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Vote a candidate, not the political party – Tunde Eso

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Tunde Eso


Election is the act of choosing candidates who will represent people in a group, society or country. Meanwhile, voting is the process by which people elect and how the results are determined in choosing those that will represent their interests and opinions in government.

A political party, on the other hand, refers to an organised group of people with common ideology, whose main goal is to win the reign of power and form the government. there are different party systems, ranging from; zero party, one party, to the multi-party system, which is one of the basic tenets of Youthocracy and Democracy.

Consequently, voting is a subset of election through which representatives are chosen from the candidates of political parties to form the government in democratic states such as, United States of America, Britain and Nigeria.


According to the tradition in many countries across the globe, voting by the electorate, especially party faithfuls is usually along ethno-religious and party lines. with the exception of North America and Western European countries, majority of the world population, mostly third world countries, are still trapped in this act. it takes a conscious and discerning people to vote dispassionately. this itself requires proper political education and a sense of patriotism to rise above sectional affiliation in the interest of the country.

Electoral history in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria gives credence to the above. Perhaps, with the exception of the botched third republic presidential election in 1993, adjudged to be the freest and fairest, the rest have been the same. many quality candidates have lost out on the basis of party sentiment, why unproven ones have strolled to the seat of power for merely being flag bearers of mainstream political parties meanwhile, this misguided decision by most of the electorate can be attributed to the bane of Nigeria’s development, as poor followership breeds poor leadership which results to poor society.



In the build up to the 2023 general elections, many candidates have been presented by the 18 political parties registered by the independent national electoral commission for public perusal. it is the duty of the electorate to evaluate candidates on their track records, leadership qualities and experience before submitting their political sovereignty to them. Meanwhile, such exercise should be devoid of ethnic, religious and party leaning. this social responsibility is the least Nigeria deserves from its citizens for attainment of the long-desired “great lofty height, to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign” in the second stanza of the national anthem.

Tunde Eso a political scientist, journalist and originator of Youthocracy a new system of government.

Politics

Lagos Majority Leader Alleges Plans To Manipulate Primary Election Results

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The majority leader of the Lagos House of Assembly, Noheem Adams, on Friday raised alarm over alleged plans by some people to manipulate the result of the primary election that produced him as a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adams reportedly won the primary election of the party to produce a candidate for the House of Assembly in Eti-Osa Constituency 1 on Wednesday after polling 7,638 against his opponent’s 1225 votes.

Speaking to thousands of APC supporters during a Victory March, Adams said accused a top monarch (name withheld) in Eti-Osa of being behind the plan to doctor the result in favour of Saheed Adesegun Bankole, who was defeated in the election.

“I want you all very much for the love and passion you have for me and APC. Today is what we call victory walk. We started from VGC with over 4000 APC members. Even inside the rain you stood your ground and you are here to protect your mandate.

“Thank you very much for voting for me. I won the election throughout our wards and the INEC officials, DSS and police personnel were there and even the agents of our opponent were there as well.

“Let me put it on record that his agents and the police signed that the election was free and fair and they took all the results to the local government collation centre.

“When they got there, they presented all the results to the DSS, INEC officials and also to the returning officer and he collected everything and announced that Adams was the winner of the election.

“We believe in this party. The only crime I have committed was during the impeachment of the Speaker; that I did not follow them and did not stand against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” he alleged.

He said being a politician, he understood “loyalty and how to always be loyal. That is the only crime I committed and today, I’m calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to caution the Oba.

“The Oba is the reason why we lost the presidential election in 2023 in the constituency and he is the reason why we lost the House of Representatives seat. He lost in his own kingdom and the results are there at the INEC for all to see.

“I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police that if anything happens to me, he should hold the Oba responsible. And in 2027, if we lose the presidential election in the local government, the President should hold him responsible. We have assured the President that we are going to vote for him and he will win.”

He urged his loyalists and supporters to remain calm as he trusts the party enough to resolve the issue.

President of the Lekki Residents and Stakeholders Association, Sulyman Bello, also thanked the supporters for having faith in Adams.

“On behalf of all of all the estates from 1004 and across the entire Lekki peninsula, we thank all the APC members for standing by our friend, brother, father Hon. Noheem Adams.

“If all the estates in Eti -Osa Osa, call on him at the same time, he will respond. We also thank God that he got over 7,000 votes and his opponent a little above 1,000 votes. The winning margin is above 90%.

“We thank all those of you that voted and also thank President Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership. We extend our gratitude to the APC leaders in Lagos state. If it is not Noheem, it is not Noheem,” he said.

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Governor Dauda Lawal Emerges APC Consensus Governorship Candidate for Zamfara 2027 Election

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Governor Dauda Lawal Ph.d has officially emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in Zamfara State, following a consensus arrangement adopted by the party for its primaries.The governor secured the ticket after party members and supporters gathered across various wards to endorse him as the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming election. The consensus model, which allowed party stakeholders to unite behind a single candidate, was embraced as a strategy to avoid a contentious primary and strengthen internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 polls.Speaking with journalists shortly after the exercise, Governor Lawal expressed profound gratitude to party members for the confidence reposed in him. He reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Zamfara, pledging to consolidate ongoing developmental projects aimed at improving the lives of residents across the state.“I am deeply honored by the trust and support of our party faithful,” Lawal said. “We will not relent in our efforts to deliver meaningful development, enhance security, and create opportunities for all citizens of Zamfara State.”His emergence underscores the party’s push to build continuity and strong leadership in the northwest region.Political analysts note that the adoption of consensus candidate signals the APC’s preference for unity and reduced internal friction as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.

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Adewale Wins APC Lagos Assembly Ticket For Ifako-Ijaiye

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Lagos lawmaker, Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the party’s candidacy in Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1 ahead of the 2027 general election.Adewale, a current member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, scored 19,111 to defeat his closest rival, Obawole Quadri lawal, who polled 295 votes.Three other aspirants in the election that was monitored by the state electoral officers, the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies, Afolabi Ajiboye, Akinyemi Temitope, and Adewale Lateef, scored 165, 73 and 33 votes respectively.The primary election was conducted peacefully on Wednesday across seven political wards in the constituency.A youth leader and participant in the exercise, Demola Olajide, said the peaceful exercise was the result of the maturity of the aspirants and the members’ respect for party supremacy.In a ‘thank you’ message to his constituents on Thursday, Adewale described his victory at the primary election as democracy in action.He noted that the beauty of the exercise was that he had despite having other aspirants, the election was peaceful.”What makes this moment special wasn’t just the win. It was the voices that were heard, the choices people made freely, and the peaceful process that let a community decide its own path forward.”That’s the heart of democracy: every vote counts, every opinion matters, and power flows from the people up.”May this new chapter bring the progress and unity we have promised to fight for. The real work starts now and our leaders are watching with hope.”Let’s be further determined to increase our support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and other candidates of the party in the 2027 election,” he urged.

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