By lateef Adegbite
When Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor and Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, urged Nigerian Youths to go out in mass and register in order to cast their vote in the 2023, general elections that would produce the next President and members of the National Assembly including the governors and House of Assembly members at the state level, he has reason which remained a closely guided secret.
The INEC, Chairman, who had repeatedly given his words that the era of rigging, snatching of ballot boxes or manipulation of election results between the voting and the Collation centres is over had said that the Commission will draw from its experience in the conduct of the Ekiti and Osun states recent governorship elections where electorates vote count to conduct the 2023 election.
The Commission , according to an insider may have blocked all areas of rigging during elections with the passage of the Electoral Bill by the National Assembly that had been signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari, which may have encouraged millions of the Nigeria Youth , who were said to have taken advantafe of the forced holiday by the Academic staff of Union of Universities, ASUU, to turn out in their millions for the 2023, general elections in order to make the desired change in the election.
Aware that the same process which may have brought President Muhmmadu Buhari into power in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, on the platform of the All Progressive Congress, APC, may no longer be possible under the current digital electoral system may have why the Katsina state born Nigerian President had promised Nigerians that ‘’the 2023 general process will produce a Nigerian President and Candidates for other elective offices both at the Federal and state levels that will be free, fair and transparent’’.
This may have informed why the three frontline line Presidential Candidates, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and Candidadte of the APC,Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDPD, and Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state and Candidate of the Labour Party , have deployed their foot soldiers to work on the Nigerian Youths to mobilise support for them using the social media ahead of the 2023, general election.
He has made it clear to those that cares too listen that the 2023 general elections will be made safe and secure for all Nigerian voters. It was not surprising why the Buhari led APC government, has successful y reformed the nation’s security structure over the last one year.
Usman Alkali Baba, Inspector General of Police, IGP, may have cued into the new Presidential order that the 2023 general elections will be free, fair and transparent that the result at all levels of the election will be accepted by both winners and losers , urging the Force ‘’to brace up for peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections’’.
The IGP, who could not hide his feelings at a recent 3-day Workshop for officers and men of the Force in the south west geopolitical region in Ibadan, the Oyo state, Capital and which had served as Capital of the Old Western region , in the First Republic, was said to have urged the officers ‘’ to be alive to their role during the election by ensuring a smooth electioneering process , before, during and after the 2023, elections to avoid a breakdown of Law and order.
Solomon Arase, a one-time IGP, who was said to have been the facilitator of the training programme for the Force ahead of the 2023, general elections, had said that ‘’the training Workshop was essentially’’ to take participants through the current state of high level of insecurity in the country and police preparedness to assess the electoral threat in Nigeria, electoral offences and punishment as well as Human Rights’’.
There is no gain saying the fact the Training Workshop titled‘’The 2023 General Elections: Enhancing National Security capacity for a Secure and Credible Electoral Process in Nigeria that was held in Ibadan was the fourth in a series of such Workshops for the Force across the six geopolitical regions of the country. The Workshop, according to an informed sources was designed to train officers expected to be involved in ‘’the planning, coordination and supervision of the 2023 election.
With the experience acquired by the officers in the train working in the regions where it had been held over the last couple of months and the structure that had been established on ground may have informed why the IGP, could beat is chest while addressing the United Nations, UN, Chiefs of Police Summit in the North American country of the United States, US, that ‘’there will be no security threat to the conduct of the 2023 general elections in the country’’.
Supporters of Peter Obi, a former Anambra state governor and Presidential Candidate of the Labour, Party, LP, may have taken advantage of the level playing field provided by the parties by the Force to mobilise support for Obi, across the states of the Federation to popularize the LP, Presidential Candidate and the party Logo , for the upcoming general elections in order to remain fresh in the mind of voters. The fallout was the planned two million –man march in all the states in the country’ six geopolitical regions.
Only recently, former President , Olusegun Obasanjo, who had jetted out to London, United Kingdom, UK,accompanied by Obi, the LP, Cndidate, to hold talks with Yensom Wike,, governor of Rivers state and members of his Team, comprising of Samauel Ortom, a former minister of state, Trade and Investment, during Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration and now governor of the north central state of Benue, Okezie Ikpazu, governor of Abia state and Seyi Makinde, another governor from Oyo state including Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross rive state among others.
The Wike camp was to have given as a condition to return back fully to the PDP, caucus,that Iyorchia Ayu, National Chairman of the party resigns to pave way for a southern Chairman to emerge to occupy the position in ‘’the interest of fairness, equity and justice’’. They have their reason for insisting that Ayu must resign because Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President,during Obasnjo’s Administration , and who is the party Presidential Candidate and Walid Jibrin, The Opposition Party, Chairman, Board of Trustees Chairman, BOT, are northerers . But Ayu, was said to have told Wike and his Team that he has no intention of resigning because his four year tenure as not elapsed.
