WEDNESDAY COLUMN BY USSIJU MEDANER
info@medaner.com, justme4justice@yahoo.com
Some months ago in Ogun state, the president-elect took the entire political space of Nigeria by surprise with his “it is my turn” outburst in his dialect. The media immediately went agog. The social media rush that characterised the 2023 election began almost immediately thereafter; the attack on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu took its root on the supposed desperate act of the man, and all other propaganda built on that particular remarks. How could a man insist it is his turn, they query. Is it his family leadership stool? And all sorts of other questions were raised culminating in attacks on his candidacy and his political party.
At that time, their messiah, Peter Obi insists he is not desperate to be the president of Nigeria, and if it is God’s will, he would become the president. He was praised as the humble one who only wants God to use him to serve Nigeria. Fast forward to now, the language appears to have changed; the same Obi publicly declared in a tone and mannerism much stronger than the “it is my turn.” Our dear Obi is now saying “I must be president of Nigeria!”
The most amazing thing about it all is that I listened to an Abuja-based radio station discussion about the Obi statement, and it is surprising that the Obidients readily called in to assert and pontificate that there is nothing wrong with Peter Obi wanting to be president and saying what he said – that he must be! After all, it is his right as a citizen of the country. While I agree it is his right like all other free citizens of Nigeria, I then wonder why all the attacks on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “It is my turn” outburst all till the election eve? It is acceptable for Peter Obi to declare he must become Nigeria president, but forbidden that the president-elect to say it is his turn as the hypocrites in our democracy would want us to accept.
That is the face of the Peter Obi campaign strategy and the Obidient mob that represents his identity in the February 25th Presidential election. Anything and everything that does not agree with Peter Obi’s aspiration is wrong and must be attacked. We have gone through a toxic period created by the Labour Party campaign strategy to win elections; a lethal mammoth of a mob crowd created to force everyone into forceful obedience and support for the Peter Obi candidacy. Currently, and even days to the inauguration and swearing-in of the president-elect and his vice, rather than Nigerians having the opportunity to set agendas for the incoming government, the street rhetoric has remained concentrated on the Obidient mob’s disagreement – or is it denial – with the loss of their principal and all emerging atrocities.
Everything Peter Obi does is reasonable, defendable and acceptable. For instance, a clearly divisive call to Bishop Oyedepo of Winners Chapel, was roundly praised by the same mob that are on the prowl looking for the slightest opportunity to descend on anyone for no reason other than not agreeing with the lies they tell.
We are Africans and in a nation where respect for elders is sacrosanct; but the Obi’s Obidient mob is daily committing the sacrilege of debasing our elders and leaders without restraint and control. In a sane society where we all enjoy the political right to support candidates of our choice, the Obidient mob would not have classified support for specific candidates, especially the president-elect, as a punishable transgression.
Imagine some Nigerians coming to the conclusion that the likes of the Sultan of Sokoto, Ooni of Ife, Prof. Wole Soyinka and the revered head of the Redeemed Church, Pastor Adeboye can be insulted, addressed with unprintable names, making offensive skits, images and songs, including derogatory remarks; all because they share personal opinions that are not in tandem with the Obidients’ wish.
They have so much debased our traditional stools; and the same people who would profess to fight for religion, including hating Tinubu for what they claim to be his ignoring Christianity, would spare no time to dehumanise one of the foremost leaders of Christianity in the country.
The question for today is how all these affect their principal, Peter Gregory Obi’s chances of becoming the president he has vowed to become one day? Peter Obi made all the mistakes that took away all possible chances of him ever becoming the president of Nigeria now, or at any time in the near future.
To start with, while all others carefully explore religious, regional, cum tribal sentiments to woo voters during the last election, Peter Obi and his Obidient mob came all out to dispense religious and regional war as the core campaign strategy. Without mincing words, Peter Obi told us ‘it is a religious war;’ and the church was frantically appealing to take back their country from the other religion. The leaked audio of Peter Obi with Bishop Oyedepo without any doubt expresses the intent of Obi and his mob. The question is would the other religion ever trust and vote for the religiously sentimental Obi? Would the densely populated Muslim population that happens to be a critical determiner of election results in the country ever vote favourably for the man? Of course no; not now and definitely not anytime in the future, Obi can never be president of this country going by these premises.
The regional card Peter Obi played is more destructive than it aided his campaign outings. The best he got from the very destructive approach is the unbelievable number he got in the presidential election, but unfortunately, which could not help him win an election in this country. Over 70 percent of the Labour Party presidential candidate’s votes in the election came from the South-east, but non-existence in the North-east and the North-west and almost in all the states of the Southwest outside Lagos. The coordinated organisation of the Igbo voters from PVC registration, collection to the election-day mobilisation was second to none in the history of Nigerian politicking. Peter Obi’s candidacy was obviously an Igbo project. The fact that the Biafra agitation was abruptly stopped to offer support to Peter Obi’s campaign, and all IPOB activities temporarily put on hold to allow the South-east to fully support his candidacy speak volumes of where he stands. The regular weekly lockdown in most cities of the South-east which has since resumed again after the election was halted close to the election for the same purpose. Peter Obi had planned to ride on the full support of one region, his, to win a national election.
A serious politician who understands what it is to contest for the president of a complex and pluralistic nation as Nigeria would have tactically rein in his people in the South-east to take a clever departure from their consistent monotonous voting pattern that has relegated them to a one party region status. Since 1999, twenty-four years and six electoral cycles; the Southeast has without departure given all their votes to a single party without accruing much significant benefits to the region. In 2015 and again in 2019, the region gave approximately 5 percent of all its votes to the ruling APC, leading to the circulating rumours that the region would get nothing because the government would ignore them. While no other among the remaining three regions outside the Southeast gave above sixty percent of its votes to any one single party, the entire five states of the Southeast gave 98 percent of all its votes to only the Labour Party candidate in its consistency with the norm.
And automatically, in recompense, as it seems to be, the Labour Party and candidate from the South-east got almost no votes in the North West and the Northeast, and paltry votes in other states of the Southwest outside Lagos state. This is in the same election that the people of the Northeast where the PDP candidate comes from voted massively for the candidate of APC; and the people of the Southwest, of the APC candidate voted massively also for the PDP candidate and even went ahead in Lagos state to give their votes to the Labour Party candidate.
It is apparent now, that no other region considered the Southeast relevant in the permutations to winning the presidential election; even during the days of PDP, they literally took the region for granted after winning election because it is dispensable. Peter Gregory Obi coming from that region and not political savvy enough to understand the need to alter the narrative, shot himself in the leg; and no matter how popular he appears to become on the shoulder of the Obidient mob, would never get the support of the regions that matter. His choice of a vice-presidential candidate was also a poor one; more like a liability because he could not deliver his region or make any significant impact electorally.
And finally, may be, if Obi became humble after the inauguration of the coming new administration, let go of the fake popularity he is riding on and spend the next eight years to build both a platform and performance antecedents that are sellable across religious and regional boundaries, mend the divides he created and build productive bridges with other regions and religions, he could become more acceptable, particularly in other regions and could contest and have better chances at sitting on the very exalted seat he so craves, though I doubt his capacity to do that.
GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!
