Peter Obi @ 62: A Consistency In Charity

 By Ike Abonyi 

Yesterday, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, the former Governor of Anambra state and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25, 2023 election, Peter Obi was 62 years old. On Monday he alerted his friends and well-wishers of the date and reminded them how his birthday is usually celebrated, devoid of owambe, but a time to think about the poor, the less, and the underprivileged in our society. 

*Peter Obi 

According to him in his reminder message “Wednesday 19th July 2023, marks my 62nd Birthday. While I remain immensely grateful to God for His infinite mercies, I still maintain my decision of over 20 years, that I will not celebrate my birthdays in today’s Nigeria, with the current deplorable state of the nation. 

2023 Presidential Election: Chimamanda Adichie Writes President Biden

"The smoldering disillusionment felt by many Nigerians is not so much because their candidate did not win as because the election they had dared to trust was, in the end, so unacceptably and unforgivably flawed. Congratulating its outcome, President Biden, tarnishes America’s self-proclaimed commitment to democracy. Please do not give the sheen of legitimacy to an illegitimate process. The United States should be what it says it is."

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Dear President Biden,

Something remarkable happened on the morning of February 25, the day of the Nigerian presidential election. Many Nigerians went out to vote holding in their hearts a new sense of trust. Cautious trust, but still trust. Since the end of military rule in 1999, Nigerians have had little confidence in elections. To vote in a presidential election was to brace yourself for the inevitable aftermath: fraud.

*Chimamanda Adichie 

Elections would be rigged because elections were always rigged; the question was how badly. Sometimes voting felt like an inconsequential gesture as predetermined “winners” were announced.

A law passed last year, the 2022 Electoral Act, changed everything. It gave legal backing to the electronic accreditation of voters and the electronic transmission of results, in a process determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The chair of the commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, assured Nigerians that votes would be counted in the presence of voters and recorded in a result sheet, and that a photo of the signed sheet would immediately be uploaded to a secure server. When rumors circulated about the commission not keeping its word, Yakubu firmly rebutted them.

Nigeria’s Election In The Ides Of March

 By Sola Ebiseni

ON this page last week, asking rhetorically for the whereabouts of Mr. President as the nation boiled during the elections between February 18 and March 18, we bemoaned this curious premonition of the coincidences in times between these occurrences in our land and the tragic happenings in Rome in the Shakespearian Julius Caesar. It is both about the politics and leadership of a nation.

*Ebiseni

We have expressed that those who gave Peter Obi and his structure-less Obidients no chance but swept off their feet in the unprecedented political hurricane that the youths wrought throughout the land in electoral victory for Obi, would rather die than surrender power and its lucre. They would spare nothing, including our cherished legendary culture of civility, to regain and keep power. Losing Lagos was particularly too scary to them.

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.

Feb 25: All Eyes On Peter Obi

 By Dan Onwukwe

You needed to have been at the Boundary market, Ajegunle, Lagos state, last weekend. There were tears of joy  when the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, went to campaign there. It was part of his open campaign in selected markets across the country. Remember he has always told us that he is trader.

*Peter Obi

It wasn’t the chant of his name, “Obi, Obi, Obi number One”… that touched the hearts of the enthusiastic crowd at the Ajegunle market. It was, indeed the crowd of excited women with their kids jostling like that woman with the issue of blood in the scriptures who desperately wanted to touch only the hem of the garment of Jesus Christ and be healed. (Matthew 9:20-21, KJV).  Obi obliged them, carrying one baby after the other. It’s the audacity of hope, amid despair.

Nigeria: When Polls Are Rigged Before Election Day

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated for the umpteenth time that he desires to bequeath the country a legacy of credible elections. That seems to be the only low hanging fruit waiting for him to pluck as his disastrous presidency comes to an insalubrious end on May 29. He has made the promise not only to Nigerians but also the international community.

