My dear friends, the events of the past two weeks have revealed some salient issues about Nigeria. The primary issue is that we are all bad losers. When Jagaban lost Lagos to LP, there was rancorous jubilations on social media. A section of the country rejoiced greatly and declared that the real landlord of Lagos is Peter OBI. They forgot that Igbo votes alone could not have given OBI this win. They rejoiced over the internet as if winning Lagos is synonymous to the Presidential Election.
Anyone following my posts will have read that I implored supporters of JAGABAN to exercise cautions in the way and manner we celebrated the Winning, not because we are afraid or that we are not happy with the results. But the narratives being peddled on the internet is that the Nation is not happy with the result. The Online Politicians went ahead to rile up the pent-up buried sentiments of the Yorubas in Lagos by claiming Lagos is a no man's land and that OBI is the new Landlord of Lagos. This spurred even the woke Yoruba generations to backed down from LP even though there were still pockets of Loyalists among the Yorubas. A tonne of evidences abound online that the current prevailing stance of the Yorubas against the Igbos were very much instigated by the Igbos. Personally, I received a lot provocative insults and curses because of my choice of Asiwaju as our president. Even for Heaven-bound tongue talking Christians who resorted to the use of Bible Verses to rain curses. But I never raise an issue out o. We are still friends.
Given your candidate may not have won the elections, you have right to vent your frustrations online but when you begin to invoke invectives on people who voted for the winning Candidate, you have crossed the line of decency and sportsmanship. I have worked with Igbos and I do see them as a great asset to this nation because of their drives and enterprise but the other side I witnessed in this elections reflects that they have a pent-up sentiment against the Nigerian State primary because they have not been able to produce a President since the advent of this democracy. This view was reflected on Saturday while I was engaging some young Igbo friends. I was asked a question "Why do we not want an Igbo man as president?". I had to dig deep to be able to find reasonable answer.
Who does not want an Igbo president? if the massive number OBI got from Lagos is anything to go by, it is evident that such sentiments should not be entertained. The fact remain that the elites and the young people wants OBI. However, appealing to a certain demography does not equate to national acceptance.
When people were saying that LP does not have structures or national spread, some people believed that we were talking nonsense. However, we have been proven right. Penultimate to the day of presidential elections, the Chairman of LP in Gombe called a press conference to call on the Party's Flagbearer on the need for him to address some issues and he categorically stated that Mr. Peter OBI was not ready to win the elections. Why? He sidelined the constituted party structures in most states and decided to run on support groups made up of mainly people from a particular section of the nation. By this, they were saying that the core of his team and support group were Easterners. This view was a representation of all the LP Chairmen in all the states. They even pointed out that they do not have enough party agents to cover all the nooks and crannies of the nation. Riding on waves of the phantom noise being generated on the internet and TVs led by ARISE Tv, he ignored this warnings. The rest is history.
The lessons for us all are enormous and salient to be taken seriously. You cannot win a presidential election in Nigeria without the National Spread. You need to form alliances with other components of Nigeria. Internet Popularity is not synonymous to National Acceptance. 70-80 of internet users are in Lagos. They are not enough to win election of such magnitude. You need to go grassroots.
It is not everyone in your camp that is for you. It is not everyone cheering you on that actually mean you well. They follow you to be close to you, so that they can see your weaknesses and then use it against you.
Let us also learn to accept defeat in good fate and accommodate others when we win. Taunting political opponents can breed anger and disaffections.
I believe in one Nigeria and I hope that one day when Mr. Peter OBI has built a nationally acceptable structure, He will make a good leader. As at today, though laudable the efforts of the woke generation as characterized by LP faithful's, it was not enough to give them the so much desired victory they are longing for.
My prayers to the president elect is for him to repair the damages the outcome of this elections has brought to all those who has faced defeat and lost by building an inclusive government that is people oriented and will address all the yarning of all the souls that want a better Nigeria.
We are watching him.
God Bless Nigeria.
God bless us all.

Thank God you said your view. As one who have being following this election keenly, saying Obi has no structure or did not win is a big lie. Saying he does not have nation wide popularity is another lie.
I was shocked to see non Igbo's, northerners working for obi with passion. I, for one never knew that an easterner will command this much popularity and love this soon going by what was happening in the country.
Till now, I have try not to comment on election matters but this your assertions are mostly not true, that your candidate or principal was able to rig his way in doesn't make him the people's choice. Only very very few people declared winners truly won their elections.

The recent gubernatorial election shows how unfortunate the whole process was, it was shameful really, from nasarawa to rivers, from Lagos to ABIA, etc, its a disgrace really. Some of us may have respect for some of these men but this is shameful.

