Things have never been this frenetic and chaotic within the nation’s political landscape. Between the last presidential election in 2023 and now, a whole lot has happened. It is clearly looking like the 2027 presidential election, which is still a couple of years away, might go down as the most anticipated in our nation’s history. If we all thought the 2023 presidential election was fiercely contested, the present realities and developments already suggest that 2027 will be even more tightly contested. It is still some two years away from now and the political landscape is already agog with gales of defections and lots of political realignments, with some prominent members of opposition leading the pack to form a powerful coalition that is expected to send President Bola Tinubu’s administration packing in 2027. And although recent developments already indicate that the coalition may have already hit a brickwall, but the three prominent figures leading the supposed coalition are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi and former Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi. They have all moved their presidential aspirations to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) where they hope they can join forces and defeat Tinubu come 2027.
But if truth
be told, Obi is the Bride of the coalition. His massive followership of the
youth demographic makes him highly sought after by all the political groups.
And not many would argue that the profile and popularity of the former
presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has shot through the
roof in the last couple of years. Give it to the former Anambra State governor,
he has been able to warm his way into the hearts of millions of Nigerians,
particularly the youths, with his often engaging arguments about his clear
understanding of the problems of Nigeria and the many solutions he can bring
forward to fix the myriad of problems. But what has perhaps impressed many
Nigerians about this formidable politician is not just the fact that he appears
supremely confident he can fix Nigeria if given the chance, he also
demonstrates a passion about Nigeria that is unmatched.
You may not
particularly like Obi, but you cannot fault his passion and commitment to
seeing a new and better Nigeria emerge. Every time he speaks about the country
and his desire to fix its problems, his passion flows through every word that
comes forth from his mouth. And more and more Nigerians appear to be
appreciating this fact about the Labour Party standard bearer as his support
base and followership continues to swell by the day. Take it or leave it, the word within inner
political circles is that Peter Obi is no longer the ‘small fry’ political
power houses thought he was. You underestimate Obi now, you do so at your own
peril! If truth be told, the man has become the nightmare of all the other
presidential aspirants and the fear of Peter Obi has since become the beginning
of wisdom. Even at this very minute, contents are circulating online about a
Google conducted popularity ratings purportedly showing Obi as being the major
contender to face President Tinubu in the coming 2027 election.
According to
Obi, his decision to contest for the presidency is not about politics as usual,
but about fixing the urgent problems affecting Nigerians. He promised to serve
only one term if elected and said his mission is clear: rescue Nigeria and
restore stability. . Speaking during a live session on X (formerly Twitter),
Obi explained why he wants to lead Nigeria — and what he plans to do
differently.
For Peter
Obi, one of the reasons he desires to become the next president of Nigeria is
to stop insecurity and killings. Obi said he’s deeply concerned about ongoing
violence in places like Benue and Zamfara. “Nigeria is like a country at war,”
he said. “We must act now.” And he believes that, with a focused government
headed by his humble self in charge of the nation’s affairs, our secuity
challenges would soon become a thing of the past.
The former
Labour Party presidential candidate wants to fix the economy. He believes the
economy is in such a bad shape that something has to be done urgently to turn
things around and get us out of the woods.
Obi emphasised the need to rebuild Nigeria’s struggling economy, boost
productivity, and create jobs. “We need to bring our industries back to life,”
he said.
He wants to
fight hunger and poverty. Obi stressed that many Nigerians are unable to afford
basic food, calling for urgent action to reduce poverty. Everywhere you go, you
hear Nigerians crying of hunger, even the most common staple has gone out of
the reach of the common man.
Another key
reason Obi wants to become president is to prioritise education and security.
According to him, these two critical areas have not been receiving the urgent
attention and funding that they deserve. He listed security, education, and
poverty reduction as his top priorities for his first 100 days in office.
Obi has been
variously described as a man of integrity, so it is no surprise that he also
expressed his intent to lead with integrity and led by example. “My family will
not be involved in corruption,” Obi said, promising to channel funds into
critical sectors and cut the cost of governance from day one.
One of the
things Peter Obi has always desired for Nigeria is credible leadership and he
has also vowed to restore responsible leadership if elected as the next
president of the country. He criticised the current administration for
misplaced priorities. “While people are dying, leaders are commissioning bus
stops and taking holidays,” he said.
The man has
also vowed to bring stability to the country within his first two years. Many
consider this almost impossible to achieve but not Obi. He insists that he can
achieve this within the first half of his proposed one term tenure.
Anyone who
knows Peter Obi will know that he’s all about the government being honest with
the people. He has promised to promote honest governance if elected to be the
next president come 2027. That he is dead serious about this is not in doubt,
Peter Obi has long been an advocate for good and honest governance. He called
for leaders to live and work in Nigeria — not govern from abroad. “Leaders must
stay in the country and fix it,” he said.
The fomer
Anambra state governor also wants to end political defection. He has promised
to stop elected officials from switching parties, saying, “There will be no
defection under my leadership.”
Lastly, Obi
wants to run a peaceful and transparent campaign and prove to other politicians
that it is achievable. He assured Nigerians that the 2027 campaign would be
non-violent and fair. “Our votes must count,” he said. In closing, Obi
challenged all aspiring leaders to be ready to serve selflessly.
“Anyone who
wants to serve must be ready to risk their life for the good of Nigerians.”
Although
many might argue that 2027 is still a long time away, but the present political
realities indicate that things will be a whole lot different this time around.
A lot is changing everyday and so, any politician aspiring to be president must
be moving a step or two ahead of the others. This perhaps explains why Peter
Obi is always in the news, trying to consolidate on his position as one of the
front runners in the presidential election come 2027. It is indeed going to be
a fiercely contested election, one whose outcome could redefine the history of
the nation forever.
- Wale Lawal
(08037209290)
Post a Comment