IFEANYI UBAH AND THE ONGOING POLITICAL REBIRTH SILENTLY TAKING PLACE AT THE GRASSROOTS

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a poem and song

–  Gil Scott-Heron

The message here is that the revolution—when it comes—will be sober and serious rather than a marketing ploy. The revolution will not be co-opted by advertisers for the purpose of selling any product. It will, instead, be a conscious grassroots effort with soldiers on the ground, free from the corrupting agency of consumerism. It won’t be allowed to have been reshaped and reformed, or re-purposed by outside influences; it will be authentic and genuine.

The ongoing registration by the Young Progressives Party (YPP) has opened a new Vista in the annals of political awareness and activism, hitherto unknown to usual political party activities in this clime.

In an unprecedented move , the candidate of YPP in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, went all out, in clear exhibition of prowess, in thinking outside the box by ordering the manufacture and delivery of high tech devices that capture personal details as well as finger prints , pictures and signatures of registrants and delivers them direct to a central server.

The most unique attribute of these devices is that it merely needs a brief network on start up and then it goes to work efficiently and effectively.

Senator Ubah, a young man, well known for his fore sightedness, exemplified by his track record of delving into legacy projects that outlive generations, has since gone ahead to declare his stand in practical terms while the rest of the country are still engaged in arguments as to whether to use technology or not in electoral processes.

Many did not understand his exasperation and the reason he walked away rather than sit and engage in a yes and no voting process, that was already skewed towards an unfavourable outcome during the debate on the use of technology at the Senate plenary, when he tried to enlighten the Nation and was rebuffed by the Senate President.

That he has since gone ahead to once again lead by example, by showing in practical terms, how the use of technology can indeed simplify the electoral process and rid the system of schisms and rigging , is not the main subject of this discourse .

The promoter of the GosimKamfunanya, a popular mantra now in the State, has since the commencement of his party’s registration, which is actively taking place in every ward all over the state, shown clearly his capacity and the generic goodwill that he commands all over the state as all categories of people are seen daily trooping to their respective wards and waiting patiently in line to get their details captured.

This is in sharp contrast with what is obtainable In other parties, where they announce registration exercise with no clearly spelt out centres and later return imaginative figures ( one very unpopular party in the State recently declared 500 thousand registrants that probably fell from the moon).

The Young Progressives Party by deploying these high tech devices has raised the stakes of the game, as it is poised to come out at the end of the day with a figure that is backed by statistics as well as details of real voters in the state. Some of the features of the registration exercise like finger prints and signatures eliminates double registration and gives empiricism to the total registered figure at the end of the day.

The above however , is also not the main crux of this discourse.

The factor that elicited this discourse is the zeal, dedication and military like precision, that the youths who are engaged in this process have since quietly deployed, as they go about this registration task.

While going round with my monitoring team to the various centres where the registration exercise are taking place, one cannot miss the enthusiasm and dedication to duty from these youths who have since bought into the open door revolution by taking full charge of their destinies.

While the usual seasonal political orators are busy getting sign on fees in preparation for the usual wonderful speeches to be used in hoodwinking the people , little do they realise the huge but silent fencing activities by these youths and the elderly alike currently taking place practically throughout the entire state including the most remote areas.

The sight of youths from Iyiowa/Odekpe/Ohita Ward Ogbaru heading across the Niger to register their ward members on their farm settlements by boarding canoes (video attached) encapsulates the entire open door revolutionary movement in one scenario.

That there is no inducement whatsoever in all these movements throws a hitherto unknown slant to what is ongoing in the State and is the reason why the opposition parties are heavily worried.

When we told them during the declaration tours by the Senator, that the crowds that turned out to welcome him in practically all the local governments, were organic and were never mobilised, they probably took that with a pinch of salt, but recent developments have since proven to them that the masses have since declared silent warfare on the political bandits holding down the state who only remember them when the time to court their votes comes.

I will end this treatise by serving a clear note of warning to the electoral umpire not to allow itself to be used in subverting the strong will and current sacrifices of our people, as the resultant fallout from such will be massive and unprecedented in the history of violent rebellions in Africa.

Ndi Anambra are determined to get it right this time around, and to restore the glory of our dear State.

Let’s go make a Governor that will deliver. The #OpenDoorRevolution is here Folks.

Hon Kamen Chuks Ogbonna
Head of Media and Strategic Communications to Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah 2021.