While commissioning a wide range of operational assets acquired by his administration to strategically improve the capabilities of the police, particularly in crowd control and anti-riot operations, on February 13, the president harped on the need for them to be professional while policing the elections.

Surprise Is The Shot Of Peter Obi

By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

The greatest surprise of the political season in Nigeria today is without question the almost overwhelming presence of Peter Obi. The man has teeming admirers and unappeasable antagonists, but either-or, he can hardly ever be ignored.

*Peter Obi arrives Ilorin Airport (February 6, 2023)

A journalist’s duty is to almost always wade into every subject in popular focus, no matter how controversial – whence my decision to write on the Peter Obi phenomenon. I am not interested in doing a piece on his political campaigns of today – I would rather go to the past, in 2008, when the man surprised me in no small measure.

Protecting The New Coup From Heaven

 By Pat Utomi

The current travails of our country are legion, from pain beyond what is reasonable to expect at petrol stations to physical fight at ATMs; the fuel scarcity and currency change processes are eroding our humanity. Add to these the gripping poverty which has been weaponized by the traditional political parties for vote buying, voter suppression and ‘incentives’ to vote for parties and candidates so undeserving of a seat at the table of public life, the season of discontent in Nigeria seems so grim and dark.

*Utomi

Add to this corruption that cries to high heavens for the wrath of God, insecurity so threatening and inflation that literarily wipes out income of those who desperately need it because they are so deep in water, that, as Tawney’s metaphor points out, even a ripple can disown them, and for the need for a citizen crystalizes as the imperative of the moment.

Peter Obi’s Endorsements And The Integrity Of Nigerian Politics

 By Sola Ebiseni  

The much-awaited year 2023, so expectantly talked about by Nigerians and her well-wishers is here with a big bang, and already stirring ripples around the country. As usual, it was welcomed with prophesies and predictions on all conceivable issues, but only those touching on the elections appear to matter to Nigerians.

*Obi

The Man of Letters, former President Matthew Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo, would not even allow the very first day pass by before he released a salvo in his quintessential letter writing fashion. Like it or not, Peter Obi’s candidacy has not only attracted quality commendation by well-meaning Nigerians, it is evident that it is the only aspiration that comparatively matters to Nigerians from the usually non-partisan quarters.

Non-partisan in this context does not mean being apolitical but those who have no constraints or burdens of political party membership. By my position as the Secretary General of the Afenifere and ipso facto member of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, this organisation of the ethnic nationalities of the three regions of the South and of the Middle Belt which traversed all the three zones of the North is completely insulated from the pressures of political parties.

Soludo’s Cat And Mouse Game With Peter Obi

 By Emmanuel Aziken

Governor Chukwuma Soludo stirred not a little controversy when he received Atiku Abubakar on Thursday and dubbed him one of two serious contenders in the presidential contest.

*Obi and Soludo 

Soludo’s decision to narrow down the presidential contest to two persons left many wandering as to who besides his assumed favourite, that is Atiku, was the other serious contender.

Given his blistering last epistle many were quick to assume that the Anambra governor had again rekindled his cantankerous dispute with supporters of the penultimate governor of the state, Peter Obi who is the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

Nigeria: Presidential Debate Dies A Sudden Death

 By Amanze Obi

Nigerians have just come to the sudden realization that the political culture called presidential debate is dead in their country. The death knell for the debate was sounded by Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress. 

*Tinubu

Tinubu had declined to participate in the town hall meeting put together by Arise News for presidential candidates. He had a load of reasons for his decision. His campaign office went further to alert Nigerians and other concerned publics that he would not participate in any presidential debate in whatever guise or form.

The organizers of the Arise town hall may not have envisaged this. Even if they suspected that a Bola Tinubu may not be willing to participate in the debate, they may not have imagined that he would put a stamp of finality on possible future appearances. But the debate went on regardless of that. But what turned out as a rude shock to the organizers was the refusal of the audience to accommodate any presidential candidate represented by his vice. 

