PCI Series: #Otoge Campaign Dirge: Can Opposition and Kwarans Change Political History of Kwara in 2019?

One of the six states in the North-Central region likely to have a sudden change in its political history is Kwara State. The state was created on May 27, 1967, when the Federal Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon broke the four regions that then constituted the Federation of Nigeria into 12 states. As the campaigns for the 2019 general elections get tenser, it has emerged that the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, which evolved after Senate President Bukola Saraki and the incumbent governor, Alhaji Fatai Ahmed dumped the party they joined from the People’s Democratic Party.

Since the duo moved their allegiance to the PDP, the party has become the ruling party in the state. A position hitherto occupied by the APC. Having seeing itself has the main opposition party; the APC has continued to intensify her efforts towards changing the political history of the state. From November, 2018 that the Independent National Electoral Commission lifted ban on campaign activities, the opposition party has been singing, speaking, writing and spreading Otoge, a Yoruba parlance, which translated into “Our people have had enough and are desirous of change through the ballot box,” according to the party in a statement recently.

From the physical sphere to the virtual platforms, #Otoge has become movement and community activism, where Kwarans and Nigerians are clamouring for leadership change in the state. In her efforts of promoting and institutionalising positive campaign narrative, the Positive Campaign Initiative conducted an analysis of the views being expressed on virtual platforms and found that alternative, redemptive, reformative and revolutionary are the core categories of movements within the #Otoge campaign activism. People are laying emphasis on revolutionary movement, calling for change in the system producing political leadership in the state, than other movements.  When people voiced redemptive movement, analysis shows that they are yearning for total personal transformation among the Kwarans towards electing the right leaders during the 2019 general elections.

The analysis further indicates that people want the movements to lead to innovative change not conservative one. By innovative change, they expect an end to the current powerful political leader(s) in the state. Those who expressed views that connected with conservative change want the leadership status quo to remain. From the movements to the desired change, they believe that the leadership problem can only be solved when the individuals contributing to the problem are changed using fundamental approach, especially ballot-box. With the 52 days to the election, can opposition change the state’s dynasty-driven political history with the #Otoge slogan?