Muslim Mahmood
It is time for change in the political landscape of Nigeria.
The country, however, does not appear ready for young leaders just yet due to inadequate preparation and inexperience of the potential candidates that are under 70 years of age.
All six candidates contesting the presidential election were either above 70 or nearing it.
Considering Nigeria’s tainted political system and landscape, it’s a sign that elitism and backroom dealings still hold political weight.
About 93 million Nigerians in a country of 200 million people were registered to vote, according to the electoral body, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).
To vote, a person must have a permanent voter card.
Only 87 million Nigerians hold this card.
Peter Obi is not the answer to the real change Nigeria needs even if the entire western world and its media were promoting him.
Even before the elections were held, some had already declared him the winner and Nigeria’s new president!
The Economist, the British establishment’s mouthpiece, for instance, had endorsed him as early as October 2022 and proclaimed him the “likely winner” of the presidential race.
The incessant western media propaganda in his favor prior to the election left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was the west’s preferred candidate.
Politics is a unique vocation where it beats all odds.
What is needed in Nigeria is a leader who can endure the mudslinging, slander, outright betrayal and most importantly, a leader that has a national outlook, meaning he has friends and allies far and wide throughout the country and has verifiable footprints within the polity.
To become a president, a candidate needs 25% of two-thirds of the 37 states (including the Federal Capital Territory [FCT]) which shows a spread within the six geopolitical zones.
Two references will be furnished that will confirm Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 election.
Peter Obi was a two-term Governor of Anambra state and was the running mate of Atiku Abubakar in 2019.
He is a trader and businessman by profession and chairman of some public and private institutions.
He also worked with President Goodluck Jonathan as economic adviser.
The downside of his presidential ambition was deeply divisive and premised on religious and ethnic card.
The clergymen and pastors collectively agreed that Christians of all tribes must vote for him with the specific aim that the church must take back the country even though Nigeria is a Muslim majority state.
Also, the Igbo tribe was warned to vote only for him wherever they reside in the country.
Obi is a devout Catholic and likely promoted by the Vatican and other western regimes and agencies.
His candidacy has enriched the political process and it will strengthen Nigeria’s institutions and promote good governance.
Nigeria is no longer a two-party state but has become a multiparty democracy.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Jagaban of Borgu is a leader with exceptional pedigree.
He had an organic growth from being a senator to governor to regional leader to national leader and finally the President-elect of Nigeria.
He has built a system where he has been able to sustain his political grip in various states particularly in the southwest, part of the south, and north central respectively and most importantly he is a talent spotter, extraordinary mentor, and a committed and sagacious leader par excellence.
Many observers feel he is likely to become one of the greatest democratic leaders Nigeria will experience in its political history.
When the INEC declared him the winner, the losing candidates, especially Obi immediately cried foul.
They said they would challenge the result in court but as even the BBC’s correspondent in Lagos pointed out, they have provided no evidence of rigging.
The best the CNN could come up with was a claim that some voters cast their ballot while others were watching, despite the INEC saying it would be a secret ballot.
Does that amount to “rigging”?
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