THE primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) coming up tomorrow is of critical importance, and not just for party democracy. It presents an opportunity to redefine and strengthen the supremacy of the control of membership structure of the party and presents a clear opportunity for the alignment of a critical mass around the core philosophy, which has guided progressive thinking in the western part of Nigeria for over seventy years.
The APC must use tomorrows primary to jettison the demeaning toga of a Special Purpose Vehicle. It is not an SPV set up just for the purposes of winning elections and booty distribution and sharing, it has a core philosophy of welfarism interpreted as the purpose of government is to provide for the benefit of the overwhelming majority and their families, and not just the enhancement of the comfort of a privileged few. This is at variance with the desires of apparatchiks, party hoppers and opportunists, but it is in alignment with the progressive core and traditions that were had worn.
The candidature of a dye-in-the-wool progressive for the post of governorship candidate of the APC is a very good opportunity for a restoration of the core values. This is why as a paper founded with the mission statement to “put the people first”, we are backing Alhaji Moshood Adeoti. He is indisputably the best man for the job.
Through Adeoti, the APC in the State of Osun will recover the momentum of balanced people – first government activism and socially beneficiary government programs and interventions. The deviation from the progressive core in the past few years is unfortunate and this is the opportunity to repudiate and reverse a destructive stultifying break on sustainable development as the surest way of attaining “life more abundant”.
We pray for a peaceful outing and the respect of the wishes of a people who have always desired and fought for progressive democratic government.
