The FCT election has not only divided the ADC, it has also shown that there is a deep rift among top Presidential contenders within the party. And party chieftains.
1. Rotimi Ameachi: Eight years speaker and two term governor of Rivers State. He has been very quiet about the FCT. He showed no concern about it. He practically did not show any support. He also has no candidate. Apparently, he has no footing politically in Abuja. If the ADC primary is held today, he has no delegate to vote for him. Zero capacity.
2. David Mark: The party Chairman of ADC. He was Senate President for Right years. One will expect that he would still have some influence in Abuja. At least some. He did not say a word about the election. He has not been visible and seems not ready to be visible in anything the party does. For me, he has no political clout, and has not influenced anything within or outside the party. No grassroots presence. One would have expected that he makes a statement to shake the political establishment in Abuja. But he is as quiet as the grave yard. Shame. Zero capacity.
3. Peter Obi: He threw in all he had. He deployed all his energy, material resources etc. His best and known propagandists online and offline. He was present day and night. But things went south. He not also messed up the campaign at some point, it became a scandal that won’t go away and will hunt his presidential ambition later in the year. How can you be pricing a bottle of groundnuts and also seeking a discount from the seller at the same time? That was a no no. His candidate for the election was also a major baggage to the campaign and for the election as a whole – I will not go into that. Abuja has Six LGA’s, he was present in one for the whole time. Voters were watching and replied during the election especially from the inner city.
4. Atiku: He was dragged out of his comfort zone to campaign and he did. The candidate was not his own so he did little. He committed no visible resources, strategy and men. He was also quiet. Watching from afar. The man known for his back to back winning of Presidential primaries from 1992, and consistently losing Presidential elections. An old war horse with massive war chest. He also kept quiet. He was Vice President for Eight years. One would have expected his influence to play out. But he kept quiet for the better time. Even his online machineries were mute. The few that tweeted were the first to throw in the towel. Atiku could have been the one to pick a candidate for the party. But he didn’t. A strategy I presume is against the ADC Presidential primary.
5. Ireti Kingibe: The current Abuja Senator tried her best. At least she was shouting at national TV studios. Instead of galvanizing the grassroots for her party, she reminded Abuja voters about her fight with the FCT minister and boast of upsetting the minister and not the party the minister is in charge of in the elections. One could have expected influence and show political strength at the grassroots. But she had none. She spent Four years fighting Wike, the man that could have helped her political career and saved her face.
As the party ADC prepares for its Presidential primary, Peter Obi and his men should know by now that the FCT loss is a perfect loss for his opponent within the party. And it cannot be redeemed because his supporters are divided, angry about his candidate choice for AMAC and the embarrassing defeat at the election(s). And his political influence keeps reducing daily. It will also be used against him in the near future.
