I woke up this morning with a touch of a sense of concern for Nigeria's past political history and one of the first things that came to my mind was that Obafemi Awolowo was more or less a deity in the 60s and 70s. Infact, some of our old people professed to have sight him in or around the moon. But he failed in the most important election of his life.

His campaigns were colourful. His manifestoes were one of the best in Africa. When he spoke, there was high degree of aura of grace around what ever he talked about. His manifestoes were anchored on 4 cardinal objectives which were:
                                 Free Education at all levels
                                 Free Health Care for Under 18
                                 Integrated Rural Development
                                 Employment for All
To Awo's advantage (if i may say) was the colourless aura of his main opponent - Alh Shehu Shagari.
Shagari, even though came from obscurity BUT he beat Awo in the election that ushered in the Second Republic.

My question is, how could Awo have lost to Shagari?
Where did Awo go wrong?
What was he supposed to do but failed to do?

WHY DID AWOLOWO LOSE THE 1979 ELECTION?

singin
u dey ask me
na who i go ask

Am also singing Ohhhhhhh, Na who we go ask?
Crying at the same time, Out of a painful heart, i curse all our wicked leaders living or dead. In death, they would die again, for those living, they would reap the fruit of their embezzlement's,

I will offer a conjecture
1. He lost d east support bc of his role in d civil war
2. The north supported Shagari

3. OBJ sold out to d north. Shagari won 11 states. OBJ gav it to him though he didnt win 2/3 majority

4. Probably pure bad bele towards his person of excelence
Whichever way we see it, He was the best president we neva had

DrummaBoy:

OBJ gav it to him though he didnt win 2/3 majority

OBJ didnt actually give him the presidency. Remember, Akinjide and co that went to court to collect 'court-manufactured' 2/3 majority.

from the satellite picture, shagari lost the 1979 election.  shagari quote me lost, with no disrespect to shagari.  he lost the 1979 if you look at the satellite picture and compare it to the figure we had then.

Borno and Yobe voted for waziri. aminu kano, won kano

Obafemi awolowo was the winner of the 1979 election. it is now history.

the issue is. if you live in nigeria. you cant see this thing easy. and you assume you are bigger than the other ethnic group because we never had pictures to show us. how big the ethnic group are. We are only seen the pictures for the first time.

99% of africa have never seen pictures of south africa before.  99% of nigerian have never seen pictures of kano state before. this is why we have problem.

now that we have more pictures of nigeria towns on the internet as problem post it. it create more security risk for nigeria.

The nigeria govt have alway block information to the people. Now they cant. You are going to have more security risk.

I think shagari should visit HID awolowo.



Even if you look back to the result of the 1940 and 1950 too. this election result were wrong.

[img]http://davidderrick.files./2010/03/kano-rooftops.jpg[/img]

musiwa
U will need to shed greater light on what U wrote
Satellite where?
Internet how?
Am confused

Hmmmm

Not to be a pedant, but

"loose" ---> "lose"

@musiwa, u completely lost.

I only saw picture but picture of where? I dont know.
Kindly expand on it.

He was a only a yoruba man,not a Nigerian.unfortunately,the election was for Nigerian president and not yoruba president.remember he saw Nigeria only as a 'geographical expression'.

DrummaBoy:

I will offer a conjecture
1. He lost d east support bc of his role in d civil war
2. The north supported Shagari

1luvkipsus:

He was a only a yoruba man,not a Nigerian.unfortunately,the election was for Nigerian president and not yoruba president.remember he saw Nigeria only as a 'geographical expression'.

Gbam!

Chyz*:

Gbam!

Monkey

1luvkipsus:

He was a only a yoruba man,not a Nigerian.unfortunately,the election was for Nigerian president and not yoruba president.remember he saw Nigeria only as a 'geographical expression'.

Love Awolowo to bits but I think that was the problem. He saw Nigeria as a geographical expression.

alj_harem:

Love Awolowo to bits but I think that was the problem. [size=20pt]He saw Nigeria as a geographical expression[/size].

He was only saying the Truth!!!

seanet02:

He was only saying the Truth!!!

Exactly the truth hurts and Nigerian hate the truth. Imagine if you were not yoruba, would you have voted for Awolowo after such statement ?

Exactly tribalism right ! well that is Nigeria for you, We have lost great leaders because of Tribalism

from Awolowo (accused as a tribalist because he was a yoruba man as a poster said)

to Buhari ( accused as a religious bigot because he was a northerner and a Muslim)

Great leaders

Now Rocahs, Fashola and SLS would come 2015, tribalism would not let us vote for them as well.

He practiced the same politics his 'descendants' in the SW are playing today. Boxing themselves into tight corners, not seeing the bigger picture, etc.

