Politics

As more than 30 million Nigerian youths are driving this generational change through the 2023 presidential poll and they are indeed contesting the presidency through Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Obi is therefore the man who the cap fits.

By Goddy Ikeh

AS Nigerians are set to cast their votes on Saturday, February 25, 2023 for who becomes the next president of the country on May 29, 2023, three prominent candidates – Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are the key contestants out of the 18 registered aspirants for the highest office of the country.

Among the three candidates, who are the front runners, it is Peter Obi that does not have the baggage that may hinder his political aspiration in 2023 Polls.

For many Nigerians, the nation’s battered economy with a mounting crisis over rising debt and inflation, high youth unemployment, worsening insecurity, weak financial and security institutions and a divided and polarized nation as well as an inherently defective federal constitution are some of the major challenges stalling national growth and should be what should be on the ballot for the polls.

And as expected the three contestants have travelled round the states and Abuja canvassing for votes and promising to grapple with these challenges, tackle them head-on and deliver the country on the path to sanity and economic recovery.

But Nigerians may not forget in a hurry the unfulfilled promises of the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2015 to fight and win the war against the Boko Haram insurgency, tackle corruption, review the constitution, address youth unemployment and strengthen the value of the national currency among other issues bothering the nation and this factor may affect the chances of Tinubu, who apparently distanced his campaign from any performances of of the party.

But many Nigerian scholars and elites are of the opinion that this year’s presidential and general elections may provide a watershed moment in its political history as there is a gradual although long-expected shift from ethnic to class and issue-based politics which had not characterised the lead up to past elections.

The reason for their optimism is informed by youthful exuberance unprecedented among Nigerian youths, who have resolved to use their weight in number to set the socio-political agenda and drive the process after decades of exclusion.

They were in the past labelled lazy and generally denied employment opportunities, access to education with federal universities shut for over eight months and deliberately blocked from winning political office by the calculated increase in fees for the expression of interest and acquiring nomination forms which went as high as N100 million for president under the APC. The PDP had pegged it at N40 million.

Incidentally, time-honoured discontent fueled by poor governance, worsening insecurity, rising inflation, high food prices, high unemployment, a worrisome debt profile and recently the neglect of the principles of zoning of the presidency between the North and the South and the issue of Muslim – Muslim ticket adopted by the APC are critical issues that may be on the ballot in 2023.

More than 30 million Nigerian youths have vowed to discard the old tribal and regionally-motivated politics for one based on national issues with nationwide implications.

They are embracing the philosophy and programmes of Peter Obi and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, which signals a departure from the old and corrupt ways of handling the governance question in Nigeria where the looting and mismanagement of state resources has assumed the stuff of legends.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, has been consistent in his message of rescuing the country, which according to him, “is at the last stage of collapse and must be quickly rescued from the brink”.

He told the CNN in a recent interview that “Nigeria is now, not just in a physical mess, it is at the last stage of collapsing. The people in the north don’t have a secured place, they don’t have good roads, they don’t buy bread cheaper than people in the south. So are people in the south”.

Obi, 61 vowed to deal with corruption, streamline the governance structure and reduce cost and address the perennial insecurity which is gnawing negatively at the Nigerian economy causing it to punch below its true weight as one of the two biggest on the continent.

“The issue of state police has to be decisively dealt with. You need to bring in more personnel into the security system, equip them properly, ensure that they properly motivated to deal with the issue of insecurity because it is the most important thing Nigeria needs today,” Obi said.

According to Obi, the 2023 general elections must not be based on “it is my turn” but on character, capacity, competence and commitment to do the right thing”.

He asserted that ethnicity was the early conspiracy employed by detractors of the country to keep Nigeria in a sordid state of underdevelopment.

However, he recognises that to do this successfully he would have to “dismantle the structure of criminality that enthrones and emboldens (counterproductive) politicians”.

“There is no reason why our refinery cannot work. There is no reason why we should not encourage the private sector to build refineries and operate them. And they are not rocket science, they can be done as quickly as possible. Today, you can decide to remove the fuel subsidy, use the resources to support a critical area of production from critical infrastructure to education, which will be done with a shortest possible time,” Obi says.

Already, many eminent Nigerians believe that the ongoing youth mobilization ahead of the 2023 polls is right and commendable.

For instance, Nigerian entrepreneur and economist, Atedo Peterside, is convinced that young people are the main drivers of the political agenda for the coming elections.

Peterside says with an electorate made up of mostly young individuals, one can be certain that their impact will be felt on the outcome of the polls.

“We have an electorate that is now full of young people, who are the majority. From what they have been writing and saying, they understand the issues, they understand better that some people are taking this country for a ride.

“it is a good thing for this country that many young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are now very interested in the political destiny of this country and they are setting the agenda between now and the elections in February,” he observes.

According to the investment banker, at this moment in the nation’s history, no one can hoodwink the populace and tell them obvious lies, because the people have been down that road before.

He notes that the fundamental change that has taken place ahead of 2023 is that young people are now highly politically active and cannot wait for the polls to get underway.

Peterside asserts that paradigms are shifting in the political landscape of Nigeria with the major parties not having the electoral foothold they once had on the populace.

Young people, according to him, are very excited about the elections because they have recognised their own power in changing the tragic course of Nigerian history to something more wholesome.

In his view, the ideal president for Nigeria post-Buhari must be one who has a high energy level, quick on his feet and ready to move to fix what needs fixing.

Nigerians, according to the renowned economist, want a president who has the capacity, understands all the problems, is willing to step on toes not matter how unpleasant and won’t mind being momentarily unpopular as he tends to the needs of a nation that had lost its upward trajectory.

In addition Obi has received numerous endorsements and there include prominent Nigerians, religious leaders, civil society groups and even political parties.

For instance, the Imo Progressive Lawyers Association, IPLA, has adopted the candidacy of Peter Obi of the Labour Party, noting that the “tripartite ethos of Competence, Capacity, and Character echoed by many well-meaning Nigerians and popularized by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party” put him ahead of the other candidates.

The National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, led by a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma and other elder statesmen, has endorsed Peter Obi for the poll slated for this weekend.

In the same vein, the prominent Nigerians include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, leader of the Afenifere group, the apex Yoruba group, Edwin Clark, elder statesman and former federal commissioner for information, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue state, Prof. Anya O. Anya, the pioneer director General of Nigerian Economic Summit Group and Retired Major-General Abel Umahi.

Most of these political and social leaders believe that the presidency of Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed under the umbrella of the Labour Party would guarantee the unity, sustainable progress and development, which the country need at the moment.

According to Olusegun Obasanjo, Peter Obi has an edge over all the other contestants.

“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost,” he said.

For Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the endorsement of Peter Obi is for constitutional, logical and equitable reasons.

Edwin Clark noted that Obi will unite the country with his move to restructure it, if he wins the presidential election.

In addition, Gov. Ortom of Benue state has also thrown his might to the capacity of the personality of Peter Obi, noting that he could even give up his senatorial ambition, if need be, just for Peter Obi to become the President.

Also supporting the candidacy of Obi-Datti ticket are some notable religious leaders. Among them are Pastor Paul Enenche; founder and Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Apostle Johnson Suleman; General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, Pastor David Ibiyeomie of Salvation Ministries, Prophet Isa El-Buba; the president of EL-Buba Outreach Ministries, Int., Paul Adeolu Adefarasin; Prelate and Metropolitan Senior Pastor of the House on the Rock.

Aside from the various individuals, who have identified and adopted the Obi-Datti ticket, various groups have also pledged their support to the Labour Party’s candidate.

These groups include and not limited to the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, led by Bitrus Porgu, its president, Neo Africana Centre, Pan Niger Delta Forum led by Edwin Clark, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Coalition for good governance, Nigeria Presidential Project, The Economist, a London-based newspaper, Council Of Islamic Sheikhs For Good Governance, CISGG, and other Muslim leaders of affiliates groups, Democratic Leadership with its arrays of domestic and Diaspora resources, Northern Islamic Clerics among others.

While describing the personality of Peter Obi, Nigeria Presidential Project stated that he has demonstrated integrity, competence, good experience and capacity.

In addition, the Coalition for good governance says that Obi-Datti is the team to beat, while The Economist described him as the best choice for Nigeria.

As for the Council Of Islamic Sheikhs For Good Governance, CISGG, and other Muslim leaders of affiliates groups, Peter Obi is the best choice for our nation who has a proven track record of standing up for the rights of the marginalized and working tirelessly to improve the lives of all Nigerians.

For the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, he has the needed capacity and competence to rescue Nigeria from its current woes.

Also in the fight for winning the 2023 presidential poll for Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed under the Labour Party are other political parties, which have collapsed either completely or partially into the Labour Party.

Some of these parties include the National Conscience Party, NCP, whose national chairman, Dr Tanko Yinusa, promised to mobilise party members to secure the needed votes for Obi’s victory.

According to him, Peter Obi has all it takes to earn the trust and confidence of the NCP.

Peter Obi, who has been criticized by different opposition parties for not having structures, has miraculously proven to be a force to beat, following the mammoth support he has been enjoying all through his campaign from various individuals and groups in Nigeria, majority of which are youths.

On the chances of Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president is seen as a desperate politician, who has contested for the office for more than three occasions. Many scholars believe that his desperation caused the crisis in the PDP, when he opted to ignore the rotational provision in the Constitution of the party, which states that the presidency should rotate between the North and the South.

Atiku once resigned from the PDP and moved to APC and had to return to the PDP when it was obvious to him that he would not be able to achieve his political ambition on the platform of the ruling APC because Buhari was seeking a second term in office against his earlier promise of one term.   

Abubakar, 76, is from Adamawa state and retired a Customs officer, who had served as Vice President to former President Obasanjo, who does not support his candidacy. Although, he has a record of endorsements and considered a front runner, his chances may be affected by the issue of equity and lack of support from elites, who believe that his previous records and capitalist posture are not good enough for such an office.

And Bola Tinubu of the APC and former governor of Lagos State, the clouds around his records of birth, education, state of origin and wealth may play significant role in his inability to emerge the winner of the election.

In addition, the crisis in the APC and poor performance of his party in the last 7 years 9 months and above all the Muslim-Muslim ticket he adopted, according to some political analysts, may be last straw that will nail his chances.

Since the 2023 presidential race is seen as a generational shift from the old ways to the new and from Darkness to Light, and driven by the youths of Nigeria, who are the real contestants for the presidency through Peter Obi of the Labour Party, it is obvious that Obi will emerge victorious in the presidential polls.

A.I

Tags: Bola Tinubu Edwin Clark Goddy Ikeh Labour Party Pa Ayo Adebanjo Peter Obi President Olusegun Obasanjo