Can Rabiu Kwankwaso afford the Price of (Dis)Obi-dience?
Emma Agu
Many patriots who earnestly envision a change of the old order in Nigerian politics will be disappointed by the statement credited to Rabiu Kwakwanso that the co-operation talks between his New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party of Peter Obi, had collapsed because of disagreement over who would become the alliance’s presidential candidate. According to the report, Kwakwanso had dismissed the idea that he could be anyone’s running mate, insisting that Peter Obi should instead be his running mate. Of particular interest also, is the statement by Kwankwaso that Peter Obi is asking for the presidential slot, as an entitlement to the south east, a demand that he (Kwankwaso), if true, obviously opposed.
Though Kwankwaso fell short of stating what he meant by the Igbo being short in political wisdom, we can conjecture his statement as an oblique insistence that the south east lacks the demographic strength to wrestle the presidency from other parts of the country. However, if that is vague and subject to different interpretations, what is not vague is that Kwankwaso does not see any merit in the argument that it is the turn of the south east to produce Nigeria’s next president. Of course, we must concede that the north east has equal claim to the presidency from the standpoint of equity. But for someone from the north west zone that produced the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Ardua and later Muhammadu Buhari to scoff at the legitimate claim of the south east to the presidency, smacks of bare-faced insensitivity and impudence.
Interestingly, contrary to Kwankwaso’s position, the Peter Obi phenomenon is not about placating the Igbo or upholding any zonal arrangement. No. Peter Obi is not an ethnic or zonal candidate. Irrespective of our political affiliations, we must be honest enough to admit that Peter Obi is a generational phenomenon, a historic movement that represents the rebellion of millions of Nigerians all over the country, particularly the youth, against years of irresponsible and selfish leader; against a heinous cabal that has cornered the national patrimony for its self-serving objectives, to the exclusion of millions of Nigerians who have been pauperized and subjected to endless misery, year-in-year-out. Peter Obi represents the yearnings of Nigerians for responsible leadership; a caring, unassuming and knowledgeable leader who possesses an emotional link with the heartbeat of Nigerians. In one word, he represents hope.
It is laughable in the extreme when Kwakwanso accuses the south east of lacking political vision because, like the conservative political paradigm that has held Nigeria hostage, he fails to appreciate that the coming political tsunami transcends the south east; that the reactionary political cabal’s ability to manipulate the electoral process, stands the risk of precipitating a horrendous and unstoppable backlash if it attempts its ignoble stratagem again.
The truth that Kwakwanso must appreciate is that there is a current, passing through all over the country. Has he asked why people are donating their homes and offices to the Labour Party in places like Taraba, Gombe and Kano State, since Peter Obi joined the party? Or could that be smokescreens to give Peter Obi and the party some false hope, leading to the presidential elections? Has he asked why the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other trade union groups have all committed to a Peter Obi presidency? Has he asked why, unlike him, those endorsing Peter Obi all over the country have never really bothered about his ethnic origin? Has he asked himself why, despite not belonging to any of the two major parties, the APC and the PDP, Peter Obi has acquired the status of a legend even before the elections?
Quite frankly, I wonder why it is difficult for Kwankwaso to acknowledge that irrespective of tribe, creed, gender or age that, to the average Nigerian, particularly the youth, Peter Obi represents trust, integrity, knowledge, track record of performance, genuineness, freshness and above all HOPE. Godwin Obaseki, the strait-talking Governor of Edo State was apt when he spoke about the impending Obi tsunami thus: “The history of our politics in the country is changing. I don’t know if you are closely watching what is going on with the level of disenchantment with the existing political parties. I’m sure in all our homes we have so many people now who call themselves ‘Obedient’.
“I don’t know if you have them in your houses, just ask them which party are you? They will say ‘Obedient’.
They don’t want us. They are not talking about APC or PDP. They are looking for alternatives. And they are much…more…”
Obaseki’s warning about the Peter Obi tsunami, which he gave while addressing members of his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is instructive enough to bring home to Kwankwaso, the imperative of an electoral alliance between his NNPP and the Labour Party candidate. To put it squarely, Peter Obi is the most popular, sought-after presidential candidate in Nigeria today. To enter into an alliance with peter Obi will be strategic, sensible, altruistic and patriotic. His iconic presence on the presidential ticket is the evidence that Nigerians are more interested in the CANDIDATE than the PARTY.
Understandably, the other parties, particularly the APC and PDP, are not idly folding their arms. Not with their financial war chest, incumbency at various levels, and structures on the ground. But these pale into insignificance compared with what Obaseki has aptly described as public disenchantment; with the people’s sense of betrayal by the APC and by the crisis generated by the primaries of both the APC and PDP where written positions were arrogantly disavowed, or gentleman agreements or promises were mindless scoffed thus leaving a trail of bitterness, anger and feeling of revenge. As evidence by the rush to collect voters’ cards, PVCs, never before has the electorate been more practical in its resolve to punish those platforms or parties that reneged on their promises, that abandoned their manifestoes or that, indeed, mindlessly betrayed the trust and confidence of Nigerians.
It is a paradox when Kwankwaso claims that, conceding the presidential slot to Peter Obi could trigger the collapse of the NNPP because the opposite could end Peter’s political career, that is, if he agrees to run as anybody’s running mate. Unless Kwankwaso does not understand the current national disposition that Obaseki so eloquently captured. Peter Obi no longer exists as a politician: voters ascribe to him a messianic stature that defies ethnic, regional, religious or generational colourations. Kwankwaso is experienced and knowledgeable to appreciate that if the Labour Party in Nigeria were to be a stock in the capital market, the entry of Peter Obi would have made it the most sought-after stock in the world. Is he suggesting that a company with such a stock would be swallowed by a less performing stock, under normal circumstances?
We concede that Kwankwaso commands great political currency in the North West states of Kano, Katsina and Kaduna. Perhaps, even beyond. We also concede that Peter Obi may not claim to control any geo-political zone for that matter. But what is not in doubt is that the emotional link between Peter Obi and the dispossessed Nigerian masses who are in the majority imbues him with an electoral relevance that is strong enough to take advantage of the disconnect between the former and the traditional political establishment who the masses have vowed to uproot come 2023.
That said, one last word: if both Peter Obi and Kwankwaso, as they have professed, are genuinely committed to rescuing Nigeria from the present quagmire and insecurity, they should not foreclose their talks or indeed rule out personal sacrifices.