Like some said above, he had no reputation elsewhere besides the West. He was a loner/ lonely loser in the nigerian political spectrum.

alj_harem:

Now Rocahs, Fashola and SLS would come 2015, tribalism would not let us vote for them as well.

Who is SLS?

Ayowumie:

Who is SLS?

Sanusi CBN gov

mbatuku1:

He practiced the same politics his 'descendants' in the SW are playing today. Boxing themselves into tight corners, not seeing the bigger picture, etc.

Like some said above, he had no reputation elsewhere besides the West. He was a loner/ lonely loser in the nigerian political spectrum.

Cattle Fulani mentality

mbatuku1:

He practiced the same politics his 'descendants' in the SW are playing today. Boxing themselves into tight corners, not seeing the bigger picture, etc.

Like some said above, he had no reputation elsewhere besides the West. He was a loner/ lonely loser in the nigerian political spectrum.

really can you stop posting trash

alj_harem:

really can you stop posting trash

He inherited it.

mbatuku1:

He practiced the same politics his 'descendants' in the SW are playing today. Boxing themselves into tight corners, not seeing the bigger picture, etc.

Like some said above, he had no reputation elsewhere besides the West. He was a loner/ lonely loser in the nigerian political spectrum.

Thank you.

see ibos with their stup1dity

What folks need to understand about Nigeria is that well funded non-controversial blank slate politicians are usually very strong Presidential candidates.  Shagari was a blank slate who was in a party that had most of the powerful money bags in it.  Hence, they had enough money to sell a compelling narrative.  Since people did not know him before, they bought the narrative they were sold without questioning it.  Yaradua was also a blank slate with a well funded campaign. Goodluck Jonathan was also a blank slate with a well funded campaign.

When a politician has been around for a long time they end up having some baggage.  They have moments when they made the wrong decision or a misstatement or a comment taken out of context that robs people off the wrong way.  For some reason, our best leaders have one form of baggage or the Other.  Awolowo's baggage was his misstatements and his role in the civil war.

For example, although I think that Sanusi is a great guy.  A well funded campaign for Sambo will defeat Sanusi in a presidential election.  That is Nigeria.  Islamic banking will be used to make Southerners and Middle-Belters scared of Sanusi.  Sanusi and Sambo will split the North and Sambo will have landslide victories in the SW, NC, SS, and SE and carry the day.

The establishment loves blank slates.  With a non-controversial blank slate you can use strong public relations to shape people's opinion of him or her.

So people win election in Niger bc they're blank slated. no wonder we end up wit leaders like GEJ-BLANK INDEED

D soln to blank slate is education
D Nigerian electorate need to transcend ethnic and religious bigotry by enlightenment

danjohn:

What folks need to understand about Nigeria is that well funded non-controversial blank slate politicians are usually very strong Presidential candidates.  Shagari was a blank slate who was in a party that had most of the powerful money bags in it.  Hence, they had enough money to sell a compelling narrative.  Since people did not know him before, they bought the narrative they were sold without questioning it.  Yaradua was also a blank slate with a well funded campaign. Goodluck Jonathan was also a blank slate with a well funded campaign.

When a politician has been around for a long time they end up having some baggage.  They have moments when they made the wrong decision or a misstatement or a comment taken out of context that robs people off the wrong way.  For some reason, our best leaders have one form of baggage or the Other.  Awolowo's baggage was his misstatements and his role in the civil war.

For example, although I think that Sanusi is a great guy.  A well funded campaign for Sambo will defeat Sanusi in a presidential election.  That is Nigeria.  Islamic banking will be used to make Southerners and Middle-Belters scared of Sanusi.  Sanusi and Sambo will split the North and Sambo will have landslide victories in the SW, NC, SS, and SE and carry the day.

The establishment loves blank slates.  With a non-controversial blank slate you can use strong public relations to shape people's opinion of him or her.

Awo contested close to 3 elections, and he lost woefully.

He was the Buhari of then. Unusable item that kept going into the recycle bin

@POST

This poster of the thread must be flogged for insinuating a rare political operative such as the first Asiwaju of Yourba land lost political election in a non-country. Awo was the next good thing God created after a slice of bread.

mbatuku1:

Awo contested close to 3 elections, and he lost woefully.

He was the Buhari of then. Unusable item that kept going into the recycle bin

Nigeria is a very complex country and it is easier for a candidate with no record and no strong antecedents to win.  As long as you have the support of the rich power brokers you will win.  When you are a blank slate you have better control of your narrative.  When people do not have a prior strong opinion of you, it is easier to make them form their opinion of you based on what your campaign tells them.  It is easier to make a good first impression than it is to change an established negative opinion.  In a way people with Presidential ambitions may need to lay low and stay out of the spot light but keep themselves connected to the power brokers so that when there is an opening their names will land on the shortlist.