By Chuks Ucheagu
Before the electioneering season, Peter Obi had been underestimated in the presidential race and called a loser. The establishment, made up of ruthless political class who do not want their boat of milking Nigeria and its future dry to be rocked by Peter the Rock, taunted him. They jeered that he had no structure. The old and tired politicians averred he would come distant third. Then they and their minions mocked that he would only win on social media and end up a mere social media president.
The legacy politicians and their cronies were still living in denial when the gale of ObiDatti Movement started sweeping through the land stirring a tsunami – ably led by the youths whose popular reality show, BBNaija, for the first time did not distract or deter. They are shocked to their bone marrows at the phenomenal acceptability of Obi’s candidacy and the demand for his presidency by Nigerians across board. Because no political movement had been this massive, spontaneous, organic and revolutionary in our recorded political experience.
Denied of sleep, they raised up a fiendish army of media trolls headed by ignoble political influencers to discredit Obi by all means possible. But their vitriolic attacks on Obi are like rain on the impregnable feathers of the eagle which when shook off radiates its beauty and enhances its strength. The more they push him down, the more Obi’s popularity keeps soaring higher to their utmost chagrin.
Peter Obi is leading other candidates in the public polls conducted late September by ANAP Foundation and We2Geda Foundation. Like sensational icing on the cake few days later, Bloomberg gave Obi a clear lead with over 70% ahead of the 2023 presidential elections. It’s as if, against all odds, heaven and earth direct the breeze to Obi’s sail to sweet victory.
Then followed by the teeming sea of heads across the country. The organic rallies with its rainbow colours splash excitements across over 40 cities in the country like oil on canvass – resonating hope and rekindling belief in Nigeria. The downcast masses now wake up to a new dawn because, with Peter Obi on the driving seat, Nigeria can be saved from the precipice about to tip over by rapacious leaders on corridors of power.
Not going down without a fight, these politicians within the establishment are introducing malicious trajectory to gaslight the voting public by hatefully calling out an ethnic nation of over 50 million people and brand them IPOB, because Peter Obi is Igbo. Meanwhile, other candidates from other major ethnic groups are not labelled as Boko Haram, ISWAP, marauding Herdsmen or OPC.
The Terrorists and bandits are running their governments unhindered in some local governments in about 3 States and collecting taxes. They sojourn in ungoverned areas in the country from where they make incursions into governed territories with the attendant tears, sorrow and blood. Therefore, categorizing Igbo and making them cynosure of the general insecurity in the country leave a sour taste in the mouth and shows how far and desperate these undesirable elements can go to stay in power by fuelling ethnic division and hatred.
Peter Obi is the consciousness of Nigerians. His candidacy is generally accepted throughout the length and breadth of the country by Nigerians of every tribe, creed and tongue, because they trust him better than the corrupt politicians. The OBIdient Movement is a political revolution in which the adherents want to take back their country Nigeria and take their destiny in their hands. They are telling the locusts that power is their hands and they want to use it now.
There was Niger Delta Militants agitating for resource control when Yar’adua was President. They were bombing the economic life wire of the country and kidnapping oil workers, thus making it impossible for Nigeria to produce its quota of oil for export and the resultant dwindling of oil revenue. Jonathan a Niger deltan was never branded a militant; rather he became a President and did better than the current tenant in Aso Villa and his lackeys who mouth “one Nigeria” but not in their deeds.
When Peter Obi was Atiku’s Vice Presidential Candidate in 2019, he was not a member of IPOB. He is IPOB now because he wants to be – and will be – President and the hawks are not comfortable with that. They would rather have him play the second fiddle; where they would expect him to clean up the mess of their clueless, incompetent and corrupt misgovernment.
Need I remind them that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is Igbo too? But he’s not under their radar because he’s coming to play a second fiddle. (There are other presidential candidates of Igbo extraction from other political parties.) They know the truth. They know that the problem is not IGBO but them. The unpatriotic elements have been telling the age-long lie that Igbo is the problem because of envy and unfounded hatred for a resourceful and resilient people. And right now they have refurbished the lie with Obi’s name on it – simply to demarket him.
The selfish and greedy political cabal should know that society is dynamic and change is inevitable and constant. The masses are tired of Nigeria not working and want to oversee it by appointing their manager, Peter Obi, to run the affairs of the country. Peter Obi will be the next President of Nigeria because it is an idea its time has come. Therefore, no amount of maligning and slandering by some despicable humans will stymie it.
Even his traducers will vote for him too, I chuckle, because they know deep within them that they want to liberate themselves from the clutches of their soon coming nemesis. At last, they will eat the humble pie. I believe that they have seen the light, because Peter Obi is coming. INEC should be constantly investigated and interrogated to ensure that the technology they set up for biometric accreditation and electronic transmission of results is foolproof.
Thankfully, those power-drunk and bigoted humans have one vote each, like you and me. Fortunately, voters in the country, north and south, Christians and Muslims, will not be fooled again by their deception and subterfuge, even when they have been told to discredit Peter Obi by labelling him IPOB, Biafran and religious bigot, and profiling him to whip up hateful sentiments that will result in not voting him.
Peter Obi in this election and the next political dispensation is running as a Nigerian. Obi is a symbol of liberty for the poor and hungry Nigerians, the unemployed and impoverished youths and not so young, the marginalized, the downtrodden, the youths out of school due to ASUU perennial strikes and those who truly want Nigeria to work and yearning to be free. It’s the people of Nigeria taking back their country through him.
Igbo people did not propel him first; in fact many Igbo political leaders, especially in PDP and APC are working against him. The Afenifere, PANDEF, Middle Belt Forum, Muslims, Christians, Northerners, Southerners and powerful armies of the youth fully supporting Obi’s Presidency are not Igbo. In short, the movement is beyond him already. He must fulfill his destiny so that the destiny of Nigeria will manifest through him.
I have heard those manipulators say in this part of the country, “Why go for the second if we have the first?” But unfortunately the time for “the first” is long gone and no one can turn back the hand of time. The first is expired like his contemporaries. It is foolishness to field expired footballers for the sake of the game, when we have young, vibrant and skilled players to assure us victory. Therefore, for a better Nigeria, Peter Obi is the best man for the job. He is coming to be the President of Nigeria, by Nigerians and for Nigerians.
Chuks Ucheagu, a political analyst and social commentator, wrote from Abuja.
chuksucheagu@gmail.com