Bianda24:

FFK writes


WHO ARE THESE OBIDIENTS?

Let me make this clear from the outset. I am a member of the APC and a supporter of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

This contribution does not in any way derogate from that and my analysis is more of an academic and intellectual exercise than anything else.

I am NOT a supporter of Peter Obi and I have NO intention of becoming one. I am however interested on what his supporters represent and stand for and that is the subject of this essay.

They are worthy of my attention only because their rise and relevance in the political configuration of our nation, just in a matter of weeks, is meteoric and phenomenal.

In order to counter and defeat them or to keep them in their place we must at least attempt to understand them and figure out how their minds work.

The following are my findings.



Those that are the supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, are known as 'Obidients' and they are EVERYWHERE.

Those of us in the larger political parties like the ruling APC and the opposition PDP, treat them with contempt and ignore them at our own peril.

The truth is that they are far more dangerous to our collective cause as a ruling class than many of us can possibly conceive or appreciate.

Only the discerning can appreciate this and know precisely where this whole thing may be heading.

They may not have structures or elected representatives in the legislative and executive arms of Government but they have IDEAS and VISION coupled with a clear ideological and philosophical bent which can and will endure for far longer than mere political platforms and structures.

Unknown to them as well as virtually everyone else, therein lies their power. As they say, an idea whose time has come cannot be stopped.

Long after we are all gone they will still be here because structures and political alliances rarely endure but IDEAS and VISION last forever.

Again they will outlive and outlast us all because they are not a political party in the true sense of the word but rather a growing national movement which scales and spreads across ethnic, religious, political and regional lines and traditional boundaries.

They also represent a generational and paradigm shift which is increasingly attractive to many and they are bound tightly together by a common purpose, common cause and common objective: namely to rid Nigeria of the old order and usher in the new.

That is really what they want to do and that is the primary and strongest source of their inspiration and motivation.

They are far more dangerous to what the French describe as the 'Ancien Regime', the old political class and the entire system itself than anything we have ever seen before because most of them, bar their leader and a small handful of political tried and tested veterans and old war horses around him, are NOT politicians and have never ventured anywhere near the political arena or the circles of power.

In the main they are an innovatively aggressive and frightful array and association of angry and determined young men and women who clearly have the courage of their convictions coupled with the audacity, fury, daring, rage and firm resolve of those that were involved in the Endsars protesters and the fiery footsoldiers that effected the 1917 Russian Bolshevik revolution led by Vladimir Iliyich Lenin.

There is also something Rawlingesque and intimidating about them.

That is to say they are like the late, great and mighty son of Africa and leader of Ghana, President Jerry Rawlings, who also led a successful revolution in his country in 1979 and who, on his second coming in 1981 when he toppled yet another Government said, "if there is no justice there can be no peace!"

That is the spirit that is in the Obidients and that is what moves them.

Yet though they do not like to hear it their chances of winning the presidential election next year, short of a miracle, are very slim and deep down they all know it even if they refuse to publicly acknowledge it.

Despite that they are determined to fight to the end, hope for the best, work hard and give it their best shot and, of course, therein lies their victory.

In this game courage is the key. As they say, 'he who dares wins'. Again as they say, 'fortune favours the bold' and these young people are both daring and bold.

That they can challenge the status quo and vie for the sacred and awesome power that has been shared by the two major political parties or their ancestral variants over the last 62 years is commendable in itself. I am not part of them but I certainly commend and applaud their efforts.

They too have a right to fight for their rights and future and to be heard. They too have a dream and a story to tell and we must never begrudge them that.

Yet if the truth be told they are not only interested in winning an election but, perhaps even more importantly, they are interested in making a profound and defiant statement, registering their protest against the status qou and the powers that be and triggering and engendering a full scale, comprehensive and all-embracing social, cultural and political revolution.

They want a real and fundamental change and not a fake one. They want to pull the whole house and system down with everyone in it and rebuild a new one in their own image, with their own values and on their own terms.

Most important of all they want to see the back of those of us that are in any way associated with the old order or that have been in Government or the corridors of power at ANY point in time over the last 62 years.

That desire and sentiment is the force that is driving and propelling them and that is kindling their fire and swelling their ranks.

They are like the Robspiers and the Marats of the bloody French revolution between 1789 and 1799 whose battle cry was "liberty, equality and fraternity", who brought an end to the French monarchy, Royal family and nobility, chopped off their heads and established a proud and strong new order and proud Republic.

Like Robspier's tiny cabal of French revolutionaries they are led by a small cell of intellectual and idealistic hardliners and are bolstered, girded and supported by a volatile, massive and increasingly dangerous support group and power base who threaten violence and hurl insults at their perceived detractors at the drop of a hat and as a consequence of years of pent up anger and frustration.

