The ambition of Raymond Timothy to represent his people as a councillor in the Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has ended in tragedy, as he has ended up paying with his life for his efforts.

The politician was reportedly shot and killed alongside his brother, James Timothy, by yet to be identified gunmen while returning from a political campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kizachi Village, Pari Ward, of Kaduna State, on a motorcycle.

The PUNCH, quoted Barnabas Chawai, a chieftain of the party, who narrated the details of the incident, as believing that the attack could be politically motivated and urged security agencies to launch an investigation to bring the culprits to justice. “Drastic measures need to be taken to prevent further violence as we approach the October 19 local government elections,” he said, adding that the slain politician had three children, while his wife is expecting a fourth.

John Wanneh, Secretary to the Village Head of Kizachi, who said he last saw the victims at around 6 p.m. before they parted ways. Minutes later, he heard gunshots coming from nearby guinea corn fields, added: “We can’t confirm who is responsible for the attack or whether it was politically motivated.”

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Wanneh called on the government to improve the village’s infrastructure, explaining that the lack of a proper road and a bridge over a nearby river has made it difficult for security personnel to reach the community during emergencies.

Nigerians crying out over the wacky nature the nation’s democratic practice has assumed, were reminded on Thursday that the system of government is not easy anywhere in the world, including the US, believed to be its bastion, as citizens there are also witnessing some difficulties with it even after centuries of practice.

This was the contention of President Bola Tinubu, as he received Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, who emerged triumphant in last Saturday’s election governorship election in Edo State, who were at the Presidential Villa Abuja, to hand over the Certificate of Return on the same day it was issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Receiving the governor-elect, who came alongside a delegation of APC bigwigs, including Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the party, a palpably elated Tinubu, who also emerged from the party, in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, assured his visitor of the full support of the Federal Government and the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF).

Accompanied also by Dennis Idahosa, Deputy Governor-elect, Okpebholor, who went on his knees to thank the President, emphasised the importance of good governance and delivering results to the people of Edo State, saying now the election was over and victory secured, the next stage was to take care of the people, whose mandate he was holding.

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His words: ‘’Governor-elect, you can now face the task of development. We are here to work with you. You have seen the progressive governors of APC. They are truly progressive. Work with them. Learn the ropes, and I believe you are up to the task. You have earned the victory. Democracy is difficult, particularly in emerging democracies and economies like ours. ‘If you hear complaints from places like America, you know how difficult it is to navigate democracy. But it remains the best form of government. ”

Praising Okpebholo and Idahosa, who were opponents at the APC primaries, where the former eventually picked the ticket, as ”good symbol of people ordained by God to work together,” Tinubu added: ”You started as rivals and ended us as partners. You are a symbol of good understanding in politics; the man at our party’s helm has been through it before.

“In Kano, he was a front runner, became a second runner, and became a deputy before he eventually became a governor. I saw Adams Oshiomhole radiating in joy… sincerely the governors showed up in Edo, they impressed me. They defended the party. They worked hard for the party.  I must thank the security agencies. There was no bloodshed, no riot, people voted and went back to their houses in peace, and the fears dissipated instantly.

”Never mind the noise makers. I do a lot of statistical sampling and results. When you hear politicians saying ‘all politics is local’, you must respect that notion. When you see the stability in the Edo North senatorial district, we see a man that won the Central senatorial district and a candidate who has won a seat in the south senatorial district; we did a match- which turned out to be a winning match.”

Tinubu, who particularly praised the resilience of the people of Edo State to withstand the elements to cast their votes, even under heavy rain and for voting in the rain without using an umbrella, after he was fully briefed by Ganduje about how the people defied the downpour to cast their ballots, told his guests:  ”It is a very punching illustration.”

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It was at the same occasion that Ganduje, repeated the desire of the party to replicate its Edo victory in Anambra, a position, he revealed in his victory speech immediately after INEC announced Okpebholo as winner, explained that the move was to bring the entire South East into the APC bracket, in order to end the complaint of the Igbo people against marginalisation in the scheme of things in the country.

