It is obvious to all and sundry; Obidients and anti obidients alike, that this 2023 election has seen the take-over of governance by the people from the elites. This is by the sheer instrumentality of the Labour Party, which was given a new life by Mr Peter Obi, its presidential candidate. The common expression used now by members of all political parties to describe the tsunami effect of the Labour Party and Obidient Movement had at the polls, which saw new persons from across the nation, most of them from the lowest rung of the economic class defeat members of the old order at the polls, is that ‘Peter Obi happened to them.’
Peter Obi is now synonymous with toppling the old system where a few oligarchs lord it over the people of Nigeria in a pseudo democracy and thereby improving the rate at which the masses have, not just a say, but their way in the policy making and implementation processes.
A look at the Victor Umeh and Uche Ekwunife performance at the polls illustrates this beautifully. If one would cast back his mind to the time Peter Obi cross-carpeted from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a result of the sharp differences he had with Umeh, who was the National Chairman of APGA then. It was Obi who encouraged Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife to come to PDP and contest for Anambra Central Senatorial seat with Umeh and she did and had a resounding victory at the polls. Thanks to the role Obi played then, which amplified Ekwunife’s grassroots effect. Fast forward to 2023 when Peter Obi, on seeing the machination of the PDP to do the bidding of Atiku and throw their southern presidency agreement through the window, left the party and emerged the presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party thereby giving the people a vent for the first time.
ANN learnt from the grapevine that Peter Obi approached Ekwunife again and pleaded with her to join him in the Labour Party to contest her return bid to the senate. Ekwunife refused him this time. To her, the PDP was in a better position to earn her the second term bid to the senate. Peter Obi happened to her. Obi’s arch-rival, Umeh, on losing the APGA primaries, much to the surprise of everyone, went face down begging Obi to consider their past feud as mosquito bite of the night and see him as a brother again. He joined Peter Obi in the Labour Party and became his hype man every step of the way. Well, despite the court slam from Ekwunife challenging the authenticity of Umeh’s candidacy in the LP given he had contested for primaries in the APGA and lost, Labour Party won the Anambra Central Senate and Ekwunife was, regrettably, sent home.
She has since sent her congratulatory message to Umeh indicating that she has conceded defeat. I am cocksure she must be regretting refusing Obi’s supplication. Indeed, the power is returning to the people of Nigeria. With the alleged upturn of the presidential polls, which saw the APC which could not win its major strongholds, by dint of some clumsily carried out rigging, emerged as the winner, there is no gainsaying the fact that the last nail that would seal the fate of Nigerians would be the upcoming house of assembly and guber elections.
Already, the people are threatening to vote LP all the way. LP has suddenly gained over 60 federal house members. If this Obi tsunami hits the states’ elections as anticipated, it would be au revoir to the old order of things in Nigeria. And if Peter Obi is able to repeat the feat he performed as governor when he regained his mandate twice in a row, then it is indeed RIP to the pseudo democracy hitherto holding Nigeria down at the third world status. May the will of the people prevail. May Nigeria attain the first world status in our lifetime. Amen.