If they ever get power many heads will role and many of today's and yesterday's leaders will run into exile or go into hiding.

This is especially so of those who have something to hide or who have skeletons in their cupboards.

That is what makes them so threatening and I repeat, those of us that are in the larger political parties or that are members of the existing and ancient ruling class underestimate them, ignore them and display disdain for their firm resolve and rising anger at our own peril.

Most of my political associates, friends and colleagues across party lines tend to dismiss them with contempt.

They regard them as being inconsequential and argue that they only exist on social media. I beg to differ. I see them in the streets and I see them in the Churches.

I see them amongst my staff and amongst those that regard themselves as being amongst the oppressed and downtrodden.i see them amongst the professionals and those thst are bankers, lawyers, doctors and artists.

I see them in the North, West, East and South. I see them everywhere and not only on social media.

I see them as being a very powerful and potent rising force which, if properly managed, will develop into a major political power over the next few years with a strong ideological and electoral foundation and massive structures.

That is the potential that they have and that is how dangerous they can be.

The sooner those of us that are in the larger political parties get off our high horses, display a little humility, try and understand their mindset, reach out to them, take them more seriously, appreciate their anger, restore their hope, make the necessary concessions and try and abate their rage and rising angst the better it will be for us all.

They may not have today but if we do not play our cards right they may end up having tomorrow.

May God help us all.

FFK.is a deranged mongrel that eats his own vomit and excreta each and every election cycle.

He is not someone any sane human being should listen to, much less quote

fredoooooo:
It's all about fact and what they've done but not lies and international fabricated stats...
Even mr Peter obi called Lagos home and not Awka ... says Shettima

When hatrade is in your DNA,u will be happy and confident to call a professor an illiterate

Righthussle:


Abeg wey the powerful speech ?

You no go school , you better enter traffic dey continue your biz...

This is what they call real political manifestos, not someone somewhere calling lagos home not akwa be telling us he bought one tin of milk in 2017 still in his fridge till date ,

Shetima was great

Bastds have started again..... Na so they talk the same about osinbanjo which we saw the result...

At least I go for osinbanjo anytime any day over obi..... But the bstd thief betray osinbanjo...

Trust these Muslims at your own peril...

Niaja is a damaged country, a Muslim Muslim ticket can never solve the issue...

Let's manage the situation by maintaining what we have used to ensure trust....

God punish all your supporters pushing this card

OnionBandit:
mumu Yeebowhtic opinion

No need to abuse someone over their personal views.

Please let's all calm down.

ezegold4we:
Waoooooo, the bokoharam From apc was only talking about city boy and Lagos, he forgot that Lagos was capital City for over 60yrs,

He also Said Tinubu raised Lagos State IGR from 700million to 51 billion , he did it by tasking poor market men, Women,and okada riders in Lagos yet we can't see any form of Mega development in lagos, all The monies are in Tinubu's Pocket

OBI is the Man, he was Able to show us our problems, and how we can get out of it,

Any reasonable and responsible voter should go for obi, that man's brain is a walking computer, I Duff my cap for Obi,

Pls no sensible person should compare what he said to that of Obi,

Can you see that the NBA organizer's awarded Peter Obi the Best speaker.

all the contestants are thieves and devils . But trying to underrate Agbado’s achievements in Lagos state shows your level of hypocrisy..

In terms of track record , corruption, political structure and exposure, Tinubu beats them all.

The two reasons I will not vote tinubu na because of age and and his indirect involvement in the endsars saga.. if he was young and vibrant and didn’t have hand in the endsars , I will be at the front campaigning for him cos truth be told HE PERFORMED VERY WELL while in power..

Realist12:
I said it, Shettima is a very intelligent person and he was presented to showcase his intellectual qualities to the south . I weep for the social media youths who ignored all the important points he made and started trending his outfit, yet those are the ones supporting Obi saying Obi is intelligent. You can't compare this speech with Obi.
One important point I'd pick from his speech is Tinubu understands the Nigerian psychology , and we all can see how he used this knowledge to turn around Lagos and make political progress.
Tinubu scored a good political point with Shettima today . Coz Shettima flawed both Obi and Atiku.

Please you don't have to weep.

In bullet points, can you sum up the "important points" he made in the video. I didn't see hear anything beyond the regurgitation of the already ubiquitous narrative of Tinubu's seeming heroics in Lagos. That was literally all his speech was centered on.

If he made any other relevant "important point," please state them. What exactly did he say that's particularly ingenious?

