Epilogue For A Country In labour

 By Ndubuisi Nwafor

Nigeria is in the throes of rebirth; it is turning into a painful pang of labor, and politicians have strategically positioned themselves like vultures to supervise and take charge of the delivery. The PDAPC, LP, and NNPP are clearly the frontrunners in the race to parent the upcoming new nation; it is therefore critical that Nigerians choose a party on February 25th, 2023 that will take the duties and obligations of governance seriously.

Whatever way the pendulum swings, Nigeria will never be the same again, for better or for worse. A vote for the PDAPC would be a return to the status quo ante, and a complete recipe for disaster for a country whose security, economy, law, and governance have all collapsed into blazing hades of impunity and debauchery.

Following 2015, Nigeria has seen a consistent decline; the change we voted for altered the very foundation of the country and has thrown all of us under the bus without regard. The PDAPC has engaged in atavistic infighting that, if left unchecked, has the potential to derail Nigeria’s civic, political, economic, and religious structures.

From the APC’s Muslim/Muslim ticket to the PDP’s abandonment of basic principles of equality, inclusivity, and diversity, the Nigeria’s defunct leading political parties have offered disillusionment and misery to a country that has graciously hosted their agenda for 24 years.

The allegation and counter-allegation of the true intention behind the new Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Naira policy have exacerbated the ruling party’s decay and intractable differences. Because Goodluck Jonathan is no longer President of Nigeria, there is nothing binding the strange bedfellows in the APC together other than what to do with the illicit money stashed away at government and private homes, which the CBN policy aimed to address in terms of value and efficacy.

The NNPP provides a ray of hope in the form of a man whose ideas and values stand out against the moneybag codgers whose emilokan mantras cannot fit into the new hymn the nation is about to wax. Kwankwaso’s ambition to take over after Buhari’s lackluster 8 years, on the other hand, smacks of insensitivity and arrogance toward a nation-state that has been crafted along delicate ethnic and religious lines.

It appears Kwankwaso sincerely regrets not seriously engaging with Peter Obi for a political alignment during the early days of the campaign and politicking, but his structure, existence, and ambition are directly working in favor of the Labour Party and obedient apostolates. He is undoubtedly poised to debunk the PDAPC in Northern Nigeria on February 25th, 2023.

A vote for Labour Party candidate Peter Gregory Obi will not be without challenges, both morally and politically, but it will not be a waste of time or effort. The moral challenge stems from Peter’s purchase of a PDP primary form and coordinated primary election campaign for the presidential ticket, which has now become a double-edged sword in the avaricious hands of Atiku Abubakar.

However, since the PDP began confessing like witches about how they forced Peter Obi out of the party to make way for Wike, Obi may be exonerated because it appears he had no choice but to seek a more conducive platform to actualize his dreams of making a new Nigeria POssible.

The political challenge is clear on the issue of “political structure,” which is critical for a national campaign to gain enough traction to win a presidential election in any clime. Politics in Nigeria is prohibitively expensive, both in terms of monetary and human resources.

Winning a presidential election in the world’s most populous black country may be more difficult than storming markets in Lagos and Nnewi, but Peter Obi’s campaign has surprised everyone, including Obi himself. He has risen to the occasion and has consistently received positive feedback in national and international opinion polls.

He has not failed or crumbled as predicted, and most importantly, he has proven to be a genuine national movement rather than an ethnic sideshow. His well-packaged and articulated ambition to lead Nigeria from consumption to production has benefited from the APC government’s rudderless and unhinged policies, as well as the resulting hardship and chaos. Nigeria is at the lowest of its low in terms of leadership, security, development, and governance. Thus, it will take sane heads on young shoulders like Peter and Datti-Baba Ahmed to birth a new Nigeria, which we believe is POssible based on their track records, manifesto, and heartfelt passion.

*Ndubuisi Augustine Nwafor, Ph.D (Stirling,UK) LLM (Glasgow Caledonian, UK) LLB (Uyo) BL, is the former Associate Dean, Faculty of Law University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (2020-2022).