…yes, if only we can come together. We can change things and things would work in this country called Nigeria, our country, the only country that some of us have. But it’s only if we can come together.
We may be different tribes, have different faith, come from different regions, we speak multiples of different tongues, but the fact is that we go through the same experience of poverty, insecurity, bad roads, substandard schools, caused by bad leadership, from Kano to Lagos, Sokoto to Port Harcourt, and it doesn’t matter who the leaders are, Christian or Muslims, Shiite or Sunni, atheists or traditionalists, bad leader is a bad leader, and when they mess up things because they are the only ones reaping from it, they break up things, scatter institutions and infrastructures, they fly themselves and children overseas to enjoy what others have built, with money stolen from us. I wonder why we choose not to understand that the political elites are one tribe and religion and they worship one thing only, one god only, MONEY. It makes their world go round. Its more about that than about me and you and this country Nigeria. Do you understand?
As a writer I want the best for you. Writers and critics are trained to see and inform you of what will affect you and is affecting you right now. Most times you are the problems of yourselves, yes, you the masses. Those who sacrifice to save you are the very people you kill and sacrifice on the alter of your ignorance. You mock those who try to open your eyes to see. You hate those who say the truth, not to you, but to power, because you make yourselves slaves to power and you have the power to take the power and be the power, especially in this election period.
It doesn’t matter if a Muslim is up there or a Christian. Afterall we have had both at the helm of affairs and Buhari took the all Muslim thing to another level with all security chiefs being Muslims, Speaker House of Representative Muslim, Senate President is Muslim, FCT Minister Muslim, and all that, but what did these incompetent people changed? Nothing. If religion will make you not to have sense, Christian or Muslim or whatever you worship, then you are not knowledgeable in that religion you profess.
The only thing making Nigeria not to work today is not PDP or APC, it is your powerlessness to unite yourselves because of religion and tribalism. Look at the country, look at it again, this is how it will be and continue to deteriorate as long as you cannot unite and allow stupid sentiment become the basis for which you make your choices. In future we may not even have a country, I tell you, because Nigeria right now is different countries, and you can visibly see the maps of Islamic State of Arewa, The Middle Belt, Biafra, Niger Delta and Oduduwa Republic.
We the people can change this story in this democracy. Yes, we the people, if we know where to place religion, tribe, region and some of these unimportant and distracting crap. Let me start my hitting it straight up.
TODAY the presidentail contest for 2023 election in Nigeria is between three people, Mr. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alhahi Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi. Forget Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Mr. Omoleye Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters and the rest, they are mere contestants. Of the three candidates, who can you honestly say is the best for Nigeria right now and why? Let’s reason, forget the campaign, forget your tribal, regional and religious affinity, put the primodial sentiments aside for once, in your heart of hearts, be honest for once, who will you say is best for Nigeria right now?
I will tell you mine. It is my opinion. I am not campaigning for any of the candidates. Without insulting any of the candidates, tell us who you prefer and why amongst the trio. Remember that Atiku, Obi and Tinubu are friends and after the election they would still be friends. We would publish your feedback online and in our next edition.
Ok, let me start with telling you my most preferred candidate. It is not Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu right now. And it is not because Tinubu is not qualified. He did well in Lagos. He may not be the most brilliant of men, but he sure do know how to pick some of the best people to work with and claim the credit of their work. That’s the quality of a man who understand leadership. But right now Tinubu is ill. He looks really ill. Everyone is seeing it. I don’t think we can afford another sick man as president and go through the drama of President Umar Musa Yar’adua and President Buhari, where family members, cronies and power mongers close to power would hijack power and loot the nation blind when the people languish in anguish. Secondly, Tinubu has not been able to articulate his thoughts, he talks insensibly as a man who had a mild stroke and is incoherent in putting it together. He is being shielded the way Buhari was shielded. Since he won the primaries, all that his people have uttered that is sensible is Emi Lokan, “it’s my turn.” The idea of gave them power, they must give it back to me. At this stage Tinubu should be telling Nigerians how he can fix the mess Buhari has created and plunged Nigeria into. I like it that Engr. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has asked him to honestly go and take care of his health. A leader must not be a president. To sacrifice it all, the ambition, when you can get it and give it to a better person who is fit and can push the very legacy that you want to see is the pinnacle of leadership. Tinubu did not consider his health before delving into running for president. I think it is based on personal ambition rather than national interest.