Focusmi:
Please no fake promises that you will not be able to fulfill

It would've been best to compare Obi's speech to Tinubu not Shettima, Shettima is not APC presidential candidate, this is same way you guys packaged Buhari and Osibanjo, they ended up messing Nigeria economy, Nigeria economy is nose diving with huge debt, Nigeria don't need wasteful Tinubu, no time for Owambe at this time of our fragile economy, no time for rascality , look at Lagos State debt almost half of all the sates in Nigeria, Lagos is the smallest State by landmass, with the huge IGR and federal allocation still little to show, Nigeria at this this stage need Obi with frugal nature to manage our resources, he has been tested and trusted, he has the capacity, the wisdom to change Nigeria bad economy to flourish, before he became governor in Anambra, Anambra State economy was in total mess, he did all his projects without borrowing, cleared all backlogs of salaries, pensions and gratuities by previous administrations, invested for the state and save #75 billion for his successor, reduced Anambra State debt to the lowest in the country,Obi has the capacity.

Pityoobi:
I didn’t know he was this sound and intelligent, you know the agbada usually give them away as someone with lesser knowledge. Tinubu has actually made the right choice without regards to religion.

Him being on suit with sound poise is really outstanding, right now Zombidients and Zoogerians are defeated fully in their foolish pursuits of religion and ethnocentric campaign for a candidate without legacy or antecedents to govern properly.

He is quite intelligent and articulate too.

Honestly Shettima is truly the golden boy. Asiwaju is blessed to have such a wonderful running mate.

Advocate500:
he couldn't appear in person to explain the track record to us you mean?

A king doesn't shout along the roads. Incoming president Bola Ahmed Tiunbu will definitely address Nigerian when the time comes.

I never knew Shettima is so intelligent. Wow! Now I realise why Tinubu chose him among the all.

Realist12:
I said it, Shettima is a very intelligent person and he was presented to showcase his intellectual qualities to the south . I weep for the social media youths who ignored all the important points he made and started trending his outfit, yet those are the ones supporting Obi saying Obi is intelligent. You can't compare this speech with Obi.
One important point I'd pick from his speech is Tinubu understands the Nigerian psychology , and we all can see how he used this knowledge to turn around Lagos and make political progress.
Tinubu scored a good political point with Shettima today . Coz Shettima flawed both Obi and Atiku.

Even obi kept applauding him

Well spoken. The ultimate measure of man, is his achievements and antecedents/track records. Quite an intellectual. Village idiots laughing man wearing sneakers and suit should laugh at themselves. That's city boy fashion.

post=115970095:


It would've been best to compare Obi's speech to Tinubu not Shettima, Shettima is not APC presidential candidate, this is same way you guys packaged Buhari and Osibanjo, they ended up messing Nigeria economy, Nigeria economy is nose diving with huge debt, Nigeria don't need wasteful Tinubu, no time for Owambe at this time of our fragile economy, no time for rascality , look at Lagos State debt almost half of all the sates in Nigeria, Lagos is the smallest State by landmass, with the huge IGR and federal allocation still little to show, Nigeria at this this stage need Obi with frugal nature to manage our resources, he has been tested and trusted, he has the capacity, the wisdom to change Nigeria bad economy to flourish, before he became governor in Anambra, Anambra State economy was in total mess, he did all his projects without borrowing, cleared all backlogs of salaries, pensions and gratuities by previous administrations, invested for the state and save #75 billion for his successor, reduced Anambra State debt to the lowest in the country,Obi has the capacity.

Obi's opportunity to face Tinubu is coming.

On this outing though, Tinubu wanted to make a statement and show that Obi is not prime asset for the office of Presidency. He has achieved that goal and Shettima has shown us that the VP of Tinubu is more brilliant and an asset far above Presidential candidate Obi.

Admit defeat. But get your candidate polished for public speaking. When he debates Tinubu international media will be there. All that charade with kneeling and gallivanting up and down stage will not count towards points in the debate. Get him thoroughly polished and ready, he is coming into the bullpen to face the Titan of Nigerian politics.

fredoooooo:
It's all about fact and what they've done but not lies and international fabricated stats...
Even mr Peter obi called Lagos home and not Awka ... says Shettima

And how is that a fact that Shettima said obi called Lagos a home and not akwa? Shettima thinks this is a primary school debate.

Weep for your future when you vote APC.

