simply turned to this reporter and said, “If I no see card load today, I go still see am load next time.”
When this reporter further asked if he had been able to load any voucher in the past, he said:
“I never see am load before. I sha know say one day, e go reach my turn.”
‘WHAT WAS SHARED WAS NOT WHAT WE WERE GIVEN’
When it was time to discuss other businesses at the meeting, a lady named Shaba Kehinde requested for the microphone from Wasiu.
“Please this observation is for our leaders,” Shaba said after greeting the gathering.
“It is about the monies that are shared whenever we go for political outings. I would like to plead with every one of you (the leaders) that you should always make sure that whoever you send to us get to deliver the exact money he is supposed to give to us.
“We recently went to Lagos to meet Lado and what we heard while on the journey was that the sum of N30,000 was given to the occupants of each bus that went on the journey.
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“However, when we got back home, rather than get our rightful shares from the N30,000, we were only given 1,000 each.
“This is not good enough. We didn’t embark on the journey because we needed to run personal errands. We went on the journey because it was in the interest of the party.”
When Shaba was handed the microphone, Abana was very far from where she stood. But, as soon as the party member raised issues over sharing formula, the party chieftain became very angry and walked in annoyance towards the lady with a gesture that suggested he was about to physically assault her.
“You are insane for speaking the way you just did!” Abana yelled at Shaba as he continued to move towards her.
When the chieftain was about a few inches away from where a now frightened Shaba stood, a male party member stood in his way, brought him back to the centre of the gathering and talked him into remaining calm.
“This is an exact example of the kinds of behaviours we have been complaining about,” Abana said after regaining composure.
“You went somewhere (the Lagos campaign for Lado) and the leader of your group was given N30,000 to distribute amongst members of your group.
“When it was discovered that he only gave you guys N1,000 instead of N2,000 each, we intervened and made sure you got your rightful share. Why are you now bringing the issue up again? This is total rubbish! This is another example of the high level of indiscipline we have been complaining about.”
THE CHAIRMAN IS ANGRY
When Abana was done reproaching Shaba for querying the sharing formula, a visibly angry Dauda Adeyemi, the party’s chairman in Sagamu also rose from his seat to speak.
“This is what you get whenever alcohol is introduced into a gathering of serious minds. This is obviously the work of alcohol,” Adeyemi said.
“I can see that people no longer attend meetings with utmost seriousness. I am saying this because she should not have brought up an issue that we believed we had resolved in the past.
“We made sure we resolved the issue the day it happened, so, why bring it up at this gathering again?
“Everyone that went on the trip collected N2,000. What that lady (Shaba) just did is utter rubbish! And I would blame the coordinator of the journey for bringing this kind of mess upon us.
“I would like to apologise to everyone present here today for the mess we just witnessed. We have actually been telling members in the past to always learn to caution themselves whenever they are in public. An example of such unguarded comments is what we just witnessed here today.”
Adeyemi then said that he would ensure that changes were made within the party in such a way that “members would learn to say the right things” whenever they were handed the microphone during gatherings.
“I will never fold my arms and allow people disrupt this party. Instead of that to happen, I’ll make sure I chase our detractors to APC,” Adeyemi said.
“No one should also begin to feel that he or she is irreplaceable. If you feel you are too big to run errands for the party, we will replace you with another person that would be willing to do it.
“This party will get to the top, I assure you. And for that to happen, we would have to start purging ourselves of every act of indiscipline. Rubbish!
“At the last Sagamu Festival, APC members were well-behaved. I could not say the same about our members. On the same night, I saw some of our members fighting with knives, broken battles and cutlasses. Shameful acts! But I assure you once again, I will instill discipline during my tenure.
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“The elections are around the corner and we can’t continue to have this kind of behaviour within our party. There is no way we’ll emerge victorious with all these funny acts.”
‘WE CAN ONLY SHARE GOOD MONEY WHEN WE GET TO POWER’
“Funny enough, we are only sharing peanuts and this is what we are getting. This is child’s play compared to what the ruling party is sharing. We can only share good money when we get to power. But we can’t get there if we continue this way,” Adeyemi said.
“Is it the Indomie we’re sharing here that you feel is the main prize? Is it even up to the transport fare each and every one of us cough out on a weekly basis to get here?
