As We Are About To Vote, The Sad Memories Are Back Again..

-By Tope Aileru

These coming elections are bringing me bad memories and real fears. Unfortunately, all I can do is pray and wish everything plays out well across the country. It saddens me how we have quickly moved from that averagely peaceful election we had in 2015 to where we have found ourselves (in near war situation) in the country today, just within a period of 4 years. I have never experienced a terrible election period in the country since I started  witnessing elections in Nigeria in 1992/93. Everywhere is hot in Nigeria at the moment and deaths are now recorded at rallies in towns and communities where no single death had been recorded since I have been involved in politics in that area in1999. Being an agent of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) during the 1999 LG elections at Ward One, Ibarapa East LG was my first active (albeit indirect) involvement in politics. I have always been that young guy, who is passionate about seeing my people do well, in a reasonably fine society called Nigeria. I have been following politics since that time, in different ways. Things however, have never been this worse, in my view.

A particular instance here, is the bloodshed last Friday in Igboora, Ibarapa Central LG, in Oyo State where 6 people lost their lives, (police confirmed 2) with several others severely injured during the rallies for APC guber candidate (Bayo Adelabu) and Governor Abiola Ajimobi who is the senatorial candidate for Oyo South. I cannot recall any case of recorded deaths in any area in that region since I have been voting there since1999, not even during the Adedibu days when politics was so hot in Oyo State. The dimension things have taken this time is such a shocking one.

However, I hope many Nigerians know that this terrible situation did not just start today. It is one of the evils that have found its way into our country since after 2015. Every election has become a war in  Nigeria since after the results of the 2015 elections were announced and President Goodluck Jonathan did what was expected of him. 

The sad memory that has kept playing in my head as the election days draw close is that terrible experience I went through in October 2017 when I knew what it takes to go through the trauma of kidnapping, in the name of politics. My immediate younger brother, Moshood Abiola Aileru was kidnapped in Abeokuta by armed men who I am strongly-convinced, were working for the Government of the state. I have never shared this story publicly until now, but I have shared with some close friends, while some people in Abeokuta who were there can bear me witness.

It was a terrible time for me because it was just 11 months after our mum's death. My brother was kidnapped for 4 days, just because he was contesting to become the councilor for Ward 11, Abeokuta North in the LG election organized by the state's electoral commission, OGSIEC. It's the same ward where the governor comes from. The Aileru family is a popular one in Totoro, Owu, Abeokuta. Biola is well loved in that community and when I visited to show support, I was personally shocked with how far he had gone and the fine campaign he had put up. I never expected something close to that. With a relatively unknown party, Mega Progressives Peoples Party (MPPP), he was almost evidently certain to win the election in that ward.

His rallies and campaigns outclassed that of any other candidate. He did more than a councilor candidate campaign, in my own opinion and I was amazed at the endorsement he got from people.

On Friday, October 7 2017, a day to the election, he was waylaid by a gang of 4 men in a black, unmarked SUV, Toyota Landcruiser Prado around Ita Oshin area in Abeokuta around noon. He was the only one in his car and was pursued till he was blocked on the rough road around Oke Ata. His car was taken from him and he was taken in the SUV, blindfolded and according to him, they drove away about 2 hours off Abeokuta.

My last contact with him was on Thursday evening. October 6, 2018. He had paid me a visit in Lagos a day before and we both drove from Lagos to Abeokuta, where I proceeded to Ibadan that evening. I only dropped him a message to ask how far things went because he was to hold his last rally that day and was making arrangements while we were together. But he was receiving calls that he had to stop the rally that afternoon and that some known elders in the LG would like to have a meeting him because they allegedly heard that his campaign team was planing to make troubles. 

I didn't get a response all through the evening of Friday and when I started calling in the morning of election day, his phones has been switched off. Throughout the day, I was trying to reach him and couldn't get through. Everyone, including his wife have been looking for him too. I heard that every attention was fixed on his whereabouts rather than the results of the election on that day. A female candidate of the APC won that election. Most of the results were declared on Sunday, October 9. 2017. As at midnight on the election day, my worries have worsened. I have tried to reach some people I felt have influence to help me. Most of them were unreachable at that material time. By early Sunday, I was in Abeokuta. Perplexed and scared of the unknown. I reached out to the then Commissioner of Police in Ogun state (via sms). He was magnanimous enough to call me and instructed that I should file a report at the Area Command. With my senior colleague and Egbon, Tokunbo Akinremi, we officially reported the case at the office located around Iwe Iroyin.