Enough Of Political Brigandage In Lagos

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi 

A highly disturbing video surfaced online on Sunday, October 2, which should give every well-meaning Nigerian cause for concern. Two supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, claimed in the video that they escaped being lynched at the Oshodi motor park, by a whisker.

It was sheer providence that a Good Samaritan, a Nigerian soldier, happened to be in the vicinity at the time to rescue them from the bloodthirsty touts who had already beaten them to a pulp and were about making a bonfire of them before the soldier stepped in. 

What was their crime? Nothing other than the fact that they were in possession of the insignias of the Labour Party. Hear one of the victims: “When the touts, who were ordered by their superiors, seized my friend, I took to my heels to the motor park and boarded a cab.

Why The Odds Favour Peter Obi

 By Dan Onwukwe

By the time the history of 2023 general elections is written, historians will record it that Mr. Peter Obi’s entry into the Presidential race on the platform of Labour Party was like a knight on a white horse. The excitement it has generated among Nigerians, especially the youths is unprecedented. 

*Obi 

And for those caught unawares by his emergence, it Obi’s emergence is like a fox entering into the chicken coop. Panic has encircled his opponents’ camp.  Moreover, history will record it for Obi, that indeed, there is so much one man with integrity and strength of character and competence can do to change the course of his people who desire a new pathway to politics and governance.

At The Peter Obi Event In New York

 By Sonala Olumhense

As a Nigerian with considerable interest in public affairs, the Grand Ballroom of New York City’s Hilton Midtown Hotel, the venue of “Afro-Economics & Government Policy: A Conversation with Governor Peter Obi,” was my destination last Sunday.

*Obi

The engagement followed others in the United States, some of which had been mismanaged by local organisers who chose to charge a gate fee. Not New York, which was free to every registered attendee, thanks to the Columbia University’s Africa Business Club and Black Law Students Association.

The Hilton Grand Ballroom is a cavernous facility capable of accommodating 3,000 persons. For a city with nearly 700 hotels pre-COVID, Hilton bills the facility as the city’s largest ballroom.  At the height of the event, it was about two-thirds full.

Casting Malevolent Shadows: Liz Truss Wins the Tory Leadership

 By Binoy Kampmark

10 Downing Street is set to be bathed in social media guff with the victory of Liz Truss. Confirmed as Boris Johnson’s successor, the new British Prime Minister won by a slimmer margin over rival contender Rishi Sunak than anticipated. Nonetheless, 81,326 votes to 60,399 was sufficient to guarantee her a secure margin – for the moment. (The turnout had been 83 per cent.)

*Liz Truss

There is little doubt that the Tory selectorate – a good deal of it – seem to adore her. That hardly makes them, or her, representative of a broader constituency, and certainly the same constituency that voted for Johnson in 2019. Certain conservative voices have even warned that the Tory party now resembles, in part, the Labour Party of Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn stormed through the ranks with an adoring base of party supporters and ideological brio. The broader electorate were not quite so enamoured.

Nigeria: Issues In The Campaigns

 By Obi Nwakanma

The election season geared towards electing a new president for Nigeria is now upon us. In about two weeks, according to the rules of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the official bar on campaigns will be lifted, the whistle will then blow for the parties now currently on their marks, to take off. This campaign season is more a mile race than a dash. For those who do long distance races, they understand that they must pace themselves: know when to conserve energy, keep an even pace and stay in the race, do not lag, pick up speed towards the final laps, and end with a blinding finish.

No one runs the Mile race as though they were doing the 100 Meters dash. Sprinters, especially very experienced ones, learn very quickly, the strength of their opponents, their speech, and most importantly, how to bank against the direction of the wind, or sail with it.

The coming political campaigns remind me of Stanley Ngwaba, that elegant stallion on the tracks, do the 400 meters race on the “Lower Fields,” at the Government College Umuahia, to win the Victor Ludorum during the Inter House Sports Competition.

