2023 Presidency: Peter Obi and wind of change.

By: Sani Danaudi Mohammed

Nigerians are earger and ready to decide the fate,the future of their own country and their next generations through constitutional process in the 2023 general elections. It is an inarguable discourse that the inability of Nigerians to unite irrespective of tribes and religion to pave the way for the emergence of credible leadership in Nigeria has been identified as one of the major reason why Insecurity, unemployment, collapsed educational and health care systems and infrastructural decayed is holding us to ransom.

The argument currently at the stage is which of the regions should produce the next President of Nigeria between the North and the South. The ruling All Progressives Congress has ceaded its Presidential candidate to Southern region as President Muhammadu Buhari second term comes to an end. The emergence of the former Governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu (Jagaban of Borgu) and the Former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubakar to fly the opposition People Democratic party ticket,It is now clear that the South East region has lost the battle and agitations to produce the President of Nigeria from these two leading Political parties.

However, Since the return of the fourth republic in 1999,South East, North Central and North East are three out of the six geopolitical zones that have not produce an elected President. The South West have been within the corridors of power at the centre with former President Obasanjo served for two terms from 1999-2007.

The late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was elected from the North West region and served from 2007-2010. Former President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in and completed their joint ticket and was elected President of Nigeria in 2011 from the South South region. If true our democracy is base on power rotation then it should be an exclusive rights for either the NC, NE or SE to produce the next President for equity, fairness and justice principles.

The South East agitations to have the next President of Nigeria is presently hanging on the on the neck of the Labour Party and its Presidential Candidate Peter Obi after their inability to win for the region the Presidential or the Vice Presidential tickets from the the ruling APC and the major opposition PDP at the just concluded Primaries.

He is a Former Governor of Anambra State and a Vice Presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar in 2019 now the Presidential Candidate of the PDP. Until the emergence of Kwankwaso as the Presidential Candidate of NNPP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, It was narrowed as a two horses race between Tinubu and Atiku. Meanwhile, Obi urgently needs to build physical Political Structures in other part of the country to give his movement a national outlook.

An independent poll by Nextier, a multi-competency advisory firm, and Data-Tier results in the Six geopolitical zones has revealed that Obi is the most popular candidate as his name now flying like a wind of change that spreads like the wild fire from the North down to the South.

He is gradually becoming a force to reknown with due to his understanding of economics with Nigerians seem to be agreeing with him on his transcontinental policies. He has proved and won the hearts of Nigerians especially those who feeled marginalised that he is indeed the kind of change Nigeria needs at the moment to move into a paradigm that would switch the nation from consumption to production economy to create jobs as means of ending the nation current security challenges and return power to the Nigerian people if elected President of Nigeria.

Peter Obi has been trending on the Social Media notably the Twitter and Facebook as well as making lead stories of different paper Headlines but with little or no Presence on the ground like popular runfa Mai Shayi (Tea Join).

I have for long draw the lines of battle in my conversations and comments via these social media platforms on the urgent need for Obi Camp to move its campaign down to the grassroots level as hundreds of voters out there are yet to percieve his message of change. Equally is my suggestion for him to merge forces with Kwankwaso up North to downsize the overwhelming support of Atiku and Tinubu as an emerging third force that will show both APC and PDP a way out in 2023.

Elections are not won on social media, they are won in polling units. The current vice president Professor Yemi Osinbanjo has one of the best, if not the best media presence, but lost his primary election. The media sensation hyping Peter Obi is good. if the election is to take place tomorrow he is likely to pull a big surprise, but as it is, the elections are months away, and in politics, One day is a long time for things to spin out of control. At the moment, what is going on is nothing but a grand elite conspiracy and coronation of corruption using regionalism, religious and ethnicity as a platforms of ascending to power.

The 2023 general elections will be an opportunity for Nigerians to change the ugly political narratives of rescuing Nigeria that has been plunged dept into the perceptions of voting candidates along Promodial considerations. The growing distrust among the Nigerian citizenry is alarming as the country continue to pay for the consequences of its failure to give credibility and competency to deliver a preferential taste. No doubt, Peter Obi is now a subject of Media conversations and arguments. His long silence and open refusal to denounce the agitations by IPOB led by Maxi Nnamdi Kanu, Condemn both the killings of some Northrners by IPOB and his inability to speak on the destruction of State own facilities especially INEC Offices has generated a great concerns and now percieved by Northern pundits as someone that cannot be trusted.

Nigerian politics can only surprise the new borns, It has long been emotional by those who are banging on religion and ethnicity as advantages for victory. Tinubu’s choice of a Vice President from the North is still hanging though strong indication has it that Muslim Muslim ticket is likely to be unvail when he returns from France. Atiku on the other hand is passing through the huddles of picking Patrick Okowa as his running mate as against the anticipated Nyeson

Governor Wike, Ortom and Fayose have both advocated for the PDP to zone its Presidency to the South before the party decision throw it open an opportunity Atiku used to clinched the Party ticket. Though, Wike has made it clear to support any candidate after the primaries but his silence and Fayose open declaration to support a candidate from the South has left many doubting if regionalism will be out of the equation in 2023.

Peter Obi and Kwankwaso are no doubt forces to be rekwown with, unless their proposed alliance work, Many shared their opinions that both cannot go beyond the edges of their regions as they are been tagged as spoilers. The blowing of the wind of change is making Obi as reminiscent of the coming of Emmanuel Macron of France to power in all the Media platforms. Just like Kwankwaso declared on channels tv, I subscribed to the idea that Peter Obi must extends his network to the North especially in his choice of running mate. This will ensure that all the narratives of exclusions been sold against his person are won. This will pronounce him more as riding a ticket like that of Atiku Abubakar that is of regions, tribes and religious balancing.

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Danaudi, National President of Arewa Youths advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative, Writes from Bauchi via danaudicomrade@gmail.com.