Last week Accord Party released official list of the candidates vying for various positions in the 2027 elections. And this young man, Engr Emmanuel Chidera Franklin, was among them. He is vying to represent Aninri/Awgu/Oji River federal constituency.
But what does he really want? For one thing, the road to that seat is farther than going from Aninri to Abuja. No, it’s more than that. Put simply, Engr Chidera is fighting to unseat the current occupant, Hon Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu. Before Onwuegbu won the seat in 2023, he was a known face in Enugu State politics – and, most importantly, a very wealthy man. Again, the lawmaker, who is seeking re-election, is the flag-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), having joined in the smart move to “connect to the center.”
So where would Engr Chidera Franklin start? Certainly, he can’t hope to outspend the APC candidate if naira power is the coin needed to take the seat. One of the most wretched party in Nigeria, Accord Party gave away it’s ticket for House of Representatives for ₦4.5 million, while APC’s was sold for ₦10 million.
Hon Anayo Onwuegbu have been financing formidable structures across the constituency since 2023, and that’s in addition to the well-lubricated APC political machines which lawmaker could legitimately count on.
Finally, while the Accord Party’s candidate would be starting with a campaign for name recognition, his APC competitor is already a household name in Aninri, Awgu and Oji River local government areas.
However, there are number of inherent options that favour a new entrant or a younger contestant in an election like the coming one. For instance, there is the public resentments for Engr. Chidera Franklin to exploit; he’s young and so could give APC a chase through vibrant issue-based campaign. But he is not doing it. He is resting on his laurels. In fact, for a new entrant – in a poor political party – he hasn’t even started campaigning barely four months to the polls.
What is he waiting for?
In the past, people grabbed tickets from irrelevant political parties during elections, and then used them as bargain chips with the winning candidates. If that’s what Franklin is waiting to do, then he is not a smart person. To get better bargain from this strategy, you must first show some remarkable ability that’ll threaten your opponent’s chances.
Even so, that so-called strategy comes with costs. To mortgage the people’s trust and so sell one’s popularity for money is not a very pleasant bargain on the long run.
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As he continues to tirelessly flood social media platforms with his AI-generated posters, Engr Emmanuel Chidera Franklin must remember that the younger generations he is campaigning to represent are not proud of him. No community engagements. No nothing. Just cheap posters. That’s a shame.