We are yet in another election season where we find people not lowering their voices to hear each other, and in the process, miss out on important issues. We all agree that Nigeria is sick and requires rescue and yet we are headed on the wrong path and about to hire the wrong physician. I see religion and tribe taking prominence over national issues. The leader that will rescue Nigeria is not the most gifted in the act of seduction and rhetoric or the one making outlandish claims but the leader that will unite, secure the nation and build a prosperous economy.
I have in disbelief heard people argue over their heads that any Igbo who votes for a Fulani or Northerner is cursed and a slave. I have seen Northern Moslems argue that they will not accept a Christian Northerner as Vice President, much less a Christian President from the South. I have also heard pastors turn their pulpits to political podiums. Is this the future we want? If all the Muslim presidents we have had in the past, including Buhari couldn’t solve the problems of the North, what is the guarantee that a Southerner or a Christian president will solve all the Christian problems?
My point is that a bad leader is a bad leader irrespective of tribe , tongue and religion. Buhari is an example of a bad leader. Despite the trauma of his bad governance, it is time we recovered our reasoning and understand that election is a competition. An Igbo man who supports a Northerner is not a slave, likewise a Yoruba man that supports an Igbo is not a traitor. It is unfortunate that rhetoric is now hotter than reason and I do not see us getting it right if we continue on this path. For now, to win any presidential election, you must at least win in 24 per cent of all major ethnic groups. This is constitutional wisdom hence we must allow people make their individual choices to support whomever they want to support without ethnic or religious profiling. I wish the clergy and cleric will take politics away from their pulpit and face their true calling.
We are justifiably angry that the country is messed up, yet we are unable to put the blame squarely where it belongs. In our frustration we let the bad guys mix up with the crowd and escape our scrutiny because we are fighting everyone. We blame Lord Lugard for the amalgamation of 1914. We blame our founding fathers for gifting us with independence in 1960. There is no past leader that we have not blamed. As if that is not enough, we let the driver off and turn around to blame the conductor for an accident.
I think we have been very unfair to most vice presidents of Nigeria. Imagine blaming Dr Alex Ekwueme for the leadership flaws of Alhaji Shehu Shagari or blaming Prof Yemi Osinbajo for the incompetence of President Buhari. This is what we are doing to Atiku. We have forgotten how President Obasanjo mistreated his Vice President because he stood against the former’s attempt to subvert the constitution, yet to us Obasanjo is a saint and Atiku the victim, a villain.
We do not even know who are our friends and who are our enemies. Because we are unable to prioritize our problems. That we are angry is no justification to be sucked in emotionally by any promises of miracle by some demagogues preying on our frustrations. Most countries that made the mistake of electing bad leaders did so because they saw in them a messiah. Beware of the saints because there is no saint in politics. What we need is a leader with the character to unite and secure the country and build it back to economic prosperity.
I have personally reviewed all the major candidates in this upcoming election and the only one that seems prepared to lead and has the character to unite and secure the country and build it back to prosperity is Atiku Abubakar. His life transcends religion and ethnicity. He is one leader whose mother, father, wives, children touch all sections of this country. I have no doubt in my mind that as a leader he will be able to unite the country and restore back people’s faith, trust and confidence in the system . So far, he is the major candidate that is not phoney about his choice of Vice-Presidential candidate. His choice of Ifeanyi Okowa out of the three potential nominees presented to him by his party was deliberate. He was partly influenced to choose him because he is Igbo. Atiku understands that the Igbo need to be in the same room with other Nigerians to build unity. It is now left for us as a people to rebuild our bridges and recognise the Igbo in Anioma, Ikwere and other artificial divides and accord them all dignity and respect they deserve as brothers.
I have also heard people argue about the major political parties and which of them will win the 2023 presidential election. I acknowledge that it is still too early in the day to reach a definite conclusion on how the election will pan out. I also acknowledge that this election will be the first election since 1999 where some fringe parties will pose a threat to the two major parties. I concede that NNPP and Labour Party will make impact in this election. They may garner some millions of votes but I do not see them causing any major upset.
I see a contest between the ruling APC and opposition PDP. This election is PDP’s to win for the reason that APC has ruined Nigeria. Virtually everyone is tired and fed up with the party. I am reluctant to endorse NNPP and Labour Party because these are parties that have not been tried and tested before. I cannot also reasonably compare them with either PDP or APC and therefore cannot entrust our fragile federation in their hands.
However, I am much more comfortably disposed to compare PDP and APC era and say which era is better. As an adult, I lived through PDP leadership from 1999 to 2015. I saw efforts made by the Party to build a strong economy and maintain social cohesion. Like most governments they solved some problems and created some problems too. They were not perfect and of course have been one of the weakest oppositions in recent memory. But compared to APC’s administration which commenced from 2015 to date, PDP years were better. APC has no agenda and has successfully ruined the country. If PDP is successful in 2023 as I wish they will, I pray that their government will restore us back to 2015, and improve on their records. The Presidential candidate of PDP has repeatedly harped on social cohesion, security, productive economy, quality education and devolving more powers to the states. He needs to amplify these issues so that they will sink. He also will need a team that will not just embody his leadership skill, but talents with common sense economy like Kingsley Moghalu, the frugality and prudent management of resources like Peter Obi, the courage of Nyesom Wike, the frankness of El-Rufai and audacity of Rabiu Kwankwaso. That is the unity government I envisage post Buhari, where every good hand, irrespective of party, religion, tribe or tongue, is on deck to build back Nigeria