As you read this piece, it is exactly 149 days to the 2023 general election scheduled to begin in February and campaigns by political parties will officially begin today, in line with the timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Even though the campaigns were yet to officially begin, it seemed they had already, going by the amount of fireworks from the various political camps, especially on social media.
There are those who believe that this election is make or mar for the country. It is the election that will determine our continued existence and survival as a country. But is this new?
In 2015, we were told that Nigeria will cease to exist beyond that year. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell, it was who made that prediction. But that was not the first time. He made a similar prediction in 2011. Eleven years later, we’re still here.
While there are 18 presidential candidates according to the final list released by INEC, there are four top contenders who have dominated public discourse, on and off the internet.
There is the Atiku Abubakar camp, who believe he is the best man for the job. They are not swayed by the argument that the country has a conventional power shift formula and so, the former vice president should not be on the ballot after eight years of a northern president.
Even the party’s internal issues and the ‘headache’ it is dealing with, in the form of Governor Nyesom Wike and co, are not enough to deter them.
It is a storm in a tea cup, they say, and take on anyone who as much as thinks otherwise.
Supporters of the Wazirin Adamawa blame the current APC administration for eroding the gains the party made in the 16 years it held power and want to elect him to take Nigeria back to its days of glory.
At the moment on social media, especially micro-blogging site, Twitter, supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) believe they are the only altruistic Nigerians and that their support for their candidate stems from this.
This group, who comprise mainly young people, believe that anyone supporting any other candidate has been bought for a price. They do not waste time in pouring invectives on those with dissenting views, to the extent that they have made some older people who were initially tilting towards supporting their candidate begin to have a rethink.
They have conferred a messianic role on Obi and anyone who is not with him is an enemy.
They are involved in cyber bullying and what they call the ‘cancel culture.’ The way they go about it, one wonders what will become of the opposition if their candidate eventually wins.
The level of incivility, irrationality and intolerance is troubling.
Every Nigerian has the inalienable freedom to choice and association and nobody should be bullied into silence or threatened for expressing same but these pro-Obi groups do not think so. They are bent on making the civic space intolerable and the elections violence-filled.
Sadly, the Obi campaign appears to have been hijacked by a hate mob who think anyone not supporting their messianic candidate isn’t in their right frame of mind.
For instance, hardly a day goes by that I don’t see comments by a senior colleague on various Facebook posts, saying any Nigerian who fails to vote for Obi doesn’t wish the country well. He says not voting for Obi will mark the end of Nigeria.
Is this how to campaign and win votes?
The other thing we hear from the pro-Obi groups is that they are taking Nigeria back. And I always ask, from who? This is because Obi is part of the old order they seek to dethrone, having served as a state governor for eight years. Interestingly, they still rely on the same people in the old order to get ahead. Obi for instance has paid two visits to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the past weeks. If Nigeria is bad since the return to democracy, who laid the foundation?
Then there is the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu camp. This candidate and his supporters appears to be the most hated and vilified, going by the verdict on social media.
His statement earlier in the day that it was his turn (emi lo kan) to be president riled them up and for feeling so entitled, he cannot be forgiven.
To them, he has everything working against him; his age, health, education and even his identity so he should not even be in the contest.
None of the propaganda against him is however enough to deter his supporters who are leaving no stone unturned in projecting his candidature, using his antecedents as marketing points.
It would seem the pro-Tinubu groups are the most strategic as they have remained focused on selling their candidate and have maintained a level of civility, in spite the aggression towards them and name calling.
They have been tagged enemies of Nigeria, cash and carry politicians and all manner of names but they remain stoic in their support for their candidate in the conviction that he is the best man for the job.
Interestingly, all the major contenders have held one elective post and or appointment in the past.
Should the election then be a referendum on their stewardship while they occupied those offices? That’s for the electorate to decide.
However, only candidates track records will give an idea of the kind of government they will run.
The campaigns, therefore, present an opportunity for political parties and their candidates to roll out their agenda.
Citizens should in turn keep their eyes peeled to interrogate whatever they’re sold and in doing this, ensure to keep the conversation civil, not create enemies for themselves unnecessarily and not run foul of the law because at the end of the day, people will vote who they will vote for, depending on their interest.
