I am Abalunam Okah,
Nigerian Candidate from the People's Democratic Party
Local Level
The reason I decided to join politics is because I want to help my fellow Nigerians, and I wanted start by helping the local people where I worked at.
I joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because I hope I had a better chance to be elected as the governor of the local government, and hopefully, national government, since the party had received popular support of the people. Not only that, I am very committed to economic freedom, promote free market, and etc.. Also, I understood that in order to become a qualified candidate, I have to be ethnically and religiously neutral to all Nigerian citizens, regardless of mine.
This country has a multi-party system, so any electoral results, whether it is local or national, are determined by which candidate won the most votes from the Nigerian people. In the city where I worked at, PDP has received popular support from the local people; so many people here tend to favor PDP. However, they are some candidates who would commit bribery and other corrupted activities to won the elections, so it is possible that some candidates had won their votes through corruption. In order to join the governorship election, every candidate, including me, has to be at least at the age of 35, which I am. During the voting process, people of different ethnicities, religions, and genders wrote down their votes and drop their votes in the voting box, which will be counted to show the result.
After I won the election, I have to take an oath in order to become the governor, which is:
"I, ......... do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as the Governor of ......... State, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will exercise the authority vested in me as Governor so as not to impede or prejudice the authority lawfully vested in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so as not to endanger the continuance of Federal Government in Nigeria; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; that I will to the to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifty Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Governor of ......... State, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as Governor; and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria.
So help me God."
Sub-national Level
After a long and tiring journey, I finally won the election and received my title is “Governor Abalunam Okah.” My journey kicked off when I needed to choose a party to be a part of. With around 80 percent of the support coming from regions in Nigeria and more than a decade as the ruling party of the government, the PDP offered more benefits than any other party could offer. With that in mind, it was without a doubt that I would side with the PDP for increased chances of government entrance. I immediately sent the registration form to apply for entrance into the party and shortly received an acceptance from the Ward Executive Committee. Satisfying all requirements of being 35 years old, being a Nigerian born citizen, being a party member, and being funded by the PDP, I was considered eligible to run for the governor title. The Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) set polling stations where Nigerians over the age of 18 could vote for either me or the other candidates I stood up against. I needed the majority of the votes in the state and at least a quarter of the ballots from the local government areas in the state. Through my charismatic appeal, I successfully won by a landslide and was elected as governor.
Although I achieved my desired outcome, it was not to say that I did not encounter hardships along the way. As a politician in Nigeria, I, with many others alike, are all at risk of assassination, the most common form of corruption. There have been many cases of political assassination and fighting between thugs to intimidate opponents. Moreover, prebendalism has been a prevalent part of the Nigerian government. I have witnessed many politicians who pay their way into office or keep good connections with those already in the government. The corruption level in Nigeria is fairly high and plenty of times did re-elections take place, but after coming this far, I will just need to await what is to come in the future.
National Level
I, Abalunam Okah, a member of the People's Democratic Party, has successfully been elected as a memeber of the Senate in the great Federal Republic of Nigeria. Towards my election, thirty people in my local government area nominated me by writing in my name in ballots to be considered for election. From the very start, I alligned myself with the People's Democratic Party because I knew I wanted a governmental job, and being in the People's Democratic Party increased my chances of being elected due to the large support given to the party in the great Nigerian nation. I do stand strongly by the cause of the People's Democratic Party, though, since I am, with no doubt, a champion for free-market policies and economic liberalism. In the electoral process, I was required a deposit of N20,000 upon making it to the Commission, and one of the requirements was to be at least the age of 35. Thankfully, I am of age. In the election process, credited voters had to line up and have separate queues between men and women. Each voter had two ballot papers, one for the national assembly elections, and one for the presidential elections. A voting table is given for the candidates to vote on, and votes are counted in the presence of voters. Corruption is rampant in this system, as many candidates can easily buy their nominations through bribing thirty individuals, and the absence of a secret voting stall allows some people to pressure other voters to vote in certain ways.
During my time as a senate for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I've noticed that the presidential power exceeds that of the senate often. Although the senate has more power in deciding what laws get passed, the president also gets significant power in the process. However, the judicial system is relatively weak, as compared to the legislative branch.