“I know people who trek from far locations to attend meetings here. Nobody should come and waste anybody’s time here, please.”
For the fourth time that evening, the chairman assured the gathering that he would instill discipline in party members.
“I am not chasing anybody away from this party, but there has to be discipline. Everyone must also align with party leaders in terms of their demands and the directions they feel are right for us,” Adeyemi said.
“In fact, I will be setting up a disciplinary committee very soon. We are here for serious business. All our stakes are on the line here. As you are spending money, energy and time, so am I.
“What is now the point when we devote all these things and end up losing out in the elections because of indiscipline? Let us go and exercise self-restraint.”
THE STATE OF AFFAIRS WITHIN OGUN PDP
In September, a High Court sitting in Abeokuta nullified the May 25 governorship primary election that saw Adebutu emerge as PDP’s governorship candidate in the state.
In his ruling, Justice O. O. Oguntoyinbo, the presiding judge, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the factional aspirant as the party’s candidate, ordering the PDP to conduct another primary election within 14 days.
After the election, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala and Ayinde Monsuri, three party members, went to court to challenge the authenticity of the delegates’ list used for the conduct of the primary election.
The plaintiffs were of the position that the delegates’ list used by the electoral panel for the primary was not of members democratically elected at the ward, local government and state congresses of the party, hence, it (the list) could not be imposed on the party for the primary exercise.
Following the high court ruling, another caucus within the party staged a separate governorship primary election that saw Jimi Lawal, another factional aspirant emerge as winner on October 17, and at an undisclosed location in Abeokuta.
While reacting to the incident, the leadership of the party in the state condemned the action of Lawal and members of his faction and subsequently placed him on suspension for one month.
In a counter move on October 25, Lawal’s faction also announced that it had suspended Adebutu from taking part in any party activity.
The faction suspended Adebutu and four other members for contravening the terms of settlement entered in the consent judgement that birthed the current executives of the PDP in the state.
There is a third factional aspirant, and his name is Segun Showunmi. On the day Adebutu emerged as an aspirant of the party, Showunmi’s faction also conducted a parallel election on the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) building in the state.
Before the primary, Showunmi had sued the party, insisting that the state executives of the party had to be disbanded over an alleged bias.
On November 28, a Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State, reinstated Ladi Adebutu as the party’s candidate in the state. The court also set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abeokuta which nullified all the primary elections conducted by the party.
Justice Folasade Ojo, the presiding judge, set aside the lower court’s judgment “for lack of jurisdiction”.
INFERENCES FROM THE LOCAL COUNCIL MEETING
Influence, they say, often changes attitudes, values, motivations, actions and behaviours. It starts from a place of strength. It has the capacity to produce effects through insensible or invisible means.
Influence is silent and loud. It is about making things happen. It is about change, either in a positive or negative way.
For Abayo, the nursing mother, and many other members at the gathering, the voucher-loading segment meant everything during the weekly council meetings. It was a gift from a “kind-hearted party” that would soon assume office and share “bigger goodies”.
To Adeyemi, Abana, Adebayo and other chieftains within the party, the act is simply a means to an end. It is a mechanism devised to gain staunch support from Abayo and other members and convince undecided electorates to vote for their party.
Through the voucher-sharing act, the party becomes a problem-solving entity for its followers.
Kehinde Shaba, in her complaint, had mentioned embarking on a round-trip journey from Sagamu to Lagos. For covering a total distance of 104 km, Shaba and her colleagues were initially paid N1,000 each before their rewards were increased to N2,000.
While rebuking her for her outspokenness, Adeyemi, in a way, made it clear to her that she was replaceable if she thought “risking her life for the party was a big deal”.
That was not a threat; that was a statement of fact.
This reporter gathered that getting selected for such missions does not come on a platter of gold as party members have to lobby.
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The most important comment from the day’s event came from the party chairman, when said the following:
“We can only share good money when we get to power.”
The statement may likely be a true reflection of future governance in the state if an average electorate chooses not to look beyond the “very enticing goodies” offered by politicians as part of the mechanisms they have devised to influence voters’ decision-making.
This is the second of a three-part series. Read this reporter’s visit to an APC ward meeting here. Also, watch out for his visit to a Labour Party ward meeting.
This Story was produced in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
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