 Supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate Mr Pitao B held simultaneous rallies across the state of the country to dump or drum pop support for Ubi as Nigerians marked 62 years of independence. The hugely attended rallies which were supporters saw the supporters of known as obedience marching through some major cities in Lagos, Delta and Abia or Shon Kaduna, Aqwaibom, Edo and Bauchi among others cost traffic snarls in some areas. Now also back here in Lagos women in large numbers on Monday shut down vehicular movement as they stormed various parts of the state in support of the presidential candidate of the all-progressive Congress APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinibu. Now videos of women comprising artisans, traders, and markets women and even professionals were marching on the streets with banners having trending online since yesterday. Well joining us to discuss this is John Shaibu. He's a former member of the Presidential Convention Committee and unfortunately we cannot have and they're possibly joining us but let's start with you John. Many people have asked and wondered what the significance of these rallies whether they be for APC for PDP for the Labour Party and how this will one way or the other win these people the position of a president come 2023. Well thank you very much for this opportunity again. Elections rally when it comes to rally this period. You find that that rallies by experience are said to be to create awareness and to a to exact collective identity for a brand or a name of a political party or a candidate. So for me rallies this season is to create that awareness for any candidate want to support it and especially when you look at the very leading political parties you have the you have the PDP, you have APC, you have Labour Party. Now you find out that a lot of them are holding rallies. What is it for? Create awareness for your brand. That is what rallies are meant for so people can actually key in to whether you're rooting for in an election. So for that every political party wants to showcase what they can give and who they are presenting so people can actually get to know them better and also probably to allow for people to make a better judgment because you know also rallies are mostly you know to show a strength of power, a strength of force and they're the more the merrier for a lot of people but don't forget rallies don't actually make for voting at the end of the day. So rallies presently creating awareness for every candidate and for the party. Again looking at the essence of these rallies yes it's to show solidarity yes it's to create awareness but then the target of every politician, the target of everyone who holds the ticket of any political party is for whatever is being done whether media wise in person to you know change to votes. Are we doing enough as a country as political parties as civil societies to pass the right message because it's one thing we see the social media movement we see you know the PR movement and all of that but how much information is out there as to the vote casting the importance of the PVC and how these solidarities would translate to votes at the end of the day. Now the truth of the matter is rallies you know by experience does not translate to actual voting because you find out that the same people that come up for a public party come up for the others majority. So you know some of some people that will vote might not come out on such rallies because you know you don't know what might occur on such rallies because rallies in the sense have a negative and positive effect you know sometimes look at what happened in Lagos where some people were brutalized, some were brutalized on Saturday, those are kind of the negative effects of some people might not want to just want to make a statement on election day with their votes and for me I see rallies just like I said awareness but when it comes to the nitty-gritty of it creating that pulling that voting strength or who they plan to to vote for you find out that it has to be an engagement you know exercise at different forums where you have meetings, town hall meetings, you have engagement on social media, you have you know meeting of stakeholders telling them what you can present and then you have you know you know people like you know being able to key into your activities or what you want to present for the nation so that is again you know what I feel is rally is all about it's not about singing on the streets it's not about carrying placards it's not about wearing t-shirts because I can tell you like I said rallies are empirically you know I've said to be for awareness because I remember some some year last election some people came out what they want t-shirts they want fesca they want souvenirs you can carry home but on election day you be so strong that you see such people so that is why political party Australia my party engaging beyond rallies engaging people meeting them at their doorsteps meeting them at their various what they call platforms to tell them what actually we need to do that is what I call rally for me it's not the street jamboree that was seen all around the party is doing that boy yes but the main issue of rally to tell me is they are winning an identity for that brand if at every corner where they can meet with stakeholders and turn insurance what they are ready to present I know that you're a party man obviously you're from the PDP but then let's let's look at it from a very objective perspective you know take away the bias for a second the the candidates for the presidency they all have their job caught up for them worried whether it be the Kwan Kwan souls of the NNPP Labour Party APC and across the PDP now over the weekend it was a battle of who could work out better who's whose feeder than the other and we could see that happening between your candidates and the candidates of the APC which of course came as a result of you know rumors that people were wondering what was wrong with the presidential candidates of the APC but then how well do you see these presidential candidates fairing in terms of the PR how they're handling these issues what they're putting out there is supposed to what people need to hear how well are these guys doing in terms of knowing that you know 23 is not going to be a walk in the park now you know straight to it I think who has this five-point agenda which has been promoting nobody's over the years you know on the inauguration of the presidential campaign council at the ISIS International Corporate Centre what the focus there you see there are book presentation of what he has done in the structuring plan and all this plan for the nation that is speaking about it at different for us at the MBA stakeholders at the MBA conference spoke at the legal business community you know conference where they had a town hall meeting and all that and on different platforms in social media at different PDP platform you know so for me I think who is was just catching phone when he had to do with that bicycle that excite thing because he has presented out of all the candidates that we have is only article that prepared only article that presented its position what he intends to do for the nation and how he's going to go about it not missing what about it so I did say you should be unbiased but you seem to be very biased but go ahead no well for me I can talk I can talk about my principle I can talk about my candidate better as an idea because