UMAR SANI
When we were young, there t a song we enjoyed singing in my primary school. This song was taught to us by Mrs Nzewuji, whose two daughters, Doris and innocentia, were our classmates. Anytime we sing the song the only thing we the non-Igbo speaking pupils remember was the chorus. It goes thus, “kere ren ke” to which we would respond “OBI” and then we were lost at the lyrics but not in our choruses and our claps to make the rendition enjoyable.
At such tender age and with our hearts filled with joy and merriment, never had we anticipated that at our adulthood we would come across Peter OBI Okwute, the Rock. Forget the fact that we also came across Peter Ayodele Fayose, the Rock Oshokomole. What he missed out in the whole equation is Obi’s gain. While both are Peter the Rock, Fayose cannot enjoy the benefit of those beautiful lyrics since OBI is not part of his name.
Peter Obi’s political sojourn is not lost out by either his performance indices while he held sway as the helmsman of Anambra State or his powerful oratory that has sent the nation agog and has galvanized the youths to root for him so as to become the occupant of the Aso Rock Presidential villa come 2023.
Throughout his entire life journey and his superlative performance as the governor of Anambra State and even as the Vice Presidential Candidate in the 2019 Presidential elections, which had given him opportunities for national prominence, his outing this time round has aroused national consciousness which never before had been witnessed within our political cycle. This, however, is due principally to two main reasons ;
- The perceived injustice done to the South East by the two frontline political parties over their deliberate refusal to zone the Presidency to the region and
- The quest for Igbo Presidency occasioned by the need to put forward the best from that extraction at this point in time so as to make a bold statement that Nigeria needs the Igbo as they have much to offer and that they are not ready to play the second fiddle.
Fortunately for the Igbo, they have been able to push forward a deliberate and systemic campaign such that they have been able to weave a buy-in by other segments of our political society. The sympathy level enjoyed by the agitators of equity fairness and justice is relatively high and the injustices meted out by the frontline political parties has sunk deep into the consciousness of the citizenry.
While I commend Peter OBI for hearkening to the call by his people to jettison his aspiration in the leading opposition party, since it will take him nowhere and take the gauntlet by ensuring the continuity of the clamour for Igbo Presidency so that such genuine aspiration will not be buried in one obscure VP slot that may ultimately lead to a loss in steam of such rightful demands.
My worries for Peter Obi’s aspiration in the Labour Party are many fold. Does Labour Party provide him the needed platform to succeed? Is he ready to play it dirty with his opponents, especially the self-confessed agberos who are ready to play it dirty? What are his hinterland penetration strategies that will galvanize even those in the rural areas to appreciate his person, previous performance and his good intentions for Nigeria? If after that bold statement has been made and the end result becomes unfavourable, what becomes of and defines his political future? These and more are my fears for an Obi and Igbo Presidency
However, my worried for Peter Obi’s aspiration in the Labour Party are manyfold. Does Labour Party provide him the needed platform to succeed? Is he ready to play it dirty with his opponents, especially the self-confessed agberos who are ready to play it dirty? What are his hinterland penetration strategies that will galvanize even those in the rural areas to appreciate his person, previous performance and his good intentions for Nigeria? If after that bold statement has been made and the end result becomes unfavourable, what becomes of and defines his political future? These and more are my fears for an Obi and Igbo Presidency.
My sincere thought was predicated on Obi hanging on to the VP slot since Atiku at the declaration ceremony of his presidential contests has promised to run a transition government, which when interpreted in political parlance, translates to one term in office. With the chemistry existing between them , who knows perhaps it might be the easier route to actualize a long held dream and chart a pathway for genuine national unity and integration, ending the tortuous journey for regional hegemony and self-determination.
.Sani was Special Adviser on Media to former Vice President Namadi Sambo
