Anthony Obi Ogbo
Consolidating the South-East—Atiku’s ‘Dan Ulasi’ Move is a Smart Choice
“Dan Ulasi understands Nigeria’s electoral maps and could read them with his eyes closed” ―Anthony Obi Ogbo
________________________
Campaigns for the 2023 general election officially commenced on September 28, in line with the timetable and schedule of activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This date signaled the beginning of a process of shaping the electioneering landscape ahead of the general election. In the succeeding weeks, all the major political parties unleashed their supporters on the campaign trail to wave the flags of the electioneering crusade.
From the major streets of the core cities, as can be seen on social media, the Nigerian election campaign is trending. For instance, the Labor Party (LP), with Peter Obi as its flagbearer, touted highly attended October 1 rallies all over the country. The All Progressive Congress (APC), even with its flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, out on an unexplained foreign visit, showcased highly attended rallies in the core cities of the North-West and South-West zones. The presidential candidate of the New Nigerian People Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, upon commissioning his presidential campaign office in Kano, bragged that his party was the fastest-growing political party Nigeria had ever seen. There was massive attendance when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flagged off its campaign in Uyo with its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, leading the cause and urging Nigerians to vote for his party to ensure good governance.
However, what we must understand is that rally attendance or intimidating images of campaign gatherings do not determine the outcomes of elections. In my recent article, ‘The test of translating a movement into electoral victory votes,’ I outlined a pathway to victory and explained how strategic alignment can sustain a winning approach. I clarified the three most crucial winning structures: facilitating and sustaining an on-the-ground poll army, strategic coordination of electoral maps, and the ability to counter ballot mishandling and falsification of ballot figures. Strategy is key.
So, when Atiku Abubakar appointed Chief Dan Ulasi as the Technical Adviser on Contact and Mobilization for the South-East geopolitical zone, we can be sure that his party is strategically working the electoral maps. After all, the South-East is bitter with the Nigerian system over an unfavorable political arrangement that isolates it from core political leadership positions. This situation was made worse when another chance eluded them in the presidential nomination process of the PDP, a party they have passionately supported.
He has been working the electoral process since the Second Republic politics of the late 70s
The appointment of Chief Ulasi to walk this troubled cause might be a lucrative political gamble. He is a Nnewi-born ballot strategist and political technocrat; he has been working the electoral process since the Second Republic politics of the late 70s, was chairman of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in Anambra State in the aborted Third Republic, and also served as chairman of the PDP in 2003.
He understands Nigeria’s electoral maps and could read them with his eyes closed. During the 2015 contentious presidential race between former President Goodluck Jonathan and the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Ulasi also coordinated strategic structures and was the only PDP strategist to predict that his party was in trouble. His party at the time did not listen.
At the presidential level, the South East has been a PDP stronghold. Upholding that position requires strategists who understand the political landscape, and Atiku realizes that. Within his party’s framework, Chief Ulasi has strategically helped raise the South-East geopolitical ethnic group to the national political setting. In his recent media outing, he presented his insights on where the Igbos would be headed under each of the major political parties. He explained the danger of the Igbos voting for other major parties, especially the LP. “There is no way that those votes will lead us to victory. First, an election has happened in Osun and they failed woefully.” Chief Ulasi argued that voting for losing parties would isolate the Igbos once again from the central government. A situation they have been enduring since the current administration.
A lone candidate without considerable legislative support is limited in how they can help their base
The role of electoral maps is crucial in a democracy. A lone candidate without considerable legislative support is limited in how they can help their base. As I stated in my previous article, in Nigeria’s organizational structure, the executive branch does not make the laws; it carries them out. The judiciary evaluates the laws but often has the power to preside over crucial decisions. The National Assembly, which consists of a Senate with 109 members and a House of Representatives with 360 members, exerts significant power in making structural changes. In fact, should the President reject a bill, the Assembly could pass it by a two-thirds majority of both chambers and overrule the veto—in which case, the President’s consent is not required.