Realist12:
I said it, Shettima is a very intelligent person and he was presented to showcase his intellectual qualities to the south . I weep for the social media youths who ignored all the important points he made and started trending his outfit, yet those are the ones supporting Obi saying Obi is intelligent. You can't compare this speech with Obi.
One important point I'd pick from his speech is Tinubu understands the Nigerian psychology , and we all can see how he used this knowledge to turn around Lagos and make political progress.
Tinubu scored a good political point with Shettima today . Coz Shettima flawed both Obi and Atiku.

fredoooooo:
It's all about fact and what they've done but not lies and international fabricated stats...
Even mr Peter obi called Lagos home and not Awka ... says Shettima

Even Shettima urged Nigerians to vote wisely. Is a vote for the APC with a track record of hunger, poverty and insecurity a wise one?

I prefer this speech 10 times better to PO.
PO should stop quoting statistics and doing simple maths, it makes him look desperate to sound smart and that’s annoying. We aren’t village headmasters. The youth he is speaking have seen smarter days

Paullo19:


For a while I've not really sat down to read some comments but i had to read when i see intelligence speaking...of a great Truth u spoke really well i enjoyed every bit of ur comment..u are indeed an intellect, u understand ND u don't speak with sentiment,..we all want a better country, we've been going with our dear APC and PDP and they've brought us so much pains ND i don't care if they are bringing in Obama as their candidate...we just need a vibrant president, someone who understands what we are going through and i think u should Join the course not because I'm a asking u to but because u understand what the movement is all about..thanks so much for ur comment bro...we need more people like u in this platform not all this tribalistic bigots and political urchins...

Stop calling APC and PDP. LP is also PDP+several others. No new party anywhere.

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You will think that Lagos do not have the challenges bedeviling other Nigerian states after listening to this man. You will think that Lagos is Washington DC.
Obviously APC has nothing to campaign with
Nigerians please vote wisely! Do not be scammed the second time .
Is Obi or Atiku!

ElSudani:


He is quite intelligent and articulate too.

Aptly said

TONYE001:
In my opinion, this speech cannot be compared to that of PO.

This man and his principal brought us to the sorry state we are in today. Yet, they are asking us to vote for them?

What's the logic here?

It's high time we tried something new. We must move away from this stale PDP-APC mixture and begin to consider a new alternative, like the LP and PO.

Peter Obi was a PDP member. I don't support repentant looters.

kennyz247:
u go see it when u wake up from your dream land

We've seen it on YouTube. It's wack!

Emir01:


Stop calling APC and PDP. LP is also PDP+several others. No new party anywhere.

No let am pain u, we no dey vote party...we are voting for a man, and his name is OBI......we are OBI-dient and Yusuful

seanwilliam:
all the contestants are thieves and devils . But trying to underrate Agbado’s achievements in Lagos state shows your level of hypocrisy..

In terms of track record , corruption, political structure and exposure, Tinubu beats them all.

The two reasons I will not vote tinubu na because of age and and his indirect involvement in the endsars saga.. if he was young and vibrant and didn’t have hand in the endsars , I will be at the front campaigning for him cos truth be told HE PERFORMED VERY WELL while in power..

Maybe Tinubu beats them all in political structure, exposure, and corruption like you said.

But, see, Tinubu's "achievements" in Lagos are more of a myth. The IGR story which is his strongest point is a fraudulent manipulation. It's all figures.

Internally generated revenue at whose expense? Man capitalized on Lagos population and infrastructure on ground to tax lagosians via any means possible. Who do you think introduced the concept of the agberos at every Lagos junction taxing drivers. Schools, shops, kiosks, and even hawkers were/are taxed by the state.

Where does the revenue go? Where exactly? How has it benefited any lagosian at all?

Lagos has the most expensive transport system, the most expensive accomodation, one of the most expensive goods and services (despite being the direct delivery point of imported goods). These are the ripple effect of Tinubu's igr fraud. Nothing concretely benefiting the people. It's a win-win. It's a money for his personal use and a stat with which to campaign.

Focusmi:
Please no fake promises that you will not be able to fulfill

Nah today ApC and fake promises are like 5&6

DaddyFreeze2020:
"Restructuring my Foot. To hell with Restructuring"
-Kashim Shettima.

Kashim Shettima always looks angry in his speeches, using the same tonation of Islamic terrorist. That aggressive tone has nothing to do with his mother tongue/pronunciations.

It's the terrorist in him.

He didn't talk about security, because he is part of the problem. How can he create the Lagos experience all over the country? Will he and Tinubu govern all the States.

This guy lacks ideas

muykem:
You can't compare Tinubu with the rest candidates when it comes to track records even Peter Obi himself is avoiding comparison of previous performance.

Your problem is ascribing all the things FG, Pa Jakande, Buba Marwa, Fashola, Ambode and Sanwolu did in Lagos State to Tinubu and by the time we ask you to separate them you'll tell us that it was Tinubu that brought them to power.