Peter Obi is no doubt the choice of those who want Nigeria to work. But the more Obi campaigns for support across the nation, the more he demarkets himself. How could a Nigerian politician be campaigning to lead his country using the hard truth? After watching him address Nigerian senators a few weeks back, I shook my head in great pity for him. “There is nothing more to share…” he had innocently told them.
Can you imagine that? Telling sharemaniacs (to their faces) that there was nothing more to share? Isn’t that a clear threat to the senators who have shared public funds all their political lives? Does he imagine this set of cankerworms want to quit their parasitic ways of survival?
Worse still are his senator brothers from the Southeast. In their minds, those ones must have told him “Bia chinaa,” a sarcastic way of saying in Igbo “not in our lives would you lead Nigeria.” I don’t want to talk about the governors from that region, because I don’t want to shed more tears.
Even those who should have commended Obi for his frugal lifestyle joined in condemning him for not making his daughter’s traditional marriage a political jamboree as a typical Nigerian politician is wont to do.
He also received flaks for not having a personal assistant on phone calls, one of the vain hallmarks of a Nigerian big man, when he lost his phone at a public event recently. You can’t help but ask what exactly Nigerians want.
Now the rambunctious Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has mocked Obi’s trademark use of statistical figures in his analyses of Nigeria’s dire economic situation. Wetin man no go see?
My heart even sank further when highly revered Anambra politician Chief Dan Ulasi openly denied Obi his support, dismissing him as an unserious politician whose only interest was the vice presidency.
His reason? Obi attended Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign declaration, and described Atiku as a unifier shortly before going to Awka to declare his own presidential ambition. Ulasi thought that was political daftness on the part of Obi.
While some Nigerian political strategists may agree with Ulasi, others from climes may commend Obi’s transparency and honesty. Whatever happened to politics without bitterness? I don’t think any other Nigerian politician has duly earned that attribute since the late Waziri Ibrahim. Obi may just be on the cards.
Obi must learn to speak in Nigeria’s politicalese. If he cannot be a little dishonest, he must learn to avoid using sentences that may appear threatening to Nigeria’s politicians, especially when he is canvassing for their votes and support.
More importantly, he should wash off the stinginess tag off his reputation by learning to open his hands, for the moment at least. He should make mouth-watering offers to the gluttonous political class and promise them heaven just to gain their support. It won’t matter if he failed to fulfil them when he wins. I’m sure the wolves would understand when the chips get down. Haven’t they been giving us the same treat all these years, after all?
Vincent Ihesinulo, Lagos
