Political Branding: Can ANC Come Out From The PDP?
Adebola Babatunde
South Africans have spoken. Through their votes, they have told anybody who cares to listen that they want a big head as their head; Jacob Zuma by name, Zulu by tribe, rapist by allegation, HIV positive by word of mouth, polygamist by nature, ANC by political affiliation, leftist by ideology, Mr President by election.
Meanwhile…Nigerians, smarting off from the tragedy of a rebranding exercise, peer alienation from the G20 summit, and the kitikitikata in Ekiti, are looking into a dim 2011 since the patient (clinical meaning please) leader is bound to ward them like prisoners for the next five years.
Didn’t the ruling party’s chairman,Vincent Ogbulafor, not pray to the owner of life to grant Yar’adua the power to complete the remaining of his tenure till 2014?
…the siddon look God, as usual, is looking up to Nigerians.
All these tell the tale of two children of Mama Africa, which presents to the logical mind the role of two political parties thereof. One prides self as the largest party in Africa , the other as the older big brother. The inevitable thing to do is a spot-the-difference game. The less you look, the more you see.
What do you see? One failed brand, one successful brand. You guessed right!
Infact, it takes no guess to see through a PDP rebranding self using a national convention as a spring board. A PDP whose Yar’adua is begging other gubernatorial jobbers to, even for the sake of pretence, focus on delivering the goods before Oliver (arm) twisting the helpless (are they?) electorate again.
Zuma or Yar’adua, a dog is a dog! Truth well told while withholding the truth. Else, can we place the PDP beside the ANC? What did the South Africans vote for at the last election? A former alleged corrupt vice-president of Mbeki? Nah! It’s the green-yello-black fist holding tight the jack; the very Umkhonto we Sizwe that have been holding forth for the average South African, since 1994…like a trusted wine would boast.
Beyond the sing along spoof jingle that came out from number 31 Aromire Avenue years back, what is the brand PDP promise?
In fairness to my Zulu friend, Zuma, there’s a school of thought that believes he is a symbolism of a proudly South African grass to grace story. Here, they say, is a man who had scanty education, picked up the English language after his first wet dream and he is today a king. See how this fits into the “impossible is nothing” South African campaign on CNN.
Do me a little favour. Don’t ask me what is the brand Yaradua story? Frankly, there was a G38 that evolved into the current PDP. Only Alex Ekwueme and co would, someday, in their memoirs, share with us where things went wrong.
The other day, Bode Augusto advocated for political parties to be incorporated as companies limited by trust so they can treat good governance as serous business. Voice of capitalism you may say, but let’s all agree we need brands at the next election because it is in a growing society you own brands too can thrive. Abi Na lie?