Nigerian Candidate from the People's Democratic Party
Local Level
The reason I decided to join politics is because I want to help my fellow Nigerians, and I wanted start by helping the local people where I worked at.
I joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because I hope I had a better chance to be elected as the governor of the local government, and hopefully, national government, since the party had received popular support of the people. Not only that, I am very committed to economic freedom, promote free market, and etc.. Also, I understood that in order to become a qualified candidate, I have to be ethnically and religiously neutral to all Nigerian citizens, regardless of mine.
This country has a multi-party system, so any electoral results, whether it is local or national, are determined by which candidate won the most votes from the Nigerian people. In the city where I worked at, PDP has received popular support from the local people; so many people here tend to favor PDP. However, they are some candidates who would commit bribery and other corrupted activities to won the elections, so it is possible that some candidates had won their votes through corruption. In order to join the governorship election, every candidate, including me, has to be at least at the age of 35, which I am. During the voting process, people of different ethnicities, religions, and genders wrote down their votes and drop their votes in the voting box, which will be counted to show the result.
After I won the election, I have to take an oath in order to become the governor, which is:
"I, ......... do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as the Governor of ......... State, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will exercise the authority vested in me as Governor so as not to impede or prejudice the authority lawfully vested in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so as not to endanger the continuance of Federal Government in Nigeria; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; that I will to the to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifty Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as Governor of ......... State, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as Governor; and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria.
So help me God."
Sub-national Level
After a long and tiring journey, I finally won the election and received my title is “Governor Abalunam Okah.” My journey kicked off when I needed to choose a party to be a part of. With around 80 percent of the support coming from regions in Nigeria and more than a decade as the ruling party of the government, the PDP offered more benefits than any other party could offer. With that in mind, it was without a doubt that I would side with the PDP for increased chances of government entrance. I immediately sent the registration form to apply for entrance into the party and shortly received an acceptance from the Ward Executive Committee. Satisfying all requirements of being 35 years old, being a Nigerian born citizen, being a party member, and being funded by the PDP, I was considered eligible to run for the governor title. The Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) set polling stations where Nigerians over the age of 18 could vote for either me or the other candidates I stood up against. I needed the majority of the votes in the state and at least a quarter of the ballots from the local government areas in the state. Through my charismatic appeal, I successfully won by a landslide and was elected as governor.
Although I achieved my desired outcome, it was not to say that I did not encounter hardships along the way. As a politician in Nigeria, I, with many others alike, are all at risk of assassination, the most common form of corruption. There have been many cases of political assassination and fighting between thugs to intimidate opponents. Moreover, prebendalism has been a prevalent part of the Nigerian government. I have witnessed many politicians who pay their way into office or keep good connections with those already in the government. The corruption level in Nigeria is fairly high and plenty of times did re-elections take place, but after coming this far, I will just need to await what is to come in the future.
National Level
I, Abalunam Okah, a member of the People's Democratic Party, has successfully been elected as a memeber of the Senate in the great Federal Republic of Nigeria. Towards my election, thirty people in my local government area nominated me by writing in my name in ballots to be considered for election. From the very start, I alligned myself with the People's Democratic Party because I knew I wanted a governmental job, and being in the People's Democratic Party increased my chances of being elected due to the large support given to the party in the great Nigerian nation. I do stand strongly by the cause of the People's Democratic Party, though, since I am, with no doubt, a champion for free-market policies and economic liberalism. In the electoral process, I was required a deposit of N20,000 upon making it to the Commission, and one of the requirements was to be at least the age of 35. Thankfully, I am of age. In the election process, credited voters had to line up and have separate queues between men and women. Each voter had two ballot papers, one for the national assembly elections, and one for the presidential elections. A voting table is given for the candidates to vote on, and votes are counted in the presence of voters. Corruption is rampant in this system, as many candidates can easily buy their nominations through bribing thirty individuals, and the absence of a secret voting stall allows some people to pressure other voters to vote in certain ways.
During my time as a senate for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I've noticed that the presidential power exceeds that of the senate often. Although the senate has more power in deciding what laws get passed, the president also gets significant power in the process. However, the judicial system is relatively weak, as compared to the legislative branch.