TheCable

It’s no breaking news to announce that Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the governorship election of April 11 in Delta state.

But it would have all gone pear-shaped had KOWA (it is not an acronym) party done its homework – improperly!

Granted, KOWA’s candidate, Atagbuzia Sixtus Chibueze, polled a measly total votes of 594 to Okowa’s 724, 680 – a difference of 724, 086. A massive difference no doubt, but had KOWA thought outside the box – sorry for bringing this used and overused marketing communications term to politics – the result would have been clearly in its favour.

So, here are three factors that cost KOWA the ticket to state house Asaba.

FAILURE IN THE USE OF PUN

It’s obvious Literature and literary terms are not one of the favourites of the people who matter in KOWA (it is not an acronym) party.

Their presidential candidate, Remi Sonaiya, speaks lucidly and unambiguously – though ambitiously – but the failure to grasp this literary term cost her party the election in the state of Delta (taking a cue from Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola).

To the uninitiated, like the people who  matter in KOWA, pun is the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same.

In the history of electioneering in Nigeria, there has never been an opportunity of capitalising on this literary device than it was presented to KOWA in Delta.

KOWA is a party. Okowa is a candidate. So, why wasn’t Okowa the candidate of KOWA? But, why not?

A well-oiled campaign filled with mischief and good intentions rolled in one would not have let this opportunity pass it by.

With INEC on their side, for approving KOWA the party and Okowa the candidate, who can be against them?

Vote Okowa for KOWA? But, why not?

FAILURE IN THE USE OF MIRROR IMAGE

Ifeanyi Okowa has a long face, near-thick lips, British nose and a Space 1999 ears. But those are not distinctive features!

More than one thousand and one Deltans have that Okowa-look and being the candidate of the leading party – since 1999 – in the state, KOWA should have presented someone that had a striking resemblance with the PDP candidate. And it’s not to confuse the electorate but to confuse them!

And to make it all confusing – sorry, convincing – an Ifeanyi Akawa should have been KOWA’s candidate to face, no pun intended this time, Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP. Not the tongue-twisting, anti-WAEC form-name Atagbuzia Sixtus Chibueze they eventually brought forward.

Delta, like Warri, don’t “carry last”, but after weeks of hearing Akawa, Okowa, and KOWA on radio and television continuously and continually, PDP would have “carried last” on April 11!

FAILURE IN THE USE OF COLOUR

This problem is not limited to Delta state alone but being the state KOWA would have easily “captured”, we limit it to the oil-rich state.

We don’t know how long it takes to get approval for a change in the colour(s) associated with a political party, but KOWA should have tried – once Okowa was picked in PDP’s primary – to change the party’s colour to something similar to the now-biggest opposition party in Africa.

If you have seen the flags of France and the Netherlands, you will understand the point.

Don’t Google it – it’s served with no extra cost!

France

Holland

PDP

KOWA?

Mind you, it’s not to confuse the electorates!

PREMISE

Our reasoning is based on the premise that:

1) We have near-psychedelic electorates who see and hear things that are not entirely true.

2) KOWA party agents are allowed to “help” electorates – yes, the psychedelic electorates – to vote “appropriately”.

3) The election is indeed free and fair and strictly upholds the tenet of one-man-one-vote.

If all had gone according to plan, the difference in the results between KOWA and closest rival Labour Party – remember PDP had been “psychedelised” – would not have been a gap.

Look up the word Chasm!