by Onoja King
I have refrained from giving an open endorsement to any of the contestants for the office of National Publicity Secretary (NPS) of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for a simple reason – I wanted to study all the candidates & then throw my support behind the most competent. At a time when the party is at its lowest ebb & struggling with a protracted battle for its soul the people who love it cannot afford to get this decision wrong.
Over the next four (4) years, the person who gets elected as NPS will be the face of the party. At a time when the image of the party is in tatters because of allegations of corruption, real &/or false; when the story of the party is not being told in the manner it should; when the deluge of lies & propaganda from the ruling party refuses to stop; the party cannot afford to make the costly decision of electing the wrong person as NPS.
This is because whoever emerges as NPS of the party bears the responsibility of not only representing the party but also of aggregating facts, the many stories of the party, its many voices and making them speak as one, making them tell one story.
A lot of people have made these contests about the individuals and say things like maturity, experience & so on. But not many people have addressed the fundamental issue. This election is not about the voices or persons of any of the contestants. It is about who can position the voice of the party & make it louder than all these individual voices.
This is why I support Deji Adeyanju. In the the 17 months since Goodluck Jonathan lost the elections, he has done this job. Almost effortlessly.
I was at GEJ’s situation room the day after the elections were lost. It was filled with the tears & despair of supporters who believed in the viability of their candidate. Only one person spoke with courage & leadership. Only one person began to tell us what had to be done over the next 4 years.
In the months that have followed, this person has crisscrossed the country in furtherance of the party’s cause. He has ensured greater coverage of all elections that have followed thereafter from a party perspective & has helped put some sort of semblance of order to an otherwise disorganised herd.
I do not always agree with him. I do not always like his style. I do not always believe he is always right. But I have never been able to fault his commitment.
In the past 17 months, he has helped put together a team that relentlessly projects the party’s image, that fact checks with dedication to disprove the lies of the ruling party, that shows that indeed PDP governed this country better than it is currently being governed.
In the past 17 months, while the other contestants disappeared in silence, while they were quiet, while they did not act he stood & led.
If Deji did these things without the instruments & support available to the office of NPS, I am excited at what he can do sith these at his disposal.
It is for this reason I have decided to support him. I will do my bit because this is what my party deserves – a new way of doing things.
Will he make mistakes? Of course. Will we disagree? You bet. Will I criticize him if this happens? Yes. With love. Is he the best bet for this job from the contestants? DEFINITELY!!!
I really hope he gets the support he requires to win this. As a reward & as a responsibility.