A Facebook user Baron Roy has opined his view that PDP and Atiku need the South-South and South-East to stand a chance of winning the 2019 elections. His position is that this is an opportunity to place specific demands to offer them this support.
He has called on Nigerians from this regions not to throw their support at PDP/Atiku but to use this as a bargaining chip.
His position is stated clearly in his post published below:
“Don’t get it twisted
“Let us assume votes would count and INEC would do the right thing by some inexplicable miracle…
“The Northern Gambit
Despite all, Buhari and his APC would still take at least 65% of the votes in the 12 states of the core North. In the Middle Belt, APC/Buhari and PDP/Atiku shall go head to head. If those are the only regions who’s votes would count, Buhari/APC shall win handily!
“The Southern Game
The South West is as angry with the System as the rest of the South. About 40% want either Oduduwa Republic or autonomous regions. At least 60% do not want an APC/Buhari any longer and most do not see a PDP/Atiku as a good alternative. Should votes count today, it would be about 40% voter turnout and head to head like the Middle Belt. If properly shown what they could gain from a PDP/Atiku presidency, votes could swing the Atiku way (assuming Jagaban doesn’t get in the way).
“The Niger Delta/South East
Nothing on earth would make them vote for Buhari/APC. But they don’t care much for the Atiku/PDP either. Most have resolved to turn their backs on the elections and the Devil May have the country! 15 million registered voters that do not give a damn!
“Inference
There’s no way on Mother Earth, that Atiku/PDP could clinch the presidency without the South East/Niger Delta. It is IMPOSSIBLE!!! For greater comfort for the Atiku/PDP, they need the South West to swing there way!
“My Dear People of the Southern Regions, the emergence of Mr. Atiku as the PDP flag bearer is NOT a favor to us! Without us, they ain’t going anywhere, any time. If they must win, they need us this time. And they need us badly!
Do NOT dash them your support for free; THEY need the presidency not US! The choice of president has NEVER done us any good so we should not care much who becomes the president under this structure!
“If they want the presidency so badly, they need us to help them get it. If we must help them, what’s in it for us? We are very powerful right now as things stand. Do not throw away that power! We only have that power BEFORE elections. After the elections, we wouldn’t exert much influence!
“Dear People, let’s quit ‘atikulating’ for now! We are the ones with the capacity to do them a favor not the other way round. If we must do them a favor, we must extract very cogent, actionable agreements from them as a precondition for our votes. If they do not give us agreements that would favor us, we should step up our NO ELECTIONS campaign, and leave them to clinch the presidency themselves! Without us, they can NEVER clinch the presidency! It is called politics, right? Let’s do them the politics this time!
“Our minimum demand is Regional Autonomy. Let them sign that agreement with us and we might consider giving them our support. We shall not longer be foolish to support anyone for free or on some vague promises! We have the power for the first time in 20 years, let’s exploit it to the maximum! No more freebies for anyone! Unless they accede to our demands, let’s all keep our support and let them put any president of the choice. After all, both candidates are members of the same cabal so there’s really little difference between six and half a dozen!
“This is our time; don’t get it twisted!
“The South holds the electoral power for the 2019 elections; exploit it to the hilt!”