Bode George, a retired Naval Commodore and a former Deputy National Charman , PDP and a one-term Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, during Obasanjo’s Administration , may have lent his voice to the Rivers state g governor and former Presidential aspirant of the PDP, for the 2023, general elections, but lost out to Aktiku, at the primary , when he asked Ayu, ‘’to honor his word to resign since the party Presidental Candidate is picked from the north’’.
Unknown to many , Wike and his camp, have their agenda. No sooner, the Team, returned to the country on Friday, August 26, 2022, from London, Obi supporters on Saturday, 27, 2022, who may have gotten theapproval from Governors Wike and Ortom, of Rivers and Benue states respectively, who incidentally are the Chief Security officers and and the Commissioner of Police in the two states to hold the two million march, described as very successful in political circles, as the Youths had defied the rain to come out in their large number to launder the image of Obi, for the 2023, general elections
On Saturday, September, 3, 2023, the Obidients as it is now labeled had taken the solidarity march to Ibadan and Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state, in the south west region , as millions of Youths including old men and women were said to have trooped out their millions in the two states to identify with the Obi movement. The Obi Movement planned rally in the north west of Kaduna was said to have been disrupted by ecurity operatives at the instance of Nasir el-Rufai, the state governor to avoid giving the Labour Party Candidate , unde advantage over Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and Presidential Candidate of the APC.
While the Obi supporters are still mobilizing support for him across the country, Wike had said on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, that ‘’very soon something will happen in PDP, since Ayu, the party National Chairman is hesitant to resign to pave way for a southerner to occupy the position.
He had alleged that some of the persons canvasing to be Nigerian’s President after Buhari in May 29, 2023, were only putting themselves together ‘’to loot what is left of the nation’s treassury’’. Nigerians are still waiting to seewhat will happen
Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere, a Pan Yoruba socio-political organization, had said that the south east geopolitical region deserves to rule Nigeria and thus, has thrown his weight on Obi, the LP, Candidate , who is from the igbo extraction.
The Afenifere Leader had urged Nigerians to keep apart their tribal differences apart and vote for Obi, the LP, Candidate , in the upcoming election , noting that ‘’the former Anambra state governor has ‘’the ability to rule the country independently and would not disappoint Nigerians if he wins the February 25, 2022, Presidential election’’. He had said that Tinubu, sold Buhari to over 200 million Nigerians in 2015 and 2019, lections, for his own selfish interest of wanting to rule after him in 2023.
He may have socked Nigerians, when he said that he has lost ‘’confidence in Tinubu, the APC, Candidate and Atiku, his Coutnterpart, in the PDP, for the 2023, general elections, insisting that Obi, remains the best choice among all the parties Presidential Candidates that could fix the country’s battered economy with ease. Adebanjo, the Afenifere Leader, had said that if Tinubu wins the 2023, Presidential election he will ‘’give continuity to incompetence’’.
With the nation’s polity being charged since the emergence of the Presidential Candidates of the 18 political parties registered by INEC, to vie for the 2023, general elections, Obasanjo, who had ruled Nigeria for eight years on the platform of the Opposition PDP, was said to have stepped his consultations with other prominent Nigerians to get a right Leader from the crowd of Presidential Candidates.
The former Nigeria r had visited Abdulsalami Abubakar, a retired Army General and former Nigeria Head of State in his uphill country home in Minna, capital of Niger, home state of Ibrahim Babangida, another retired Army General and former Nigerian military President.
. The duo had held a closed door meeting which was said to have lasted for about 30 minutes in the Minna General’s inner chamber on Sunday, August 28,2022.Obasanjo, who many believe is an arch supporter of Obi, the LP, Candidate, because of his perceived competence, was said to have told Abubakar , that he ‘’no interest on any Presidential Candidate of any of the political parties but a national agenda to calm frayed nerves.’’
Jonathan,, the Bayelsa state born Nigerian President , may have corroborated Adebanjo, the Afenifere Leader’s recent remarks by asking Nigerian Youths ‘’to reject those trying to divide the country with ethnic and religious politics ahead of the 2023 general elections’’.
In spite of the strong support which Obi, the LP, Presidential Candidate appears to be , enjoying among the young people, Omoyele Sowore, Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, had said that the former Anambra state governor does not deserve such support describing him as a’’ chip of the old block that has crippled the nation’s fortunes’’.
Sowore, the AAC, Candidate, was emphatic that Obi was part of the old system which he had always fought, stressing that ‘’Obi is not new to the rotten system’’, insisting that he is better prepared to merge as the nation’s leader in 2023, after Buhari, from the lot, having been involved in calling for a nation-wide protests as part of the Revolution Now Movement which had landed him in jail under the Buhari’s Administration.