I know how well do you think that these presidential candidates are selling themselves I'll ask again no he is selling himself very well because he appears at every function he's called for to explain what he wants to do for Nigerians but we didn't see APC candidate there we didn't see him appear there only the Labour Party only was OB article appear are you and from day one the preparedness if we can sell you for what the party did nominating our vice presidential candidate having a conflict as well as a presidential convention we had we named right on time our best presidential candidate we inaugurated a presidential campaign council right on time and our candidate has a prepared and reviewed plan Covenant has with Nigerian so this is not it's not it's not a thing of bias is a thing of truth which everyone can identify I remember one of these meetings out one of the presidential candidates had then when was our vice president he said article is ready article is prepared to get going and in one of his interviews also I think we said look the my first objective when I get it I am going to have my my cabinet ready that means that's the man that's ready to work there's a man that's to pay to work who has a focus and I'm a timeline for every issue this conversation is not about promoting article I leave it because you don't seem to want to answer my question but I'm going to tackle you on article if article was unable to win hearts previous years he was unable to win hearts in 2015 Nigerians we did not want him in 2019 why do you think that we would want him in 2023 again what has changed from the story he's been telling and all of the you know the ideas he's been churning out in order to get Nigerians to vote for him why why would Nigerians change to look in his direction in the first instance now look at the power of incovency with all that transpired the shenanigans and transpired in that election you could tell if you want a election but it is this is Nigeria we accepted the result all right but every Nigerian will tell you truly that article about a wonder election but let's let's let's leave that but I can tell you someone that has a plan that is saying it that's prepared for it that has it articulated what else do you expect of such a person that means this man has an agenda and what is agenda to move this nation we structure this nation devolved power get devolved power to down to local government in which everybody will feel in part of governance by also making sure that he engages the legislators who also buy into this plan he pushes it in and ensure that everybody can and when you key in you find out that we target all these plans they are walkable plans that is ready to set Nigeria on the right put it to rescue it and rebuild it back to where APC have kept it in a in a dire state but many will say that the APC inherited this so-called corruption or what state I mean nobody's saying that what what's happening right now is any force of the PDP but then since we're talking about precedence the PDP ran this country for more than eight years and of course it was inherited by the APC why should we in any way want to give that power back to the PDP if they themselves were voted out because of incompetence because of corruption because of lack of you know a certain kind of willpower to deal with certain issues why would we want to give that power back and again let's not forget in 1999 your candidate was also part of the ticket that started the democratic rule or Democratic run in the country so again I ask what story does he have to tell us that is any different from what he's been telling us over the years and what has changed in him all of a sudden that would make Nigerians really warm up to him you know you cannot you cannot take away experience this is a ticket the lesson this is a ticket of of a soldier article ticket don't forget when you talk about corruption who initiated having yet to check financial corruption who initiated ICPC to check corruption that same ticket did it that's the same ticket that came on on $29 per barrel and run this nation manage it to the point in which the next admission to keep up and Jonathan took it up to a nation that you can say that is that almost in that just fast-growing economy in Africa so what are we saying we understand what is playing out the propaganda that are well out that the parties corrupt and all that don't forget individuals and we are they will be taken out of the party because most of them are in turn back to APC wedding told them to say yes we're not saying that there is no corruption in any system political system there is but when you look at it what is the state of Nigerians at that period compared to now if you're talking about corruption what were you buying rice tell me Marianne what were you buying rice back there how much were you when you transported to your village how much were you entry flight same government people call corrupts how much were you what was cool face how much was dollars at that time so when we look at this issue and play the beside what is happening now please we're not we're not where we article is ready by experience to ensure that such system does not that such the system does not you know kind of go again from what APC have put us in if they could push him for a year since it to come up you know could push it for us if it's to come up what what do you think you will be on board well I want to say thank you for being done unfortunately we have we don't have time but I would have tackled you on some of the recent happenings within your party and the allegations by governor don't forget we are doing everything we are in peace there is peace is a family affair and when you fight you make up and what you do you get united yes well I wish I wish today at the meeting we can say we can say there's peace and we're united listen to it I wish to be all the best I really I say may the best man win but Nigerians will be the ones who determine that but always a pleasure John Shibu is a former member of the PDP presidential convention committee thank you so much for speaking with us tonight thank you Maria all right and that's the show tonight but thank you so much for joining us before we go I would like to quickly give you my take here's my take party politics is always a difficult terrain to find a consensus every election brings with it one faction or another with a laundry list of grievances that the emergence candidate is expected to appease from dissatisfied primary candidate better known as sore losers who would rather burn down the party's chances at the polls to contingents of the party that had been waiting since the last election to set their influence it is a part and parcel of the process now serious candidates must be ready with a big bag of favors to satisfy such people this is the one reason why it seems no matter the promises of aspirants things don't ever seem to change while a consensus may be difficult to arrive at in our politics we can all agree that everyone likes free stuff even I do now it's suddenly true that some candidates face you know this kind of internal crisis more than others however it may simply be evidence that such candidates are harder for the egos of many within the party to swallow hence we get reports of a refusal of some party leaders to work for the candidate and even demand for interest to be pacified but when it comes to elections in Nigeria tis the season to be greedy I am Mary Anna Kohn have a good evening