By Lawson Abanum

A primary election is an election to narrow the field of aspirants to any elective office, and it comes before a general election. Under Nigerian electoral laws, primaries are held by political parties to nominate candidates who in their opinion can win the election for the party.

Delta APC will not be an exception; therefore nominating someone who can win the 2019 governorship election for the party in the State is the most crucial challenge. In doing this, it will be essential that APC considers the thinking and feelings of the electorates who are the ultimate deciders of who will win the general election, especially with the expected amendment of the Electoral law to give legal backing to the card reader in the process of voters accreditation.

Given the peculiar abysmal performance of the PDP-led Delta State government, the people now desire real change to improve their lives, and not just a mere change of the occupant of Government House Asaba. PDP and Okowa have already proven to be less than competent for the serious task at hand to redeem Delta State, and APC must step in to make that difference.

APC

A recent report by Nigeria Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN) ranked Delta State in 23rd position on the Economy, and 29th on quality of road infrastructure despite the huge allocations 1from the federation account to the state since 1999.

Therefore, the APC candidate must have a good grasp of how to manage the State economy and create wealth for the people through the creation of jobs and business opportunities.  This is what Deltans need the most right now. And it would be foolhardy for APC to present to the people a candidate that lacks the knowledge of how to grow the economy and fix the current myriad of problems facing the State.

Governor Okowa has continued to squander the huge financial resources of the State. As a consequence, corruption would be a major issue on the minds of the electorates when they step into the polling booth to cast their ballots; and it will also not make sense for APC Delta to field any candidate who, by omission or commission, can be suspected of corrupt tendencies or who in any way has enriched himself from the people’s commonwealth.

Besides, the APC must be united to win. It will therefore be self-defeating to feature any polarizing figure as the candidate of the party. I must also mention the notion in the air that Okowa may be piling state resources aside for the 2019 challenge; if so, defeating Okowa would be a task that requires a huge war chest.

It would be a very strategic mistake for APC to nominate a candidate that cannot bring together all the resources that will be needed to mount a determined charge and prosecute the general election conclusively, in order to defeat incumbent Governor Okowa.

In summary, it follows that APC must field a candidate who is not corrupt, and one who has the knowledge and reach to bring about a transformational change; it needs a team player and a unifier who can bring everybody together under one roof to tackle this challenge head on.

Above all, it is important that the person has wide connections to secure the funds for the campaign. Such a candidate should also have the ability and international contacts, in the hopeful event of success, to attract private capital investment into the state to build the infrastructure needed for economic revival and diversification, which would boost the profile of APC in Delta State and enhance its chances of winning future elections.

Therefore, I have reasoned that the APC candidate for the 2019 governorship election in Delta State must pass what I would refer to as the ICAN test: The test covers:

I- Integrity;  C – Competence

A – Acceptability; N – Network

This is the APC Delta Candidate Viability Test (CVT) that each of the aspirants for governor must pass. So far Ochei, Ogboru, Osiobe and Utomi, in alphabetical order, have featured frequently in APC chat-rooms as possible aspirants. If properly applied, the criteria listed above would serve as a useful guide to party members to define individual and group preferences while choosing a candidate for the party. It is based on practical parameters that can compel a win and is devoid of sentiments.

So, let the assessment commence based on such established and worthy parameters, rather than a blank sense of subjectivity. And as the party embarks on the journey to Government House, Asaba, such critical conversations must begin now. I can only but wish APC all the best.

*Abanum is based in Lagos.