I spoke about the development to some prominent personalities including Omoba Segun Adewale (OSA) who I incidentally met that evening too at Richton Hotel, inside Ibara GRA. They all did one or 2 things to help and agreed that he must have been kidnapped for the reason of the election holding that weekend.

On Monday morning, I was thinking of posting it on social media and other platforms to declare him missing when I tried his number and it went through. He told me had just been dropped off  somewhere around Awaye (close to Iseyin) after being released by some men who had held him captive for 4 days in an unknown building (like a hotel) around that area. He said when they abducted him, they told him to cooperate, demobilize the security on his car and that he should keep his calm, and they would do him no harm. He cooperated with them and one of the 4 men drove his car behind their SUV.  He told me they were dressed like SARS officers, and at every point where there was checkpoints on their way they signaled that the car behind was with them and they were not stopped.

He was kept in that location throughout the weekend and they returned his phone to him after they dropped him off and gave him his car keys to return to where they parked his car to go pick it. I met him along the way and saw the damage done to his car, when they blocked him down, while he was trying to escape on the day they kidnapped him.

Later that day, people advised that we lay low and not rush to make noise around, that we should not put my brother in further jeopardy since the men didn't hurt him because he cooperated with them. But I kept it in my mind and was hoping there would be a day like this to share it. I also hoped my brother would not be contesting an election (under this present condition) but he has thrown his hat into the ring once again. This time, he is contesting for Abeokuta North state assembly seat under another unpopular party, Peoples Party of Nigerian (PPN). 

So, the fear has come once again. And it's basically because things have degenerated from what it was in 2017. These coming elections has been made to look like a do or die affair. 

Like I said in the opening of this piece, I can only hope things go fine as we go to the polls in few days. I am however, boldened in this hope by what one of the leading political players in Nigeria  today (since 1999) whose opinions I respect so much told us about 2 years ago. He said Nigeria's situation has always appeared like the world will come to the end before the following morning. But when you find yourself waking up after your sleep, you found out that it is morning already and life is back to normal. He believes that Nigeria has survived worst experiences in the past, and that the country shall survive this one too. I believe him! This negative tide shall blow off in Nigeria and a fresh breath of air will blow across the country. Let's hope Nigerians will help themselves and the security agencies can be averagly up to the task as we go through the coming days. 

We need Nigeria to be free and easy for us all to thrive and that's why we have to change the present status quo. A country can only thrive when things are reasonably calm and Easy.

Atiku's PDP Nomination Is OGD's Victory, And A Sweet Scent Of Hope For Nigerians

-By TOPE AILERU 

That angelic sweetness from the likes of Chanel Grand Extrait, Baccarat-packaged Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes, to Jo Malone London, The Body Shop, the Nina Ricci's, L'Air du Temps, Paul Sebastian's and whatever the scent of your own world's best perfume may be be; such is the sweetness of the scent the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (GCON) as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (at the party's national convention in Port Harcourt on Sunday) should oozedout to any perfect nose in Nigeria sticked to a discerning head. Just a spritz will do; and everyone, even from afar can smell something nice.

However anyone might try to discredit or chastise the writer of this piece, the man Atiku, as well as his followers, the basic show of orderliness, modernity, cautiousness and openess in the entire process that led to his emergence inside the Port Harcourt Stadium at the primary was glaring to the whole world and was luckily well-captured by the media. Almost everone felt okay, even in their homes watching on TV how the excercise went, almost faultlessly.

This came just almost hours after a sham of an election in osun state, which almost brought chaos and knocked Nigeria's image internationally. 'If only the 2019 elections would be like this', I read a good number of comments like this between Sunday and Monday. I felt proud as a Nigerian. No matter what happened among the contestants, delegates and everyone involved before the kick off time of the convention on Saurday, October 6, anywhere at all; the basic truth is, everyone inside the stadium, including securutymen tried to a good extent, to behave. This is a good development!

 Already, there had been a lot of accolades for those behind the setting up of that convention, as well as the key participants in it (which they are deservedly entitled to). In a long while, I saw Nigerians having something they almost could not fault. The PDP got a high from the start with the manner at which they potrayed themselves all through. Key contenders in the battle for the ticket have also been quick to congratulate Atiku, their new leader. Its quite suprising the unexpected ease with which politicians who have wandered here and there between 2014 and just a few weeks ago, have quickly come together and appear to jel at once again. Then the thought of all of them having a common agenda quickly comes to mind.

