BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
I have watched people who have no business with politics open Facebook pages, Instagram, YouTube, X, Thread, and WhatsApp pages with zero or one view for over three to four years. Immediately, they picked on the person of Peter Obi, their followers and views would rise to thousands, and in the case where they hit the right code, it would swing into millions. Sometimes I will take time to listen or read the thoughts that many were academic and truthful, while so many were arrant nonsense. The most annoying ones are the nonsense attacks from people who should know better. The question I ask before replying to some of the commentators is simple: “When has it become a crime to contest for the office of the president or aspire to be the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?” If you think you can be the president, why do you think that another person cannot be the president? If you have a candidate to support, why is it a crime for another person to support a different candidate? I always watch with pain when people lie or attack a person’s personality because they do not want to vote for him or they think that that person will be a stumbling g block for them in the future.
We should be careful what we say today because tomorrow will be judgment day. We should save some energy for reconciliation during war. If we use all the energy for destruction, we may have a pyrrhic victory, which will come at a very great cost. When your brother is dancing the dirty dance, you do not insult your brother; the proverb says you may cover your face since the dance may not last forever. I have watched ad nauseam where people who have nothing to do with politics would go to Facebook and all kinds of social media to talk about Peter Obi. You will be surprised that their net will catch many fish. When you listen to a political convention of a political party, for example, the PDP, their main topic was Peter Obi, not even the ruling government that is destroying the country. Why is it fancy or expedient to talk about Peter Obi by all and sundry? The ruling party, APC, is calling on Peter Obi, the PDP is calling on Peter Obi, factional ADC is calling on Peter Obi, LP Obi, and the paid media rats like FFK, Reno, Bayo, and Dele Alake all is on Peter Obi why not Atiku, Amechi, Kwankwaso, and other politicians who has shown interest on the presidency.
I have tried to reduce the number of articles I write about Peter Obi, but sometimes I cannot just sit down and watch people vomit lies in the name of politics. Not only do I know Peter Obi personally as a child in Onitsha while growing up, but I also worked closely with him as a professional for the eight years he was the governor of Anambra State. How on earth can you say that he built nothing in Anambra State for those 8 years? My heart bleeds when people who could have defended him buy into lies and magnify them. If Peter did not build schools and hospitals and roads, which we all witnessed in Anambra during his tenure as governor, we saw him build up human beings in the three tiers of education (primary, secondary, and tertiary). I have never seen a thief who left behind what he could have stolen confidently. He left 75 billion Naira in the bank for the state. Who in Nigeria has left kobo for the incoming administration? The common thing in Nigeria is debt. Every governor would leave for the incoming administration billions of Naira in debts to be paid, and sometimes the money goes to family members and cronies. The fact that Peter Obi left some money for the incoming administration has become a problem for some people in the state and the country, simply because Peter wants to contest for the position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Had it been that Peter went back to Agulu and started to live a very quiet life, I can assure you all the governors will be using him as a template. But because he plans to engage in politics, many are threatened. I wish they could remove the leaven of malice from their eyes and see the love that is being offered by Mr. Peter Obi. Peter is not a saint, but as of today, he is the best candidate to be anointed as the president of Nigeria. Having said that, I do not wish him to stand aloof in the political horse-trading going on today. I wrote earlier that he should be very careful of the coalition, and I still maintain that. To dine with the devil, you need a long spoon.
Finally, there is no reason whatsoever to speak badly of Peter Obi if you are from the southeast. You may not vote for him, you may not support him, but it is very disingenuous to start saying things that are not true against your brother in the name of politics. Time will come, you will need the support of your brothers, and they will remind you of what you said in the past about a tribesman they loved so much. Even if Peter did not become the president of Nigeria, we have made a statement with the kind of support we gave him. To tell us that we need to join the center even when the center is bleeding is not a good political strategy. The city boys who are supporting the president did not have a rally in any of the six geopolitical zones, but in the southeast. Don’t you smell the irony? Peter Obi is the target. Get Peter down and look at the rest of the candidates; they all have cases with EFCC. Only Peter is the person who did not have a case file with EFCC, and what does that tell you? Peter is not a Nigerian politician. Why are we afraid of Peter? Why are the political class afraid of a sincere person? This noise about Peter getting boring, or, on the other hand, getting fancy. Whether it is boring or fancy, please know which party to vote for in 2027. If Peter is not in ADC, please look for his party and vote for him because the day of reckoning will come, the race will have ended, and it is time to count the miles (Agbasia oso agua MILE).
