The rhetorical question may sound music to the ears of especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters, but the answer is absolutely, capital NO.
This is simply because the Osun gubernatorial election is unique in the sense that the electorate voted for personalities, rather than political parties.
The Adeleke win was not also unexpected because of the alleged anti-party activity played by the states’ political powerhouse, the two-time Governor and current Minister of Interior, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, whose boycott of the election is a story of its own.
The APC really needs to wake up from its slumber and realise that what happened in Osun, can also happen in other states in the upcoming 2023 general elections.
Adamawa State, where the PDP presidential candidate comes from, comes to mind. Although, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, has won the Governorship ticket as declared by INEC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a political associate of Tinubu, the APC flag bearer, has filed a case in court, seeking the nullification of the result mainly on account of two extra votes recorded.
There have been calls from many quarters and from so many senior APC stakeholders in the state urging the retired Police AIG and pioneer EFCC Chairman to withdraw the suit for the sake of party unity, but to no avail.
Apart from winning the primary election, Senator Ahmed recieved massive goodwill support from even supporters of the PDP who openly vowed to vote for her in a formula they tagged “shinkafa da wake (rice and beans).”
The reality is that at presidential level, the PDP will pocket the state, for Atiku’s sake, but the APC will certainly take home more than the required 25% it needs in 2/3 of the 36 states to win, plus the Adamawa governorship seat.
In a worst case scenario, and this is where the Osun example comes in, Sen Aishatu Ahmed’s supporters will not vote for the APC, if she is denied her well-earned mandate.
This reality may not be what our respected Ribadu’s supporters want to hear, but the earlier we remind ourselves the bitter truth, the better for the APC.
I hope it may not come to that, and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will reconsider his stand and withdraw the court case.
- Iyawa is former Ambassador of Nigeria to Mexico