I'm happy some things may have changed, our politicians are exposing their divisive and dubious self more now. I pray God turn things around but certainly not with this set of rulers.

Let's wait and see...

culf:
Thank God you said your view. As one who have being following this election keenly, saying Obi has no structure or did not win is a big lie. Saying he does not have nation wide popularity is another lie.
I was shocked to see non Igbo's, northerners working for obi with passion. I, for one never knew that an easterner will command this much popularity and love this soon going by what was happening in the country.
Till now, I have try not to comment on election matters but this your assertions are mostly not true, that your candidate or principal was able to rig his way in doesn't make him the people's choice. Only very very few people declared winners truly won their elections.

The recent gubernatorial election shows how unfortunate the whole process was, it was shameful really, from nasarawa to rivers, from Lagos to ABIA, etc, its a disgrace really. Some of us may have respect for some of these men but this is shameful.

I'm happy some things may have changed, our politicians are exposing their divisive and dubious self more now. I pray God turn things around but certainly not with this set of rulers.

Let's wait and see...

Even when say Obi does not have structure, we are not saying that people do not want him. People want others too. The only one to win is the person who can harness these eager people through visible local leadership. LPs achievement in this election cannot be overlooked. But it must be organised and widespread.

Please, face your Yoruba- FULANI-INEC president-elect.
Nigerians have a different candidate that won.
Thank you!

xenten:


Even when say Obi does not have structure, we are not saying that people do not want him. People want others too. The only one to win is the person who can harness these eager people through visible local leadership. LPs achievement in this election cannot be overlooked. But it must be organised and widespread.

Even without structure I still believe he won. People are the structure and he have people. Buhari with his level of popularity and love especially in the north does not command the widespread love people showed this man.
For the record, the structureless Man won but the powers that be took it by force. PDP with its structure does not have the love Nigerians gave this man. I'm saying this because I was opportune to talk to people especially northerners that took his matter very personal.
I believe he have a good case at hand...

Our problem is not about structure but institutions that don't work, impunity and corruption. Structure or no structure, what some Inec staff and some personnel did in the last election shows that Nigeria still have a long way to go. Today, I can bet you that over 90% ordinary Nigerians don't believe nor trust or have faith in Inec again, myself inclusive, part of it is the low turnout in the last election and Nigerians tearing their passports. Its too obvious, see what happened in nasarawa state and even kaduna, oh God. God will judge our leaders...

Your statement reflects political naiveties. I was cured of this in my first year at the University. There was a candidate called OBA. He was the most popular, the most recognized. During manifestoes, the students in attendance did not even allows him present his. The chant everywhere was OBA, OBA, OBA. The song was "Bo ti e soro oti wole". That is even if you did not campaign, you have won the election.

As an electoral officer at the time, come and see my shock when the polled only two votes: am pretty sure the votes came from himself and his girlfriend. Mind you it was open ballot and very transparent election.

The lessons I learnt at the time was that the loud noises does not equate acceptability. The same crowd you saw in Candidate A's rally is the same at Candidates B to Z. People do these in order to either gain knowledge of the candidates agenda or to get what was being shared at the rally. Some are even there to get memorabilia.

culf:
Thank God you said your view. As one who have being following this election keenly, saying Obi has no structure or did not win is a big lie. Saying he does not have nation wide popularity is another lie.
I was shocked to see non Igbo's, northerners working for obi with passion. I, for one never knew that an easterner will command this much popularity and love this soon going by what was happening in the country.
Till now, I have try not to comment on election matters but this your assertions are mostly not true, that your candidate or principal was able to rig his way in doesn't make him the people's choice. Only very very few people declared winners truly won their elections.

The recent gubernatorial election shows how unfortunate the whole process was, it was shameful really, from nasarawa to rivers, from Lagos to ABIA, etc, its a disgrace really. Some of us may have respect for some of these men but this is shameful.

I'm happy some things may have changed, our politicians are exposing their divisive and dubious self more now. I pray God turn things around but certainly not with this set of rulers.

Let's wait and see...

I'm igbo, but i can tell you, PO doesn't have national spread. My younger sister served in Yobe state, was in camp earlier b4 dis election. A core PO volunteer/supporter. Even b4 she went to camp, she argued dat PO had d spread, i told her not much in the core north, because i also served in d north b4 d last election. She got dia n called to confirm i was right, many have not even heard of Peter Obi. Having one or two persons in community doesn't make you have national spread. Even in PO campaigns he only visited the southern/Christian dominated parts of d northern states. For him to win, all he needs is a national party like PDP and then a strong popular Vice. Untill den he can rest from the stress of d electioneering season.