Nigeria, what do we want, nitori olorun?

The 2019 general elections has been a stomach upset for some people if not most. It is bitter sweet, or should I say sweet-bitter for some; just like eating the bile of a chicken or a cow. It has become a stomach upset- no. It is a tummy pain; a churn right in the hearts of many, heartbreak for some others. A few protests have begun. Others have threatened to leave the country. A day on Twitter or Facebook these few days will do you some comic relief after seeing several Nigerians go against each other on the sweeping divide that politics thrust among them.

All of that social media monitoring have necessitated into this short concise article, code mixed with a bit of Yoruba, asking the question I nursed while weighing several opinions across board. It leads me to a place of wonder and amazement as I am forced to ask Nigerians: “What more do we want, nitori oloun (in the name of God?).”

Few weeks ago while I wrote Injury time politics, I was in Lagos with a friend who is like a brother to me. For someone craving the warmth of his friend, he had invited me to his house severally. It was early in the month, I obliged and I penned down the article Injury time politics while drawing an interesting allusion to football as I condemned the APC statue erected at the Abuja centre. I had described the act as a final poly to tilt the 2019 general elections in the ruling party’s favour.

My friend felt I was too critical of the current administration. He said: “Joseph, I see nothing wrong with this man you people condemn all the time. He has done no wrong, he is just fighting corruption.” I had wondered why my brother-like-friend saw nothing wrong with the APC statue alongside the popular perception several Nigerians echoed concerning President Buhari’s administration.

I will like to note that this argument didn’t end just there. We had argued on Whatsapp after that. He had mentioned that Tradermoni and N-power were good enough initiatives and the government was repositioning its mandate into the hearts of the people. That was early February. Now, the general elections has come and gone.

The 2019 general elections was the most competitive and mind boggling one since our democracy begun. This is not because of the bloodshed and voter intimidation that has been a regular feature since 2007, but the choice of the party flag-bearers cannot be exempted from this.

It started last December during the NEDG/BON Debate aired by Channels TV which saw Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the People’s Democratic party (PDP), Ganiyu Galadima of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Khadija Abdullahi of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) and Umar Getso of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) go head-to-head.

The height of the debate was the rebuttals issued by Peter Obi to Osinbajo that derided Buhari administration’s anti-corruption efforts as tantamount to closing the shop and chasing the criminals. Osinbajo’s rejoinder asked Obi, whether anything will be left in the shop if criminals looted the entire inventory. It also involved Professor Osinbajo conceding to the common consensus that Nigeria’s main problem is corruption.

Fast forward to the following year, 2019, where we began the Presidency Debate with the Arise TV interview. We followed closely with Kadaria Ahmed’s The Candidate interview and then the NEDG/BON Debate which the PDP’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar and President Buhari adamantly refused to attend leaving Oby Ezekwesili of ACPN, Fela Durotoye of ANN and Kingsley Moghalu of YPP to argue their case despite being within close proximity to the debate venue. What excuse did the President have not to be in Transcorp Hilton Hotel that night? Was it the campaign at Jos earlier that day? The quick solution abounds in the Presidential fleet, an hour’s flight to Abuja which could have easily sorted that out. Same thing for the “major” opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar. In end, many Nigerians chose to excuse the ex-Vice President.

His Artikulated supporters said his main contender was unavailable to attend and so, he would win, judging by the Nigerian track record of Presidents we have had, including President Buhari who ascended the throne in 2015 without any debate. They left the mushroom parties in Oby Ezekwesili of ACPP, Fela Durotoye of ANN and Kingsley Moghalu of YPP, to purely entertain us as they laughed and mocked them that night, saying they stood no chance over the oligarchy of PDP and APC. If only they knew, that the All Progressive Congress (APC) will take pole position in the narrative, as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) trailed votes early into the elections, causing widespread panic as the results trooped in late, dragging the results compilation into three days.

At that point, popular perception had it that the election was widely rigged. While we waited for the Kardashians- Kano, Kaduna and Kastina, a couple of die-hard PDP fans lost control, emotions spun out in a frenzy outrage as several discussions were held not only on Twitter or Facebook but in neighbourhoods disputing the re-emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari. Meanwhile, seeds of discord had already been sown between the Yorubas and the Igbos, a handiwork of politicians that was stressing the political divide as blood pressures were towering high. The Yorubas had chosen a side and fought against the Igbos trading unprintable words because ballot boxes were snatched in Lagos. It was a twitter handler that raised the heat and very quickly, a peaceful election turned tribalistic. People blamed the politicians for that Twitter trend, but they forgot that it was one hurtful twitter comment that began another ethnic divide.

As that went on, the votes from Kano came in. President Muhammadu Buhari pulled through with over a million votes, leaving PDP with a little above 300,000 votes, extending his winning streak. This was the point several PDP supporters have cried foul. My very dear friend, Prosper who spent one of those nights in my place could not hide his anger as to why APC should even garner votes. “Isn’t the four year tenure glaring for all to see?” He asked. I was indifferent. I simply told him it didn’t matter who won. The irregularities across states were already tilting the direction in which the election would not go.

But Prosper had found it increasingly difficult to sleep. He kept monitoring the votes till late in the night and by 5 am while I awoke from sleep, he was back on his phone, slamming the bed and rubbing his head. Saviour, the bartender at Markson Matt, West of Mines, here in Jos, said (at the time) it is only 12 states, I believe that we would win.” Saviour had last week boasted to me of his belief in PDP, parading himself as a die-hard fan of PDP.

As the elections tilted, news came in that popular singer, Olubankole Wellington also known as Banky W had gotten an early lead into the House of Representatives. When he pushed his ambition forward before the elections, people had equated him to Desmond Elliot, playing a sort of guilt trip narrative that the showbiz money wasn’t enough. They had rained insults on him, attacking his personality and referring to him as bald.

Gorimapa was the word one lady on twitter had used on him. In all, Banky W was patient with MDP, flaunting the party all around. It later paid off with a ton of massive congratulations even though he didn’t emerge. This was when a certain set of Nigerians realised that if they had supported the Omoyele Sowores, Oby Ezekwesilis, Fela Durotoyes and Kingsley Moghalus maybe Nigeria would have indeed been better. But what was the response to these “four mushrooms”?
Read full article: https://qwenu.com/2019/02/28/nigeria-what-do-we-want-nitori-olorun/