Under the current legislative structure, in the Senate (109 seats), the APC has 66 seats to the PDP’s 38 seats, while the other parties combined have two seats, with three vacant seats. In the House of Representatives (360 seats), the APC has 227 seats to the PDP’s 121 seats, while the other parties combined have 11 seats, with one vacant seat.
In conclusion, by transcending a quest for a new president, this election must involve strategies to mobilize for substantial control of the legislative chambers. Atiku’s invitation of Chief Ulasi to the PDP’s campaign strategy suite is specifically addressing this purpose. Without a doubt, he made a smart choice.
♦Publisher of the Guardian News, Journalism and RTF Professor, Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News. He is the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
- FITCC Partners with Texas Southern University - September 17, 2023
- Houston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana - September 17, 2023
- Coco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title - September 9, 2023
“The scepter of criminal law is permanently blind to human compassion, emotions, or interests. Making Trump and his cronies pay dearly for their crimes is justified, at the least, in terms of deterrence and retribution,” —Anthony Ogbo
Thursday, former President Donald Trump was booked on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. His mugshot quickly turned into a piece of illustrious image canonized by the rightwing media and glorified like a martyr of political persecution. In less than two hours after Trump’s booking, his mug shot was already a hot cake.
His joint fundraising committee sold T-shirts, mugs, beverage coolers, bumper stickers, and other merchandise featuring his booking photo.
There were also reports that Trump and his team literally strategized on how to turn this historically horrible event into an image-hyping and money-spinning bonanza. They had a discussion as to what the mug shot would look like. Trump reportedly wanted to look “defiant” to justify his claims of a politically motivated witch-hunt. In fact, in a fundraising email, Trump said he “walked into the lion’s den with one simple message on behalf of our entire movement: I will never surrender our mission to save America.”
So, what exactly are Trump and his Republican Party devotees celebrating? – Conspiring to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election? Criminals should not be celebrated!
Charges against Trump are very serious. He was indicted on 13 counts of criminal felonies, including an alleged violation of Georgia’s Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico). The racketeering charge alone carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence; making false statements carries a penalty of between one to five years in prison or a fine, and a person convicted of first-degree criminal solicitation to commit election fraud will face between one to three years in jail. The charges revolve around Trump’s and 18 co-defendants’ efforts to overturn the will of the voters and interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Therefore, it might be a self-damaging miscalculation if Trump and his team believe these charges would help his campaign. It is understandable that the MAGA confederacy stands behind his transgressions, but America thinks otherwise. For instance, a new POLITICO Magazine/Ipsos poll provides some negative figures likely to take a toll on his general election prospects. The findings are not encouraging at all on his part
-
- Most Americans believe Trump should stand trial before the 2024 election
- About half of the country believes Trump is guilty in the pending prosecutions
- A conviction in DOJ’s 2020 election case would hurt Trump in the general election
- Half of the country believes Trump should go to prison if convicted in DOJ’s Jan. 6 case
- Fifty-nine percent of respondents — including nearly two-thirds of independents — said that the Justice Department’s decision to indict Trump in the 2020 election case was based on a fair evaluation of the evidence and the law.
But the scepter of criminal law is permanently blind to human compassion, emotions, or interests. Making Trump and his cronies pay dearly for their crimes is justified, at the least, in terms of deterrence and retribution. The law must act in full force, to deter prospective offenders from following Trump’s amoral and criminal standards. Besides, this process would enhance faith in law enforcement and the government that the criminal procedure is works effectively.
Finally, we must note that former presidents or top government officials are not Jesus. They are humans, and they are average citizens. From Jacob Zuma, a former president of South Africa; Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian Prime Minister; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and many others, top leaders who left office have been jailed or prosecuted in several countries — including in major democratic jurisdictions. The relevance is that the laws apply equally to all citizens. Donald Trump and his coup-plotting ensemble are no exceptions.
