The much awaited 2023 election is just around the corner. The presidential election will be held on February 25. Analysts and commentators have been for some time giving us a breakdown on the political parties, the candidates and their chances among others.
While after eight years of the same person as the president, having served two terms of four years each, it is natural for people to be excited for another dispensation, however from my observations enthusiasm is lacking in this case.
Some have attributed the lackluster attitude in the northwest and probably other places in the north to the fact that the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari is not contesting where he has a cult following. And whenever he contested previously before he finally won, he had his faithful followers to vote for him no matter what.
The two big political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had their own problems that may have dampened the excitement.
The APC had a dilemma of choosing a running mate from the north after the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is a Muslim, as the presidential flag bearer of the party from the south. It was thought that it should be a Christian. However, after a long time, Senator Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, former governor of Borno State was chosen as the running mate.
This decision based on numbers did not go down well with some Christian APC big wigs such as Babachir David Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF and Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the House of Representatives who openly criticised and condemned what is termed as Muslim-Muslim ticket. It also drew disaffection from other quarters.
The PDP had the root of its problem for jettisoning zoning and left it open to everybody to contest its presidential ticket, where Atiku Abubakar, former vice president emerged. Many have not forgiven them for that and you still see party stalwarts complaining about it bitterly, that it should have been zoned to the south.
In any case even Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State that contested for the presidential ticket and lost by coming second is still not happy. He goes ahead and leads other governors in his camp as G five, which are against the presidential candidate of their party and the chairman of the party Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who Wike wanted to be removed as he is from the north like Atiku. They threaten, saying they cannot be expelled from the party.
The phenomenon of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State has changed the equation. He decamped from PDP and many that feel injustice has been done for not zoning the PDP presidential ticket to the south may go for him as well as those Christians who are opposed to Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP, is also to be reckoned with in Kano State and other places with his Kwankwasiyya followers, akin to cult following.
Yet, the frenzy is not there, maybe with the Obi-dients. Perhaps that is why some are wondering why Buhari is not seen on the campaign trail of Tinubu to galvanise and ginger support for him and his party.
Possibly as the days come closer things may pick up, but this time around the APC and the PDP may have serious challengers which is a good thing for our democracy. It shows that people can have other options than them.
