Editorial Suite

Fri, Oct 24, 2014 | By publisher


Editorial Suite

POLITICS is a zero sum game where politicians involved in partisan politics either win or lose a contest. In Nigeria, where the winner takes-all-attitude is the nature of the political game, it is understandable why politicians who have occupied elective positions find it difficult to let go of the mantle of power. They crave to control power or whoever succeeds them even if it is through the back door. This is why presidents or governors are very much interested in who will succeed them. They play the game knowing fully well that if they should lose control of who succeeds them they lose it all and their political future could be dicey.

In order to ensure that their political future is still bright, some governors in this political dispensation are fighting to ensure that no one deprives them of certain privileges when they are out of office. It is because of this that they governors, especially those who are doing their second term think it appropriate to arbitrarily select who will succeed them. But they all have short memory and have failed to learn the lessons from other governors who imposed candidates and they turned out to be their nemesis after they have won election.

But such ugly experiences have not made the incumbent governors to allow the voters to choose who should govern them. In some states, the ding dong between the governors and other members of the party over who should succeed them is tearing the party apart. Despite the tension and blood-letting, the governors are insisting on having their way. Realnews Editorial board observed that the consensus candidate issue cuts across all the political parties in the country but it is more pronounced in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which controls more states. What is the likely to be the fall out of the imposition of candidate? Could such action make the political party to implode? Would it lead to protest votes from the voters that will enable the opposition party to win? The cover story for this week entitled “Governors Who Play ‘God”’ provides the answer to the questions.  It was written by Olu Ojewale, our general editor. Enjoy it.

Maureen Chigbo

Editor

mechigbo@yahoo.com

— Nov. 3, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT

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