The controversial 2023 National Assembly election has recorded numerous victims that have been consigned to the political history dustbin no thanks to the political tsunami called the Obidients’ revolution which has even shocked bookmakers
By Miracle Egbo
Before now, some politicians across the nation strode the political firmament like colossus but no more. The February 25, 2023 National Assembly election had many of these sit-tight politicians shown the door.
For instance, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, governor of Enugu State has lost to the Labour Party, LP, that has been touted as a political party without structure, through its candidate, Barrister Okey Ezea who defeated the incumbent governor in the Enugu North Senatorial election. The same judgment was meted to members of the House of Representatives in the state who have been there for a very long time. LP candidates in the National Assembly elections retired their Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s candidates in the election. The victory of the LP in the state is testament of the electorate on the performance of Ugwuanyi in the past eight years that he held sway as the governor of the state.
In Anambra State, the National Assembly results showed that LP has in its kitty the two senatorial seats of the state while the remaining went to the Young People’s Party, YPP. Uche Ekwunife of the PDP lost to Victor Umeh of LP, while Stella Odua of APC lost to Anthony Nwoye of LP. Ekwunife and Odua have been in the Senate for about 16 years. An informed source told this medium that their defeat was mainly because of their failure to deliver dividends of democracy to the electorate and in anger the electorate voted against them at the poll thereby retiring them politically for lack of performance. The only political party which survived the onslaught of the LP is Ifeanyi Ubah of the YPP who is second term Senator. His victory according to political analysts might have found expression in the way and manner he has been magnanimous with the distribution of the dividends of democracy to his constituency for the past four years that he has been in the Senate.
In Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade, governor of the state equally lost his seat to Mr. Ajerigbe of the PDP thereby putting paid to Ayade’s ambition of becoming a Senator after leaving office as governor of the state. His failure at the senatorial election, according to political pundits, is the singular factor that he dumped the party that made him in a clear case of biting the finger that fed him, and it is payback time. His failure in delivering dividends of democracy to his constituency contributed immensely to his defeat at the poll. In the same manner, according to the political pundits, his people are likely going to reject his anointed candidate for the governorship election through the ballot. Ditto for his Kaduna State counterpart, Nasir El-Ruffai. In the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly polls, El-Ruffai lost both the Presidential and National Assembly election in the state to opposition party, PDP.
In Kano State, Governor Ibrahim Ganduje fell to the superior argument of Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP. Kwankwaso used the poll to tell Ganduje that though he is the sitting governor, he (Kwankwaso) he is in charge of the politics of the state. The massive votes that Kwankwaso garnered at the poll are a testament that he is the king in the Kano politics despite the fact that Ganduje is the sitting governor. Ditto for Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state. His senatorial ambition was defeated by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressive Grand Alliance. APGA dusted him at the poll.
In the final analysis, the LP has started the process of retiring some politicians who believe that nothing can happen to them politically because they have been around politically for a very long time, therefore they act anyhow they want without regard to the people who elected them into office.
