By Andy Ezeani
Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor, is provocatively disciplined. That obviously is his choice. His monkish asceticism does not only seem quaint for a Nigerian who made good early in life, it presents a no mean challenge to many around him. That, you can say, is their problem. It has become Obi’s problem too. And a Nigerian problem no less. We shall return to all that later.
Those who know the former governor at close range talk of his life of commitment to a certain ethical lifestyle that is at once admirable and frustrating.
When, last week, Obi formally declared his intentions to contest the presidential election in 2023, he joined a crowd of aspirants burgeoning forth with the ambition to gain electoral approval to provide leadership to Nigeria. His platform is, of course, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party that has continued to proclaim its desire to reclaim the crown it lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) seven years ago.
The goal of the PDP to wrest power from the ruling party is legitimate. Whether the aspiration can be translated from just that to reality is dependent on various factors, a number of which the party itself can enhance, while the rest are out of its control.
Indeed, what the future holds for the PDP or, for that matter, for any other of the parties that will contest the 2023 election, remains unknown. While it is a fact that the ruling APC does not have a scorecard that anyone but a diehard party man can claim to be shining, nothing about the prospect of the parties in the upcoming election is settled. Several factors are at play. Of course, politics is what it is, a fluid game in which fortunes and prospects are as shifty as quicksand. It is even more so in Nigeria.
It is understandable that the PDP is focused on running against the current performance record of the APC, which, as has been noted, is nearer to dismal than sublime. Interestingly, the APC seems out to run against the past record of the PDP, which in itself is not exactly glittering. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a duty to let Nigerians decide, without recourse to upending technicalities.
The high number of individuals jumping into the political arena with declaration of interest to seek party nomination for the presidential ticket is open to various interpretations. It is either that the Nigerian situation is indeed not as parlous as the indicators on the ground tend to portray it or that Nigeria is blessed with lionhearted men with uncommon competence who are propelled by their passion to offer themselves for what seems like a Herculian job. Or is it a matter of merely seeking power for its sake, without any thought for the glory?
The fact that a hefty cost of collecting the expression of interest form in the major political parties has not discouraged more people from entering the race for presidential nomination is in itself a definite statement. Dropping off N30-N40 million to pick up expression of interest form to seek nomination for a public office raises a number of ethical questions about politics and public service in our environment, but that is another matter.
As important as they may be, however, the issues of how many people have collected the expression of interest form in the parties to seek nomination for the presidential ticket, or how much the forms cost, should not be of primary importance to Nigerians at the moment. These are distractions that often have a way of drawing attention away from the substantive issues.
So far, Nigerians have been discussing every other thing about the 2023 presidential election except the one thing they need to focus on – character, competence and track record of those aspiring to the office of President.
Presidential aspirants have been visiting President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock, President Olusegun Obasanjo at Abeokuta, General Ibrahim Babangida at Minna and traditional rulers at their palaces, but most of the aspirants seem unwilling to publicly visit the prevailing issues of socio-economic reality of the country.
So much has been said over the past few years about how state policies have consciously or unconsciously driven a wedge between the constituent sections of the country and how the future now seems so uncertain. The 2023 election offers an invaluable opportunity for Nigerians to vote for their preference of the direction they desire for their shared existence.
The primary, if not only, concern of Nigerians about the 2023 presidential election and activities leading to it ought to centre on the quality of individuals aspiring to be President. What should be the profile of the President that Nigeria needs after the Buhari presidency? It is dismaying that, right from the commencement of the journey to 2023, concern about the character of the leader necessary to sustain and repair this troubled land does not seem to have gained dominance in discussions about the future. The danger signal is already blinking.
In coming into the arena as a presidential aspirant Peter Obi presents a challenge, which he may not have taken conscious note of. By leaving no debt behind him when he left office as governor and by equally bequeathing his successor very healthy savings, Obi made a statement that Nigeria can find leaders to secure its future. His public record and personal comportment ought to be a character sketch a serious society should keep before it in seeking to elect a leader, especially in such a critical time as this for Nigeria. Nobody knows Obi’s wife. Nobody needs to know.
Even as Peter Obi’s personality is being referenced without apologies in the context of this discussion, it bears clarifying that the choice is beyond the man. Yes, there is an entity called Peter Obi, whose personal attributes and records are being referenced. If, however, Nigeria cannot, for any reason, pick Mr. Peter Obi to be its next President, the country owes itself a responsibility to find “a Peter Obi”, a proxy of the profile in self-discipline, prudence, firmness, frugality and uncompromising commitment to quality, investment in education and saving for the future. These are practical, everyday commitments necessary for the recovery of Nigeria. These essentials are distinct from theoretical postulations, what former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, refereed to recently as “power point presentations and well-written manifestoes that end up in the dustbin of history.”
The discipline and self-denial that Obi lives and obviously will impose were he to gain presidency are not a lifestyle many Nigerians will easily accept. This is a society that has become used to “ease,” easy money and little work. Yet discipline, self-restraint, hard work and premium on quality are the essential ingredients for growing the self and the nation. Nigerians live a contradiction. They want good life and rosy future, but they easily pander to the pitches of leadership aspirants whose profile negate the quality the people covet. Something has to give.It is a matter of choice and 2023 offers Nigerians an opportunity to make that choice.
Now, even as the intention here may be different, any tendency in any quarters to read the character articulation here as a definite partisan statement can be understood. Yet, the point to make is that what should be of primary concern for Nigeria in choosing its next President should not be political party but the character, proven record and healthy state of mind of an individual. If, however, as the case in this instance, the substance desired in a prospective leader also meets such political exigencies as zoning and rotation of the presidency, better for the country.
Culled from: https://www.sunnewsonline.com/peter-obi-or-a-peter-obi/