2023 Presidential Election: Can We Get It Right?

 By Chiedu Uche Okoye

Why is Nigeria, a country endowed with humungous human and material resources, still trapped in the cocoon of   economic and technological quagmire and backwardness?  Why has she continued to bring up the rear on the global ladder of countries’ development? The answer to the above question is not far-fetched. The military incursions into our politics had dealt a severe and devastating blow to our democratic growth and national development. And we have not got it right, politically since Nigeria became a sovereign country in 1960.

 

The departing British imperialists laid the foundation for the egregious culture of imposition of national leaders on the populace in Nigeria. They surreptitiously helped Alhaji Tafawa Balewa to become our Prime Minister in 1960. Was Tafawa Balewa better than Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who were intellectual giants and political juggernauts? Not surprisingly, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa failed to unite the Peoples of Nigeria and set the country on the path of sustainable economic growth and irreversible technological development.

Sam Omatseye’s Death Wish

 By Obi Nwakanma

What was Sam Omatseye thinking? That he could traduce an entire Igbo, and get resounding applause for his hackery? Everyone knows that Sam Omatseye does a hack job in contemporary Nigerian politics, and since he could not fit in properly at the Denver Post, where he did the last bit of real journalism inside him, he went to the dark side.

*Peter Obi

He came home to Nigeria to roost, and he became what the ‘Mad Maxim’ – mad only because like his kinsman ‘Jadum’ celebrated in the poetry of Okigbo, he tells prescient truth – called a “Kept Man.” Reckon with that, dear reader: Sam Omatseye as a “Kept Man.” The image is so very apt, if indeed it means that a kept man is one in whom and through whom a pervert patron relieves and performs all kinds of pervert fantasies. I’m still trying to discern some reason inside Omatseye’s death wish – his distinct form of professional self-immolation.

Obi’s Mass Movement And The Rekindling Of Youths’ Reawakening

 By Chuks Ucheagu

A chilling anecdote purportedly written by Chingiz Aitmatov and attributed to the former Soviet leader Josef Stalin tells how it is easy to govern ignorant people. The allegory describes how the dictator asked that a live chicken be brought to him. Next he plucked all the feathers off.

*Peter Obi dragging his hand-luggage to board a commercial 

flight with other Nigerians 

He then cast the chicken by his feet and began throwing some grains of wheat at it. Bloodied and in crushing pain, the chicken began eating the grains and followed Stalin wherever he went. Over the years in Nigeria, the political class amplifies their survival by ensuring that the people are kept in most profound ignorance.

They continue to dominate and control the people by impoverishing them. They formulate policies that will serve their interests first and do not really bother about the welfare of the people. They loot and steal from the public till with impunity and on industrial scale. When nothing is left to loot, they go into borrowing frenzy and thus mortgage the future of their youths.

With this level of brigandage on and heist of our commonwealth, all the indices of development are neglected. Because the monies meant for development fritter into private pockets. Therefore, inflation sets in because productive sectors of the economy are neglected.

Why Nigerians Are Flocking To Peter Obi

 By Luke Onyekakeyah

The burning desire by Nigerians to see a turnaround in the country underscores the reason why Nigerians are flocking to Peter Obi and the Labour Party.

There is an urgent expectation for a new dawn to manifest in Nigeria without delay to give Nigerians a new lease of life. People are fed up with the status quo. Any political platform that could guarantee the desired rebirth becomes the centre of attraction.

*Peter Obi 

As it were, Nigerians have suffered untold hardship, pain and anguish brought by selfish and greedy politicians. The political and economic system has been ruined. Long-suffering is a norm in Nigeria as people bear the burden of misrule. The virtue of patience has been overstretched beyond the limit and this is understandable.

Understandable in the sense that the country has been raped and bastardised and Nigerians denied the good things of life since independence. The desire for a productive country started on October 1, 1960. That desire did not materialise. Barely six years into independence the country was plunged into a fierce fratricidal civil war that claimed over a million lives and truncated the political and economic trajectory.