As for Atiku Abubakar, I think the PDP lacks creativity and strategy. There is still that mentality that only moneybags can save the PDP. The men and women in the PDP continue to stray off from reality, not understanding the change that is going on in Nigeria. Immediately Goodluck Jonathan lost election, the PDP lost power, they stopped financing the party. Without free money from the center, the PDP started looking for individuals who would bring their money into the party. That was how Ali Modu Sheriff became their Chairman and almost scattered the party. The only reason why Ali Modu Sheriff was chosen to be PDP Chairman was his money. And this is the reason why Atiku emerged. Money. The PDP did not understand that with the mess that the APC has become, they can actually get a very brilliant leader that would challenge the ruling party and win this election. Governors and Atiku tried to use their money to hijack the process. It was more important for the individual actors to win the presidential ticket than to win the general election. Atiku Abubakar isn’t saying what he can do again, not able to articulate himself and put the imagery of the Nigeria he wants to build on the minds of Nigerians. He has to do more than burning brooms. If you cannot say it for people to see it, it is because you cannot do it. What can Atiku even do than become president which has been his long term personal ambition like Tinubu? I don’t think Atiku has it like Tinubu.
I have already spoken about Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that leaves us now with Peter Obi. Mr. Obi was governor of Anambra State. He seems to have a clear idea what he can do for Nigeria if elected. At least whenever you approach him he has something interesting to tell you about how to fix Nigeria and he makes it appear he can kickstart that process if elected.
Peter Obi became a national man when he was picked by President Atiku Abubakar to be his Vice in 2019. During the debates that year he was quite impressive and made it into the consciousness of most Nigerians. President Buhari would eventually win the election, but Nigerians would not forget Peter Obi.
In 2019 Nigerians expected some new people to be brought up by the PDP and APC to be their candidate after President Buhari’s complete failure as a president, but someone how, anyhow, the money bags and usual suspects bulldozed themselves into the stage and bought the position. Nigerians were outrage. You know the story of how Obi left the PDP even before the primaries to join the Labour Party. Some critics saw it as a big miscalculation. I bet you some of the critics have changed their minds now.
Immediately Peter Obi left for Labour Party, some group of young social media users launched a campaign to support him. Today it has turned to a huge movement that threatens the PDP and the APC, the two major parties in Nigeria.
Is Obi the best candidate? Put tribe, religion and region aside, look at the threw candidates of Obi, Atiku and Tinubu, who would you want to be your president in 2023? I will tell you without even blinking that I prefer Peter Obi. So far he has been the one making sense.
Tinubu looks like he has a mild stroke that has affected his brain with all the agbado talks. I have seen a couple of videos that shows that the man is really ill, not fit for the rigor on Aso Rock. I don’t want another sick man in there. I don’t think the PDP had done enough as an opposition party to win the APC. They have not convinced anyone that they the capacity to change themselves talkmore of changing Nigeria. Everyone knows that for Atiku Abubakar, it is personal ambition to be president, not national interests.
In an ideal country, Obi will win the 2023 presidential elevation. If there is a free and fair election he can win. But can there be a free and fair election in Nigeria? Can INEC pull it through? Like all organisations in Nigeria, INEC is corrupt, or to put it as it is, the people they employ to work for them and their own staffers are easily compromised.
If this election is free and fair anything can happen.
If Obi wins, will he change Nigeria? I don’t know. But it will change the political landscape of Nigeria as power goes to the electorates, to the masses. Until the political class know that the masses can remove and replace them and monies they have amassed thinking they can buy Nigerians every four years fail them, Nigeria can never be free, it will belong to big men and out of the reach of the masses.
