By Ikenna Emewu 

Between May 2022 and February, a man built a political structure so formidable it toppled all existing political machinery since 1999.

It is an uncommon feat anywhere in the world, especially given the political complexity of Nigeria.

By the evening of February 27, it was already clear that that man who they mocked as having no ‘structure’, even after the widespread criminal manipulations of the results of the presidential election, had clinched victory in 12 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

The ‘structured’ candidates also won in 12 states like Obi, even with the criminal manipulations.

That unprecedented feat in the political history of Nigeria shocked and left the traducers and mockers dumbfounded.

While watching the results roll in, the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika was quoted in the media to have twitted that eventually he has found and can confirm that there are ballot papers and boxes on social, media.

His statement was a recant of the mockery they mounted that Obi was merely social media hype that had no substance.

They sneered that he joined an unknown party that has no base anywhere or foot soldiers to make him win as Nigerian president.

Obi pulled the surprise that is enough to hit a world record. He dazzled and out-performed them all that the manipulators in their desperation dabbled into so many mistakes that haunt them now.

This narrative is just to remind every watcher that this is Peter Obi and anybody that doesn’t know what I mean should read his political history.

Obi’s gubernatorial tenure in a Wikipedia reference reads: “March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014.”  Doesn’t that sound unique?

In March 2006, the election of Chris Ngige was nullified and Obi was declared winner of the 2003 election, and he assumed office immediately.

That verdict made history as the first time a sitting governor’s electoral mandate was toppled by a court.

Obi has the history of the first politician who contested as governor to recover his mandate through a judicial process.

Again in 2007, he made the next history that has become a benchmark in Nigerian politics.

When Obi took over the reins of power from Ngige, the tenure had just a year to come to an end. The following year, in the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted an election that brought in Andy Uba as the governor of the state. This was resisted by Obi. He argued that his tenure was still on since he constitutionally has four years to serve as governor. In June 2007, Supreme Court reinstated his mandate and ruled that Uba was wrongly elected because Obi’s tenure was still subsisting.

We have about 6 states in Nigeria that hold separate gubernatorial elections. They are all beneficiaries of Obi’s history-making prowess.

There was a reason Obi won that election at the tribunal against Ngige. The forces that rigged Ngige in had fallen out with him over profit sharing and they undid him by providing Obi with the raw documents of the rigging.

On February 28, INEC committed its blunder again like in the Ngige case, and declared the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner under circumstances informed persons say are quite inappropriate and unlawful.

Obi has gone to court again praying that he should be declared the winner of the most shameful election in INEC’s history.

The social media space is creeping and packed with thousands of documented pieces of evidence of malpractices, thuggery, violence, monetary inducement, voter intimidation, mutilation of ballots and results sheets, and outright falsification.

The international community that observed the election gave a terse verdict that it was a sham and far below the standards of fairness.

Even INEC has eventually admitted the exercise was hugely flawed.

Again, as the circumstances in Anambra threw up an opportunity for Obi to flush out Ngige, the Electoral Act 2022 provides for a mandatory electronic transmission of results from the polling centres immediately after the results are announced and compiled, with copies given to party agents, has made it possible for Obi to have access to the original copies of election results.

Moreover, the ICT age when almost everyone carries smartphones and the social media rave has collectively escalated the flaws and manipulations of the election has made things worse for INEC and smooth for Obi. These have helped to create backup proofs of the rigging scenes and documents.

So, Obi once again will take advantage of these opportunities to prove his case in the courts soon.

The pieces of evidence are already piling up to show the criminal manipulations.

The same Obi of old, a character endowed with the ample grace to create history will in a matter of months have his mandate to lead Nigeria back in his palms.

This is appreciating the Nigerian economic and intellectual elite and the younger generation of Nigerians that voted for Obi overwhelmingly from all parts of the country.

Keep your cool fellow Nigerians and Obidients.

Obi is coming with the old winning culture. It will soon happen. (First published in Africachinapresscenter.org)