The greatest national anger against the ruling elites is the disregard for accountability—where public treasury is seen as an open purse for sharing among the political class. In Peter Obi, his supporters see the idea to continually stay above board; where public funds are deployed for the public good but not personal enrichment; where Nigerians can sleep and feel sure that the national wealth will not grow wings. Moreso, Obi carries himself with the humility and energy that a modern presidency should boast of. Robert Y. Shapiro et al (2000) in their work, Presidential Power: Forging the Presidency in the Twenty-First Century, argued that today’s presidency is confronted with enormous challenges and difficulties, such that, any president worth his or her salt must have the tenacity and energy for performance. A threshold, Obi aptly fits into. Conversely, it’s doubtful if Tinubu and Atiku can afford such tenacity and energy required for the running of the modern presidency. A demand that is compounded by their age.
More so, Peter Obi comes across as a very clear-headed man, with integrity and verifiable records. From his place of origin, education, wealth acquisition, and track records in public office, Obi comes top among the pack of presidential candidates. The other candidates do not boast of such credentials. And given the precarious situation, Nigeria is faced with at this critical juncture, these qualities are essential in reclaiming Nigeria and ending the prevailing woes.
In Anambra State, as a governor, Obi ensured that each community had its pet project dear to its inhabitants. The state government funded those projects and ensure that the various communities owned them. He left a remarkable legacy in the state coffers no Nigerian governor has matched. In eight years, Obi drastically changed the gory story of Anambra State from a crime haven to a sane state where business and saneness thrived. That in itself is a test of statesmanship no one has rivalled to date.
Thus, the nationwide rally and movement for Peter Obi is organic, not rented. It is a movement that seeks to redress Nigeria’s crisis of leadership recruitment and national crisis. Critically, Peter Obi’s presidential candidature evokes a lost country many Nigerians are yearning to reclaim from those who have ruined and ravaged the nation for 62 years. The 2023 presidential election, therefore, is a period that the fuller idea of a true national consciousness of a great Nigeria beckons. We must all take it with some sense of critical responsibility. As President Lyndon Johnson argued above, in February 2023, Nigerians must be willing to deploy their votes as a powerful instrument to end social injustice and break down terrible walls of poverty and state failure.
First, the defining logic of Obi’s presidential candidacy lies squarely on probity. That he is able to pass and triumph over the test of probity, accountability and transparency that many Nigerian politicians will fail woefully. He has even come out to poignantly declared that, “if I have taken public money that I am not entitled to, God should punish me and my children.” If Nigerians really want to secure and take back their country, can the other two presidential candidates of APC and PDP make similar declarations? Can they publicly declare that for the whole of their lives, there are no traces of enriching themselves with public treasury?
The greatest national anger against the ruling elites is the disregard for accountability—where public treasury is seen as an open purse for sharing among the political class. In Peter Obi, his supporters see the idea to continually stay above board; where public funds are deployed for the public good but not personal enrichment; where Nigerians can sleep and feel sure that the national wealth will not grow wings. Moreso, Obi carries himself with the humility and energy that a modern presidency should boast of. Robert Y. Shapiro et al (2000) in their work, Presidential Power: Forging the Presidency in the Twenty-First Century, argued that today’s presidency is confronted with enormous challenges and difficulties, such that, any president worth his or her salt must have the tenacity and energy for performance. A threshold, Obi aptly fits into. Conversely, it’s doubtful if Tinubu and Atiku can afford such tenacity and energy required for the running of the modern presidency. A demand that is compounded by their age.
More so, Peter Obi comes across as a very clear-headed man, with integrity and verifiable records. From his place of origin, education, wealth acquisition, and track records in public office, Obi comes top among the pack of presidential candidates. The other candidates do not boast of such credentials. And given the precarious situation, Nigeria is faced with at this critical juncture, these qualities are essential in reclaiming Nigeria and ending the prevailing woes.
In Anambra State, as a governor, Obi ensured that each community had its pet project dear to its inhabitants. The state government funded those projects and ensure that the various communities owned them. He left a remarkable legacy in the state coffers no Nigerian governor has matched. In eight years, Obi drastically changed the gory story of Anambra State from a crime haven to a sane state where business and saneness thrived. That in itself is a test of statesmanship no one has rivalled to date.
Thus, the nationwide rally and movement for Peter Obi is organic, not rented. It is a movement that seeks to redress Nigeria’s crisis of leadership recruitment and national crisis. Critically, Peter Obi’s presidential candidature evokes a lost country many Nigerians are yearning to reclaim from those who have ruined and ravaged the nation for 62 years. The 2023 presidential election, therefore, is a period that the fuller idea of a true national consciousness of a great Nigeria beckons. We must all take it with some sense of critical responsibility. As President Lyndon Johnson argued above, in February 2023, Nigerians must be willing to deploy their votes as a powerful instrument to end social injustice and break down terrible walls of poverty and state failure.
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