Osun 2022: APC’s Legacy of credible elections
By Yusuf Ali, Abuja
Some people say APC has lost Osun. No, its APC won. The governing party is leaving a legacy of credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria. This is very important for the survival of our democracy.
This is another progressive credentials of the governing party, APC. No doubt, being leaned to the left ideologically, progressives are expected to ensure elections are not only free, fair but seen to be credible.
The APC as a progressives party has proved practically that it is radically different from the monstrous former ruling party, PDP. Given that between 1999 and 2015, the only official credential of the party is the use of state apparatuses – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Police and Security Agencies, etc combined with political thugs who carried out acts of ballot box snatching to facilitate electoral rigging. The assessment of the progressives credentials of the APC as a governing party should find its bearing on that.
While it was hardly imaginable for the PDP as a ruling party to lose election anywhere in the country between 1999 and 2015, the APC has lost elections in places regarded as its stronghold between 2015 and today.
In addition, in most of the cases where the APC won, it did so marginally, including in places regarded as its stronghold.
How APC governments are responding to these challenges both at federal and in all the states it control are important elements in the debate and practical examples of how progressives is the APC.
Indeed, there are clear evidences to demonstrate the progressives credentials of the APC, especially with references to elections as President Buhari vows to leave a legacy of free, fair and credible elections.
In Osun, President Buhari has once again reassured the nation that the commitment of the APC-led administration towards having credible elections remains unshaken.
