Another season of election has rolled in. By Saturday, specifically in four days time, the surviving members of the National Assembly would be locating their lucks in ballot boxes in the radius of their constituencies on the polling day. That would be a real litmus test for those still praying to make it back to the dome.

Some other legislators were not that lucky. Many of them had fallen by the way side during the first lap of the race to the National Assembly in their respective political parties. If records and statistics are anything to go by, by June this year when the fourth session of the federal parliament would have been ripe for swearing-in, more than two-thirds of members (both sides) would have dropped off by the polls.

For the April 2 National Assembly election, a lot have started happening. First, many lawmakers who were kicked out of contention by their respective political parties took the wisdom of defecting to new parties with obstinate commitment just to get the ticket back to the Dome. This is not laughable because the not-too-lucky legislators are the only ones who know where the shoes pinch this time around.

From indications, every political actor, especially in the House of Representatives, is dead serious about the April polls. Political office seekers have been leaving no stone unturned in clearing all the mist of misfortune set to eclipse their chances. It is a reason most of them abandoned sitting in both the Senate and the House outright since the past few weeks.

In the House for instance, the leadership had had to patch up with the plenaries just to be in sessions, owing to membership draught. Everybody had scampered to their constituencies specifically for electioneering activities. They must do so because the April polls are not such to be determined with the wisdom and might of the godfathers. It will be the first time since 1999 year of return of democracy that the influence of godfatherism became very latent during elections.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, for instance has been listless about unforeseen circumstances on the election day and so would not rest on his oars in combing the entire Abeokuta South Federal Constituency begging for votes. Dimeji has suddenly become ubiquitous. You may site him in Abuja now and in the next moment, he is in Abeokuta.

Bankole was at the Eagle Square last Saturday for the grand finale campaign by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was at the podium to say sweet words about Jonathan to make him happy for the Saturday jamboree. Less than 45 minutes after Dimeji and David Mark soothed the Jonathan’s ego with loud promises that he would win with moon-slide victory during the presidential election, he was back in Abeokuta, and sited at some wards in his constituency.

Those who were consternated about the magical power deployed by the son of Alani Bankole to make his presence felt in two places almost at the same time were told that on leading the podium in Abuja, he had jumped into a waiting Hercules helicopter who ran the distance in less than an hour!

The other time, David Mark was back in his birth place Oturkpo, Benue State and was said to have done a marathon campaign that lasted three days. The most intriguing part of his own campaign, according to sources, was that he located the houses of his perceived traducers one by one and them made peace with them.

He offered promises, the most important of which is a possible creation of state for his own kinsmen and women. He could do it really, and that perhaps depend on his ability not only to return to the Senate but to re-contest and win the seat of the Senate presidency.

Some Nigerians believe that the status-quo ante needs to be retained. That is, let Jonathan be, let David Mark be and let Bankole also be. Let the zoning system remain and let the PDP regain its numerical strength in the National Assembly.

It is in this line that both Mark and Bankole chose to be doubly hardworking on the election to come. Alright, whether or not the duo will be depends on Saturday’s election, and that would be Act one Scene one.