Obi, the North and the 2019
The 2019 elections is almost here with campaign about
to kick-off officially on Sunday. In my honest opinion, either of APC or the
PDP will produce the next President. I am not sure what other Candidates contesting
against Buhari or PDP’s Atiku really want in 2019. The APC will retain its
ticket of Buhari/Osinbajo after much speculations earlier this year. Atiku has
chosen Peter Obi as his running mate, against the wishes of some prominent Igbo
men, top politicians and even the PDP’s BOT organ has accused its candidate of
lack of consultation. Whatever the case, Peter is PDP’s Vice candidate in 2019.
PDP will have to work hard to sell an Atiku
candidature in the North, especially in a Buhari contest. The party will even
have to do more to sell Atiku’s running mate who deported many Northerners
during his controversial tenure as Anambra State Governor. This debate was
recently stirred by no other person than Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State Governor who
this year made attempts to incite his Senators against the people of Kaduna
over their refusal to grant Kaduna State a World Bank loan. It reached another
high when the Governor decided to strangely pick a woman but fellow Muslim as
his running mate, his actions made those who accuse him of religious bigotry
concluded that he is really one, something I don’t agree with, despite all I
have against the Governor.
It’s on the record that Peter Obi deported some
Northerners when he was a Governor in Anambra, he forced them to move with
Identity cards in their own Country, some traders were detained until one
Governor from the North came to their rescue, this same action of the Northern
Governor was enough reason to paint him bad in some other sides of the Country.
In an article in 2013, Gimba Kakanda brilliantly captured how also Northerners
who were studying at Imo College of Advanced Professional were deported from
Imo State. Almost at the same time, Lagos Governor Raji Fashola deported Igbos
back to their homes in Anambra, at the end of the day, Fashola had to apologise
for his actions (ironically, after people like Peter Obi demanded), some groups
of Igbos asked for a Billion Naira damages in court.
It’s clear that Atiku and PDP are surrounded well by people
such as Femi Fani-Kayode, Reno Omokri, Osita Chidoka and the likes, people who
many in the North consider as their fierce Enemies over the years. In the other parts of the
Country, Muhammad Buhari is feared and still portrayed as another Bigot,
Religious extremist, Boko Haram sympathizer and Northern Supremacist. All this doesn’t
end up meaning well for the Country as one. This Rwandan style of politics isn’t
getting us anywhere. After all what happened in 2013, It’s on the record that
OPC members murdered close to a hundred of Hausa men in Lagos while Bola Tinubu
was a Governor in the late 2000. People like Lai Mohammed where in Government
when all this happened. OPC had a young Kayode Ogudamisi as its Secretary then,
Ogudamisi is one of Buhari’s loudest supporter right now.
Zamfara State is one of the most security backward
State currently in Nigeria, the Defense Minister Mansur Dan – Ali is from the
State, and the former Minister of Defense of Nigeria (Aliyu Gusau) hailed from
Zamfara too. Someone rhetorically asked, is Peter Obi the man organizing or refusing to stop the
killings in Zurmi in Zamfara. The same Governor who deported Katsina men
studying in his State is now Buhari’s APC Chairman of Governors. Those men
whose members killed our brothers in Lagos under Tinubu are now telling us
Buhari is their brother too. The Governor who asked us to chase our Senators
because they have no origin in Kaduna State is throwing “Bigotry” blames on
Obi. Osinbajo was a Lawyer and Commissioner of Justice when Hausa men were
killed for no reason in Lagos, is he not the same Pastor set to run with Buhari
again?
I once admitted my fears of Obi even before he was
picked as PDP’s running mate, the same way I have fears of Babatunde Fashola
and even Rochas Okorocha for what they did all before 2015 in their respective
States – Just like Obi. Fashola is now a Super-Minister in Buhari’s Government,
Imo Governor has been trying to position himself for the Nigeria’s top job too.
Obi is now in the 2019 game. If things should work well for APC, the same
Tinubu would like to be in the Aso Villa in 2023, or may be Fashola, Okorochas or
El-Rufai. As far as I am concerned there are many Peter Obis and none of them
really care about you and me, if you can open your eyes and look at all the
writings.
"Najeriya kasa daya
amma kowa ya san gidan Uban sa..." – Mallam Aminu Kano
Muhammad Malumfashi can be reached @m_malumfashi on
Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment