APC and the dangers of being too popular

Difficult as it may seem, many around the Presidential Villa know by now that Nigerians will throw them out come March 28, and would have confirmed their flight plans, rechecked the validity of their visas, and may have even instructed their house-keepers in London, Paris or Dubai to get their residences ready for their eventual […]

Difficult as it may seem, many around the Presidential Villa know by now that Nigerians will throw them out come March 28, and would have confirmed their flight plans, rechecked the validity of their visas, and may have even instructed their house-keepers in London, Paris or Dubai to get their residences ready for their eventual arrival. The Dame may have to be dragged out of Aso Rock Villa, screaming; but I am certain that too can be managed relatively quietly.  That is unless the opposition APC, or its supporters, do something really stupid.
The writing on the wall is clear even to those not normally keen on reading: the cabal around Jonathan will be thrown out not so much because Nigerians are in love with Buhari or the APC but because they simply have had enough.
Everyone previously sheltering under the PDP umbrella would have worked out an exit strategy by now. Except, or so it seems, the President and a few who really cannot imagine life without unlimited wealth, power (and for some of them, security from prosecution), the rest have by now realised that sheltering under a tattered umbrella makes little sense. But they will not go quietly.
Having engineered six weeks of “extra-time”, the President’s team has ended up with many coaches, each with his own different strategy. One coach is telling them to go out and convince people of the good work he has done in the last six years which could be improved upon in another four. Some say over N20billion was recently released to “work on” Kano, Lagos and other states with many opposition supporters, as well as the media and opinion moulders. The other coach is telling them to hell with everyone; just scuttle the match, grab the ball, declare yourself the winner and deal with anyone who dares challenge you. I could just imagine Edwin Clark, Asari Dokubo and other “militants” edging to be unleashed. Yet another coach is saying just blame the referee, give the chap a red card and demand a more suitable date (and cooperative match officials) for a re-march. “The other chap cannot win because he is unworthy and should not have even been allowed to contest”. To this camp obviously belongs the likes of Doyin Okupe, Fani-Kayode and the NTA/AIT hired mouths. I am sure we would eventually get to read about all the drama going on right now in the Villa, Wadata House and the other guest houses they go to after midnight.
The APC is most likely to win the coming elections, and Buhari looks increasingly likely to be the next President. Nigerians are simply tired of corruption, insecurity and hopelessness. In politics, “if pickin no pass e no go repeat class”. He is simply not re-electable.  All the nocturnal meetings, the billions being brought out now or the vile and tasteless propaganda being currently peddled around would not change much. But mistakes must be avoided.
My real fear is the APC allowing this unique opportunity to slip. When you are winning, and all the indications are that it won’t be a narrow win, then you have to tread very carefully.
First and foremost, we must all be vigilant; we must go out and collect our voter’s cards and make sure we vote. This is rather obvious, but still important because we must not assume we have already won.
Secondly, we must not fear any rigging. No one in his right mind will rig this election. The defeatist attitude that because someone has incumbency he is sure to emerge victorious must be deleted from our collective thought processes. They can only remain in power if we resign ourselves to being defeated. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot remove people in power; you put them there, you can send them packing. Period!
The third concern is provocation; do not allow yourself to be provoked. When hired thugs or security agencies are used to provoke you, remain calm. Record the incidence on camera, get witnesses and report to your party officials and law enforcement agencies. We must not be distracted, or resort to counter-violence. They are looking for any excuse to cause confusion and delay, postpone or even cancel the elections. Don’t give them one.
Most important however is managing information. This is where the real danger lies. This is the age of instant information sharing. With no editor or regulator we are constantly bombarded, via SMS, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and what not, with news, rumours, half-truths and even outright lies. Don’t be tempted to pass-on, post, re-twit or otherwise share everything you get. Check first, and then check again. Who is sending the message? Where did he or she get it from? Why is it being sent to you? The APC and any other serious party must establish hotlines and official communication channels.
I am saying all these because many of the messages I got in the last two weeks look very funny and I suspect they were deliberate misinformation targeted at people to create fear, mistrust and resignation. Several refer to meetings going on to usher in some nonsense termed interim government. Others drag in IBB and the traditional rulers into convoluted machinations allegedly being hatched by some Aso Rock cabal, as if these people could descend so low as to be used by people who are threatening the very survival our country. We should be very careful we are not manipulated by faceless propagandists actually working from the other side.
Let me end by answering a friend of mine who was worried that I may end up regretting my support for Buhari. My simple response is this: it would be foolish to stay in a collapsing house because of fear of what may be outside. This mess is too much and I’d rather we try something else. We must, as they say, keep our eyes on the prize.