Hear him: “On the day of the election, there was an exciting scenario: it was raining heavily, yet people came out to vote without using an umbrella. Your Excellency, the people were convinced that our party is the party to be voted for, and we won the election. The election in Anambra is part of our programme, ‘ Political de-marginalization of Southeast geopolitical zone. Having only two states in the Southeast as APC is too small for us. We need more states from the Southeast geo-political zone.”

Unless Wadata Plaza, headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), acts fast to reverse its current nonchalant attitude towards the party’s structure in Abia State, its chances of participating in the forthcoming Local Government Area (LGA), election scheduled for November, are now heavily threatened, among other dire consequences.

This was the alarm raised on Monday by the Rebranded Abia PDP Forum (RAPF), a PDP group in Abia State, as it accused the National Working Committee of the Party (NWC), of deliberately neglecting and sabotaging the party in the state, an attitude, which it alleged was part of a grand plot being hatched to undermine its fortunes.

Directly accusing the NWC of acting in cahoots with an opposition party in the state and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees to destroy the party, the group, which was at the party’s National Secretariat to submit their protest letter to Iliya Umaru Damagun, the PDP Acting National Chairman, and other members of the NWC, the group expressed shock that more than two months after some members obtained a court injunction against the former State Working Committee (SWC) and the conduct of the state congress, no efforts whatsoever had been made to constitute a caretaker committee to supervise the affairs of the party in the state, pending the exhaustion of the court processes.

John Okiyi Kalu, former Commissioner for Information, Trade & Investment in the state, while railing against the alleged sponsorship of some elements to obtain the court injunction, expressed dismay that the party leadership in Abuja has not been supporting the state chapter and appears to be playing a script aimed at polarising and paralysing its affairs.

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He said: “For more than 10 months after Hon Aaron Uzodike of PDP was declared winner of the Aba North State Constituency election, the Alex Otti-led government and the Labour Party in Abia State did everything to frustrate his inauguration. We were therefore locked in a serious battle with Governor Alex Otti and members of Labour Party to ensure that Hon Aaron Uzodike was inaugurated as ordered by the courts. Despite this long battle, we did not receive any support from the NWC of our party even after repeatedly briefing them on the matter.

“Not even a single press statement came from the NWC to condemn the governor’s despotic action and join us to pressure him to do the right thing. And as if that was not enough, it is now more than two months since some fifth columnists were sponsored to obtain a court injunction against the party’s congress in Abia. Unfortunately, the NWC has not deemed it fit to constitute a caretaker committee since then thereby leaving the party to float without leadership.

“We wish to bring it to your notice that LGA elections in Abia State have been scheduled for November with party primaries expected to commence Tuesday, September 24, yet PDP members in the state are unable to obtain nomination forms and contest due to the absence of a constituted leadership. We find thus both strange and worrisome.

“Whereas PDP remains the strongest political party in Abia State with 12 elected members in the state House of Assembly, and National Assembly members, yet, it has no SWC. At the moment, there is even no known effort by the NWC to vacate the obnoxious court injunction, and also punish the infiltrators who took the party to court for not first utilising the internal conflict resolution mechanisms of the party, in line with our constitution. Instead, all we hear from the rumor mill is that there are members of the NWC and BOT involved in the destabilisation agenda.”

While delivering the letter, which was endorsed by party chieftains from the three senatorial districts of the state, including Christopher Enweremadu (Abia Central) and Kingsley Nna (Abia South), Okiyi as a PDP chieftain from Abia North called for unity of purpose within the party to ensure that it wins all future elections in the state.

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He added: “Our party can easily win all elections in the state because we remain the only party with structures across the state and members who know how to win elections based on experience over the years. Let the NWC do its job and allow us to do the rest otherwise they should all bear responsibility for the looming total disintegration of the party in the state.

“We won’t hesitate to put all their names in our hall of shame, if they don’t act expeditiously. We call on the national leadership of the party to immediately constitute a caretaker committee to conclude the congress of the party and carry out the functions of the state working committee pending the inauguration of a new state working committee.”