My hope still stands. We go again!

A reflection on the 2023 Nigeria elections, Peter Obi and the OBIdients

On the one-year anniversary of the #EndSars protests, I, like many Nigerians, reflected with pride on the new story about Nigeria that was being told by fellow young Nigerians. That story was about a people capable of being unified by a common purpose; a people that care for each other; and a people willing to demand for better from their leaders. It was that story that left us pregnant with hope.

Despite having been shot at, we held onto that hope. We self-organized into a structure to fight for us in the elections upon that hope. We went to the ballot box, and we cast our hopes. But, as expected in any high stakes heavyweight boxing fight, the more seasoned fighter dealt a heavy blow — a heavy blow to our hopes.

Since that blow, our hopes have been shaken, staggering, and looking for what to hold on to. For me, I am holding on to my hope for the reasons I lay out below. I write, praying that some of these reasons may do the same for you.

Our opponent is hurt because we dealt a severe blow too!

Our opponent is not one man or one political party. Our opponent is personified by a class of politicians experienced in a brand of politics that is expedient and totally bankrupt in morality and love. Our opponent is a heavyweight. Members of this class have long taken the resilience of Nigerians for granted and their rascality has only increased over time. Heading into these elections, it is evident that they were prepared for a fight based on the game they are used to: rigging, vote buying, violence, ethnic bigotry, and gaslighting.

But this time around, these OBIdients have delivered a shocker!

How else will you explain the sudden turn in attitude from gubernatorial candidates post presidential elections and leading up to the gubernatorial elections? Like magic, electric transformers are being provided; millions of Naira donated; days of mourning declared; governors playing football and dancing in churches; and governors that skipped multiple debates are now talking to the media. Suddenly, candidates from the leading parties feel the need to show that they have been endorsed by the same Labour Party they described as 4 people tweeting in a room.

Make no mistake, even if we may not know the real results, they do. They saw Nigerians take their money and vote someone else. They saw Nigerians manifest their resilience by coming out and waiting to protect their votes. They saw the people vote a man who campaigned on integrity. They saw the people vote top to bottom all who followed him without question! They feel the palpable tension! They felt that punch!

Do not despair, look and see that your opponent is hurting too.

Our motivations are stronger than theirs

To win in a bout of this nature, your motivations must be stronger than your opponent’s. And I tell you, ours is.

When I reflect on the action of Mrs. Jennifer Bina Efidi, who despite being stabbed decided to vote, my hope is bolstered. That lady and many like her are powered by the love of country.

When I reflect on the fact that despite all the rigging, Peter Obi won in Lagos, Abuja and Plateau, places which are some of the most ethnically and religiously diverse in Nigeria, I am reminded that there is a deep desire for and possibility of a new Nigeria — A Nigeria where religion and ethnicity do not cloud our ability to choose our collective better interest.

When I try to make sense of what these men, who have acquired much wealth and power, are in pursuit of, it becomes obvious that what they are seeking is but a feather in their cap: an addendum to their life. For us, we are in the pursuit of our lives itself.

I remain hopeful because, it is rarely the case that the greed of a few men is stronger than the love of country, the desire for better, and the depth of the desperation that powers the people.

Our strategy is a winning strategy

From a strategy perspective, we have two things working for us. One is that our strategy is game changing. The second is that, this our opponent was not prepared to face this strategy.

It is common knowledge that our opponent earned their stripes fighting against their doppelgängers. The game had long been one of evil vs worse evil: rigger vs bigger rigger; structure of corruption and criminality vs bigger structure of corruption and criminality; blatant impunity vs more blatant impunity. By their utterances, it is evident that in this 2023 elections, there were expecting a similar game.

However, Peter Obi and the OBIdient movement did what Malcolm Gladwell in his book titled “David and Goliath” advises when fighting against a seasoned fighter: They changed the game!

One of the many ways they did so was in campaign promises. The game moved from promises backed by empty bravado to promises backed by visible and measurable antecedents. When he started “Go and Verify”, the other party thought they could trade jabs and retorted with “I built Lagos”. Little did they know that the wisdom in “Go and verify” was less about a trade of words and more about an awakening of the political consciousness of the people and in this fight, that is important.

If you look at the post-election tweets of their spokespeople, it is obvious that they expected a familiar fight. They were quick to say go to court because, in the past, they fought against people that were as muddy as they were. As is often said, to come to equity, one requires clean hands. So, in the past, because they were both muddy, ojoro cancelled ojoro.

However, in this case, Obi has done a good job of keeping his hands as clean as one can manage in Nigeria’s political space, and they were not prepared for that. They were not prepared for a calm, peaceful and honest challenge of the process.

Mr. Peter Obi has introduced integrity, moral authority, and love of the people into this fight. It is no wonder, that a political class that promotes shamelessness as the number one quality for a spokesperson; a class that ignored debates and forums for questioning cannot play this game and must resort to old tactics like stoking ethnic hatred.

The fruits from the journey will serve us well as we go the distance.

Often, because of the celebrations that accompany outcomes, we tend to forget that most of the benefit is gained in the journey to that outcome (the process). In fact, that which sustains and guarantees a good outcome is found in the process.

Cast your mind back to the 2015 general elections. Because most Nigerians got the then desired change, we failed to question the process that brought about that change. Fast forward to 2019, and even now in 2023, as we attempt to change the change we wanted, we are now realizing that that process is fundamentally flawed.

Say Peter Obi had won on Feb 25th regardless of the irregularities, there is a strong likelihood that, like in 2015, the process will not have faced the level of scrutiny it is now facing. And for our democracy to grow, it is far more important that we hold our processes to account.

The other fruit from this journey is that political consciousness is growing. If Obi had won on the 25th, I argue that most people would have fallen back to old habits of awakening political awareness only at election periods. However, political consciousness ought not to be like the FIFA world cup, a 4-year event. It is a habit that requires continuity. This journey provides that necessary continuity. Political awareness, even more than formal education, is vital for a democracy to flourish.

Another fruit is found in the fact that this case will go to court. For the first time in a long time our Judiciary is on trial. All eyes are on them. If this case goes to court and the right thing is done, in one fell swoop hope may be restored in two of the three arms of government.

The growth of the political consciousness of the people; the refocus on the process; and the trial of our judiciary bolsters my hope.

We are in the Final Round of this bout

One can argue that Nigeria has long stood on the hope of what Nigeria could be: the hope of tomorrow. My friends, we are living in that tomorrow. Any honest analysis reveals that things have progressively got worse and that this was not the tomorrow that was promised.

If the right thing is not done in the courts, there will not be a clearer revelation of the intentions of this our opponent.

Democracy, in all its beauty, offers the people two main ways to seek redress: elections and the court. If through this process the system tells the people you cannot find solutions via these avenues, it will simply mean that these leaders do not intend to even create the illusion of democracy.

In a strange way, this gives me hope. To me, it is akin to your opponent showing you all his moves.

When your opponent shows you all their moves, you are left with two options.

One option is to throw in the towel, thereby accepting defeat.

The other option requires that we look and see that the opponent is hurting. This option requires that we dig deep and draw the strength from our motivations. It requires that we trust in the love that is at the foundation of our strategy. It requires that we capitalize on the benefits of this journey.

The other option, and dare I say, the only option, is that we summon the courage to go again!