Starring:  Kate Henshaw, Enyinna Nwigwe, Linda Ejiofor

Synopsis: 

Mabel King, a governor hopeful, challenges the victory of her incumbent after a bloody massacre at a polling site. 

Review:

Mabel King (Kate Henshaw) was the people’s choice in the race for governor. She was a straight-laced, experienced woman, with a pristine reputation. The race was tight against a ruthless incumbent, Governor Sani, who was determined to maintain his seat. 

On the night before the election there was a mass shooting at a polling site located in a zone crucial to the outcome of the race. The electoral committee voided the votes for that region and declared Sani the winner. 

Believing the massacre wasn’t a coincidence, Mabel filed a petition to overturn Sani’s convenient victory while two of her employees set out to investigate the suspicious shootings. Meanwhile, Governor Sani took all steps necessary to ensure he wasn’t implicated.  

Let’s Talk. Every so often we get one of these political thrillers that tend to expose politics behind the scenes. This was more of the same but injected a little sexism. It was a bit dry at times, as courtroom dramas tend to be, but it gradually became engaging as the plot thickened. 

It featured a bitterly fought race that consisted of violence, a video, a promise of romance, and two eyewitnesses waiting to happen. The sitting governor thought he was above the law and had judges and police in his corner while he paid others to carry out dirty deeds.  

All politicians have an agenda whether its selfish or for the good of the constituents. It’s up to the public to vote for their interests and that was the heart of the drama  – the voice of the people was manipulated in order to produce a win. The fact that the incumbent was declared the winner when all votes weren’t counted was a clear sign of underhanded tactics. If anything, the race should have been found inconclusive until the ballot issue was resolved.

Voter fraud is alive and illegal and it takes place in many forms. Systems are constantly explored for vulnerabilities and the question remains if it can really be one hundred percent controlled. 

The sexism came in as Mabel (Kate Henshaw) would have been the first female governor of Nigeria. She had to run against a man to get the position while some may not have been ready for a female in that role. Hearing lines like “I didn’t think a woman would make it this far” or that Mabel should accept a win “next time” were indicative that women are still perceived to be second place. Although there are many female world leaders the fight for equality is still on. 

The political landscape consists of elections, campaigns, and organizational movements, all activities aimed at change. But at the peak of it all is power and this is a competent story that exhibited the lengths people go to get it.  RECOMMEND