By Chief Benedict Akika JP
Politics, at its purest form, is about service. It is about sacrifice. It is about standing with the people not only in the season of campaigns, but in the everyday realities of their lives.
Sadly, as another election cycle approaches, we are beginning to witness a familiar pattern, one that deserves honest reflection.
For nearly three years, some individuals who were graciously elected under the banner of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have remained distant from the very grassroots party faithfuls that carried them to victory.
In wards, in local governments, and across federal constituencies, party faithfuls who labored day and night to secure mandates have often been left without encouragement, empowerment, or meaningful engagement.
Now, suddenly, love is in the air.
Financial aides are appearing.
Appointments are being hurriedly distributed.
Empowerment programmes are being packaged and loudly publicised.
Smiles have returned.
Phone lines are now open. Visits to wards are now frequent. One begins to ask: where was this energy for the past three years?
Let it be clearly stated, our party members are not “use and dump” tools.
They are not seasonal instruments to be remembered only when another ambition is being nursed.
They are stakeholders. They are partners in progress. They stood firm before mandates were secured; they deserve consistent respect after victory is achieved.
If you are a member of the Peoples Democratic Party in any local government and you have not shown love to your people through genuine empowerment, accessibility, and quality representation over the years, this coming election may deliver a rude awakening.
It is no longer business as usual.
The era when party faithfuls could be taken for granted is gone.
Our people are wiser now. They are more politically conscious. They know the difference between natural generosity and strategic generosity.
They understand the difference between consistent service and last-minute charity.
They can clearly identify those who give because it is in their character and those who suddenly give because it is campaign season.
What makes the situation even more telling is the aggressive publicity that now accompanies these recent gestures.
If the love was genuine and consistent, would it need to be loudly announced now? Why were these activities not visible over the past three years if indeed the people were always in mind?
True leadership is not seasonal. It does not awaken only when posters are about to be printed.
It does not remember party structures only when primaries are near. Leadership is a continuous covenant.
From Lagelu Local Government to every other local government across Oyo State, PDP faithfuls deserve sincerity.
They deserve leaders who understand that empowerment is not a campaign strategy but a responsibility.
They deserve representatives who are responsive to their yearnings, not only during elections but throughout the tenure entrusted to them.
This is not a message of bitterness. It is a call to conscience.
The PDP remains a party built on structure, loyalty, and shared sacrifice.
Those who emerge under its platform must reflect its values at all times, not selectively. As the season of political activities unfolds, let every office holder remember: the people are watching. The wards are observing. The grassroots remember.
And this time, the ballot will reflect memory.
The politics of convenience is old school. The politics of responsibility is the future.
Chief Benedict Akika JP is a PDP Chieftain and Agbaakin Olorunda Abaa in Lagelu local government area of Oyo state.
