Peter may win or may not win. I hear some elite intellectual friends telling me that Peter is the best but cannot win. They point to the fact that he has no money to fund such winning campaign
By Sam Amadi
Last week, I made an open declaration concerning the 2023 presidential election. Anyone who pays real attention, in spite of party affiliation will realize that this election is unique. It is the election where young Nigerians who are otherwise apolitical have decided to take their destiny in their hands. They are mostly supporting Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate. The surprising thing is that these young people, many of them without jobs and any income generating business, are rewriting the rules of engagement. They are not waiting for money to come down from the structure in Abuja. They are spending their own stipends to make sure the old political parties and their candidates do not win. They have placed their fate in one man – Peter Obi.
Like former President Obasanjo rightly observed, Peter Obi is not a saint. But he has accepted that the structure needs to be uprooted. Other have not. He has committed to investing every resource available to cater to the wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians, not the greed of elites of Nigeria. The rest of the candidates campaigning for Nigerian presidency have not made such commitment. They cannot because their mission statement is miles away from that simple commitment, in spite of the rhetoric of their hired policy experts. The game is what it is for them: self-enrichment, and nothing more.
I cannot forget the case of this young lady pioneering Peter Obi Ambassadors. She has sent me her CV, begging me to help her get a job if I see an opportunity. She is a university graduate who was a student activist of a sort in her days in the university. Every day she sends me pictures of her campaign activities in rural FCT trying to convince rural women to vote for Peter Obi as one way of ensuring that their miseries are over. This lady is not recieving any grant from anyone. She has no job. But she is driven by a passion to elect a man he believes can make things better.
Now, Peter may win or may not win. I hear some elite intellectual friends telling me that Peter is the best but cannot win. They point to the fact that he has no money to fund such winning campaign. Even as a billionaire he will not give. Again, since he may not win, they want to secure their future by supporting the man who will likely win.
Now, let us assume that Peter Obi may not win (although, everyday it is looking more likely that he could actually win this election). So, we cannot support the best guy because he may not win? So, we have to support terrible candidates and parties that have failed in the past because they will likely win?
God forbid. Like Moses, I will prefer to suffer with the people of God than enjoy the dainties of Egypt with Pharoah. As I have always done, I will side with the people, the young Nigerians who are dreaming of a more just and productive country. We may succeed today or not, but this dream will become a reality one day.
▪︎Amadi is a lawyer and public policy expert.