Dear Compatriots, Leaders and Loyalists of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Firstly, let me heartily congratulate all APC aspirants that contested in the just concluded primaries for various offices namely; House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate under our great party. I wholeheartedly thank and appreciate my leaders, party members, friends and associates across the country and indeed worldwide, who continued to encourage me to push on and not relent or give up. You remain the reason why I’m still standing confidently and upbeat! And for those who emerged as flag bearers, particularly those who won clean and squarely on the anvil of credibility and capacity, you must regard your nomination as a call to fly the flag of the party to the highest mountain as you covet the ultimate – victory!
The primaries have come and gone but the ripples and the dust raised by the duplicity of local behemoths who engaged in pockets of demonic conspiracies and shenanigans in certain quarters will take sometime to settle. But more significantly, the lessons learnt from the intrigues and guilefulness of the exercise, particularly the infamy of political auctioneers and apostates will certainly haunt the party and its leadership in the near future. Without a doubt, the primaries dealt a deadly blow on party loyalty, faithfulness, dedication, hardwork, discipline and commitment!
When a group of people come together on the basis of common opinion, belief and ideology to form a party, there are certain levels of commitment and behavior expected of members. While the party put forth candidates in the electoral process, in a bid to hold power in government, they anchor their strength and success on the loyalty and dedication of members. I believe firmly that loyalty is a global core value in the party system and that no leadership of a party can afford to discount the criticality of it in words and actions.
I am shocked and terrified, not only by the insouciance but the deliberate maneuvers to trivialize and poke nose on the idea of party loyalty by some leaders of APC in Edo South Senatorial District. Their action is a total disavowal of the virtues of loyalty as political enabler while disgustingly elevating filthy lucre to a tolerable norm. Ordinarily, money play a central role in politics but politicians also know that money is only one factor out of many equally significant factors. Therefore, to succumb and snivel to the bait of a preying political adventurer in the name of presumptive financial war chest is myopic, callous and fatally flawed. How would anyone with a sound mind cope with the agony of knowing that he slaughtered and sacrificed the prospect of ushering a new era of socio- economic development and better life for the generality of the people on the alter of mammon and self adoration?
The story of how the image of an opportunist political outsider was laundered and railroaded to gubernatorial power by the party in 2016 and the devastating internecine war that he instigated and prosecuted to shipwreck the party and the majority of House of Assembly members elected in March 2019 on the platform of APC in Edo State is a familiar one that need not be belabored.
Suffice it to say that the weaponization of the power of Governor was met with a bulwark of stiff resistance that produced heroes. Some members of the House of Assembly, nineteen of us from the beginning, refused to cave in to palpable massive pressures sandwiched with tantalizing bargain offers that could melt the resistance of angels to the devil. With the passage of time and the sustenance of the offers, some of our colleagues succumbed but fourteen of us remained as unmovable as a rock! At great risk to our lives and monumental financial sacrifice, we sustained the fight because we believed that the price of victory was high but we were motivated knowing that the rewards were inversely proportional to the price. We knew that if we succumbed, the party could be completely thrown into debilitating disarray, become unattractive and could die in installments under the sword of Damocles of an unsparing narcissist in Government House. At the sight of filthy lucre and a dubiously built up bank balance, the political capital of loyalty and sacrifice of some of us paled into insignificance in the jaundiced eyes of the leadership of the party, particularly in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency.
Our great party, the APC must not be a victim of a common axiom in Edo which states that ‘Ete gha rie, aiyie obalo!’, meaning when a sore is healed, the pain will be forgotten. That should not be the case rather the party must develop a robust reward system for those who work hard and make sacrifice for the party. The rewards for those who persevere should far exceed the pain that precede the victory. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt ‘’ A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.’’ The greater the reciprocal loyalty of a group to its members, the greater the motivation of members to achieve the goal of the group. Loyalty is a rare quality, but people are generally, in the ordinary business of life, pulled towards behaviors that leads to rewards. Therefore, the party should motivate members to see loyalty dedication and hardwork as the basis of honor and rewards!
Finally, may I fervently crave the indulgence of Leaders of our party and call for a deliberate policy on party loyalty and sacrifice. Those found to have exceptionally displayed uncommon party loyalty and sacrifice of sweat and blood should be honored with opportunities for upward mobility in the party through electoral slots or appointment in the party or government bureaucracy. Loyalty must be rewarded with loyalty. Lack of loyalty is unimaginably consequential; people could walk away from the party during trials and crisis such as the one referenced. Lack of loyalty is asphyxiating, destructive and a major cause for the failure of organizations. The foundation of success of a political party is the loyalty, sacrifice and commitment of its members. As a party, no stone should be left unturned to commend the example of our action to other members of party. One sure way to do that is for the party to boldly step forward to defend and project our chances for upward political mobility starting from the 2023 election. That way, the party will have the back of numerous members. They will have a reason to take a bullet for the party, if need be!
Therefore, it is my unshakeable view that as a people, we should never ever consent to crawl when we have the impulse to fly. For me, as a believer of democracy and the people, I shall continue to dedicate my irrevocable commitment to defending whatever is left of the fragile conscience of democracy and the people. Consequently, in obedience to this avowed commitment, I will always keep my vision afloat while negotiating other loopholes. I thank you.
Washington Osa Osifo, Ph.D.
Uhunmwode Constituency,
Ehor,
Edo State.