The Atiku candidacy suddenly appeared to have landed on a soft ground. The incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari and his team have also suddenly been thrown back to the workshop for a wholly-new battle ahead. The paradigm has suddenly shifted  and the nation all of a sudden, is preparing for a very tough election, which some prominent personalities like Pastor Tunde Bakare have even confirmed. In truth, Nigeria is about to experience something totally different. Until now, the attention was to be on the governors, federal and state lawmakers; suddenly, it has become all about Buhari and Atiku.

This piece however, is not to analyse the strenght or weakness of Atiku on or against Buhari. It is to acoord a special accolade to a man who is the brain the brand new political machinery that is running Atiku's new campaign. The maturity and finesse with which the task of delivering the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar was executed is fantastic and will not be a bad material for studies about modern election campaigns in Africa.

The man is Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), the Director-General of Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation. Just with the outcome of the primary, OGD has won his medal as a political administrator with distinction. He ran a good campaign for a listening-Atiku and they got the ticket against all odds (real or imaginary). I do not have the mathemathics, but the constant 'x' here is that OGD did what had to be done (including getting whoever that was important to be gotten) and the result was an A.

Basically, the thrust of this piece is to view the new-trending Atiku campaign from the basis of its foundation. Without prejudice, it looks like building something on something; like there is a target to be achieved. The campaign has been presented in such a way that people (who wish to) can connect to easily, whether young or old. It just depends..

I first paid my first attention to the Atiku campaign the day he announced Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former 2-term governor of Ogun state as Director-General of his campaign; (with a special task of securing the PDP ticket first). I knew that day it was coming to something! OGD had only a couple of months ago lost his bid to become the National Chairman of the PDP at the last convention in Abuja. He was all smiles last Sunday when his man, Atiku picked the ticket to lead the party to the 2019 election. It was a big victory for him, indeed.

Those who know him well will confirm to you.. OGD is a man of style and finese in all he does. His style of politics is what just played out in the Atiku PDP-ticket project; clean and not too crude. I have not had too much personal contacts with OGD, but the few times I had with him, I am not praising him if I say he is expressly detailed and organised. OGD has made a lot of men and women, he has those who could be called his 'boys' but I am not even close to being one of either of them, but my piece is purely 'privately professional'. Just my perveptions that I wish to share.

Politics everywhere is evil in different ways, but in Nigeria its been more than evil. Its hard to govern Nigeria, but it is not impossible. What is neeed has just been a serious template with a good vissionaire accompanied by a missionaire. In the Atiku-OGD relationship, I see a semblance of these two in them both. To set Nigeria in motion for true greatness in this new, highly competitive world, we need a new set of people whose major aim 'is to make an impression'.

Nigerians (in the ever-terrible attitude, which today's generation particularly swim in) have derided Atiku for so many years, without no just reason. Because of the politics of his state after governor, some only know OGD as evil, for nothing they knew about.  No one is checking basic details to see genuine reasons and factors. Nothing is more hopeless for a country where youths in their most productive ages are basically drowned in bias-influenced ethnicity, religion, and lack of basic knowledge about their immediate society. Poverty has further made a mess of the situation. So, it is not so utopian a dream to think Atiku in particular, would have so many points to prove. He had been underrated and talked-down on by many in his quest to govern Nigeria over the years. It is unfortunate that President Buhari could not seize the grace he had in 2015 to quickly make a lasting impression in his own case.

In 2015, I campaigned so vigorously against the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as Nigeria's president. As a keen follower of modern political developments in Nigeria since the dawn of this century, I knew so many things that could be wrong based on serious analysis. A lot has happened between the last 40 months and now. Its puzzling however to know that at the moment, so many are still in a state of disillusion, still fighting within themselves as to how to react  to the facade called leadership that had not kicked their country to start (like a car) in almost 4 years. Well, unfolding developments in days, weeks and months to the D Day will do justice to that.

No need to necessarily congratulate OGD in a special way anymore for his success regarding the PDP ticket.., guess he was just doing the job he was called by Atiku to do. One thing I am looking forward to however is what manner of way the 'Great Daniel' will mesmerize the whole world with a 'never-seen-before' Presidential Campaign for Atiku and President Buhari and his men at APC should just get ready.. PDP is Nigeria's only opposiition party and the dynamisn of politics globally now has thrown the contest open between it and APC. And if at the end of February 16, 2019, it is a victory for OGD again, then I wonder what 'adjective' would best describe such!

-Tope Aileru works with Blue Synergy Media.