TwoCents | Lessons For Nigeria From Peter Obi's Campaign Of Disappointments

Peter Obi has run a Presidential campaign full of disappointments. The Lagos rally attendance epitomizes it; for all the talk on social media, we could not fill half of the arena. This was also the case for many of his other rallies. So, how can he expect to dislodge the establishment with such poor showings? I have had to consider the implication of the disappointing turnouts on our hope after being mocked by APC supporters over them, and here are some lessons I believe we can take from them. Dear Nigerians who hope to change the status quo, this is a moment of truth for us. Please read to the end, you’ll be glad you did. Everyone who has been supporting Mr. Peter Obi since before he declared to run knows that he has disappointed us many times. If you have forgotten, here are some reminders: While every other big politician was declaring their intention to contest every other day, Obi silently waited for the PDP to decide on whether they would zone the ticket to the South or not. This delay invited ridicule from many in the PDP and the APC, who accused him of lacking the mettle to contest and wanting the party ticket handed to him. He eventually declared, in spite of the PDP not zoning the ticket to the South, and that relieved us for a time. But that was quickly followed by another disappointment; every time he spoke, he was “too nice”. He responded to insults by calling the critic his “respected senior brother” and refused to hit back. It irked us. Bear in mind, the majority of his earliest supporters are young people. Largely ignored in our society and politics. Fed up with the establishment, and still reeling from the violent suppression of our voices during the #EndSars protests, when our simple demand for police reforms was quelled by a massacre at Lekki. We needed him to tap into our anger and be aggressive. We had already taken over the social media space and were actively refuting every propaganda against him. Why was he not equally militant in his speeches? We demanded that he be so. Instead, he apologised to the bad actors among his critics for his supporters’ aggression and requested that we be respectful. That deflated many. Why were the people standing up for him being corrected, and those insulting him being apologised to? You see, for 8 years, we had watched APC supporters employ toxicity on social media spaces to silence outrage at their party’s dismal performance in government. They had won 2 elections doing that. So, why could Obi not understand that niceness won’t get him anywhere in this climate? After that apology, his detractors doubled down on their agenda. They accused him of contesting to be in the picture for a VP candidate pick. He had no hope of winning the PDP primaries anyway since he was unwilling to pay his way through contests. We, his supporters, were being battered on all sides, especially as we knew that his chances of getting the party’s ticket were slim. He eventually balanced the annoying apologies by drafting some of his youthful supporters into his team. That encouraged us and made us feel “seen”. However, that was not his last apology. But apologising for his supporters’ conduct was small compared to what followed. After concluding the consultations with party delegates before the primaries, Obidients, galvanised by his vibrancy tapped into his energy and staged a nationwide march to pressure PDP to give him their ticket. The demand was simple: Give us Peter Obi and you have our votes. We were hopeful that it would convince the PDP to consider a consensus decision, only for news to break 4 days later that our man had resigned from the PDP. He had even done so before the march. Even worse, he chose to join the Labour Party (LP), which handed him their ticket. That move confounded many since the LP lacked a national structure. Why move from the only opposition party with a national spread to another that only managed 5,000 votes from the 28 million cast in 2019? Then the official campaigns started, and the poor rally attendance seemed to justify the criticisms aimed at him. Yes, rally crowds are usually hired for a fee. But establishment politicians understand its purpose; news channels will report huge turnouts at their rallies, which will then help to assure voters sympathetic to their cause that voting for them won’t be a wasted effort. Mr. Obi could have done the same, so why did he not? Why the insistence on organic attendees alone? As the underdog, nobody would fault him for investing to assure his supporters, so we do not stay at home on election day or vote for another “lesser evil” with a perceived better chance of winning. But if you have read to this point, you should have recognised a pattern: Mr. Peter Obi will stay true to his character, no matter what – be it his supporters raging at him for apologising, or the risk of failing to become president because he refused to buy delegates’ votes or being tempted with a dangerous deal for the support of Governor Wike’s G5 group. His authenticity is a positive indicator of good governance. Politicians are famed for their willingness to say anything to gain support. They strike so many deals that eventually some agreements contradict others. Yet, Mr. Obi has publicly announced to his support groups that their labour for him does not guarantee political rewards in his government. His commitment is the same everywhere he goes – he will make Nigeria work for everybody. And for that to happen we must discontinue the culture of political patronage. Mr. Peter Obi has shown leadership. He has tamed the anger of his youthful supporters and shown us how to channel it into actions that can produce lasting change. This character is vital for Nigeria we desire. Since voting is based on promises made, hope is cast with every vote. Therefore, Nigeria cannot afford another government that shits on our hope after winning. When he assumes office in May, and begins to deliver on his promises, we will be glad he refused to compromise on his character during the campaigns. The absence of baggage will allow him to deliver on the vision for which we voted him. So, this Saturday, I implore you, go out and vote for Mr. Peter Obi of the LP for President.

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