♦ Publisher of the Guardian News, Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is a visiting professor at the Texas Southern University. He is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News, and the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
- FITCC Partners with Texas Southern University - September 17, 2023
- Houston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana - September 17, 2023
- Coco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title - September 9, 2023
- FITCC Partners with Texas Southern University - September 17, 2023
- Houston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana - September 17, 2023
- Coco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title - September 9, 2023
“It is unlawful to challenge a statute by arrogantly violating it. Moreover, it is insensitive to use the needy as a shield for a pugnacious political vendetta”
—Anthony Ogbo
So, this motorist wanted to drop a token for the panhandler. He stopped abruptly in the middle of a bustling intersection while the traffic light was green. This resulted in the near collision of multiple vehicles. Furthermore, he blocked a lane while the panhandler reluctantly walked up. It was a mess. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with giving to roadside beggars, but how, when, and where people do this matters—especially when it constitutes risks and lawlessness.
The above-referenced real-world analogy illustrates the over-published feud between the City of Houston and Food Not Bombs, a volunteer group that feeds the homeless. For the last 15 years, Food Not Bombs has been serving the homeless outside the Houston Public Library downtown, dishing out vegetarian meals four nights a week at this location by the corner of McKinney and Smith streets. However, on March 1, the group received a citation from the City of Houston for violating a city ordinance.
This ordinance was actually enacted in 2012 under the previous regime of Mayor Annise Parker. The law makes it “unlawful for any organization or individual to sponsor or conduct a food service event on public or private property without the advance written consent of the public or private property owner or other individual with lawful control of the property.”
Food Not Bombs is not permitted to hold its distribution outside the library. It might be understandable that the volunteer group may have initially violated this law because it was unaware of the regulation. But what might be underhandedly political is why they remained in that location, proudly collecting multiple citations from the city, shedding crocodile tears, and using them to generate cheap publicity and attention from the mainstream media.
Currently, Food Not Bombs spends more time documenting and litigating violation tickets than the very cause they are supposed to be undertaking. On August 3, eight of the 47 tickets were dismissed because the HPD officers that issued them did not show up for court. The group vowed to fight, but the city insisted on its enforcement. In its release, the city maintained that it “intends to vigorously pursue violations of its ordinance relating to the feeding of the homeless,” vowing to “refile cases dismissed without prejudice.”
From all indications, Food Not Bombs does not like this ordinance, but rather than challenge it lawfully, it chose a civil disobedience route. Even as the city offered it an alternate location less than half a mile away to hold their feedings, the group stubbornly decided not to move.
During an August 8 City Council meeting, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city doesn’t have an issue with volunteers feeding the unhoused population but does have a problem with it being at the Central Library. According to Mayor Turner, “Can we provide food for those who need assistance and also maintain the library for the greater community, even those who are homeless, to utilize those services? The answer is yes.… You just don’t have the right to choose where you want to be at the expense of everybody else in the city. So, the citations will continue because you can’t just do this and then try to engage in a PR campaign to make it seem like the city is being insensitive to those who are homeless. No, that is not the case.”
Mayor Turner was absolutely right about the intent. The whole thing is a PR operation by radicals hiding under a charitable cause to promote tasteless conspiracies against the local government. Only a fool will buy that theory – that the city is insensitive to the homeless. These laws are not meant to discourage or criminalize kindness but to protect general safety, and guarantee the rights of citizens against abuses by other people, organizations, and the government.
There are many ways to protest local ordinances, and trading a charitable cause for civil disobedience is not one of them. Justice is not stupid. Indeed, it is unlawful to challenge a statute by arrogantly violating it. Moreover, it is insensitive to use the homeless as a shield for a pugnacious political vendetta.
♦ Publisher of the Guardian News, Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is a visiting professor at the Texas Southern University. He is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News, and the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
- FITCC Partners with Texas Southern University - September 17, 2023
- Houston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana - September 17, 2023
- Coco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title - September 9, 2023
-
Africa4 days agoHouston Resident Builds Library In Sagyimase, Ghana
-
Business2 weeks agoUpcoming FITCC Conference – One-on-One with the Event Facilitator, Linda Anukwuem
-
Business4 days agoFITCC Partners with Texas Southern University
-
News2 weeks agoCoco Gauff subdues Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open for her first Grand Slam title