Fredrick Nwabufo writes about supporters of Peter Obi as a lynch mob.

Concerning are the chronic onslaughts by supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), against citizens from the South-east who do not support his bid. They threaten to cause harm, curse, and use every vile instrument in Frankenstein’s toolbox to drive fear and intimidate differing voices. Such hate and prejudice should not be found among well-meaning citizens.

It must be their way or the highway to hell. These are intellectual indigents who have secured residence on different social media platforms. They maul and bludgeon anyone who differs from the herd. According to them, death is the penalty for differing. But this insidious mob can have their say; they cannot have their way.

While Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has steadied his campaign on critical issues economy, security, education, healthcare and the like some other presidential candidates have been dutiful in advancing hate and fake news.

It is dispiriting that some young people enlist themselves into morbid mobs to tear down divergent voices for some assumed political messiahs. Patriotism is defined around the choice of candidate, and not on allegiance to national ideals. It is very unfortunate.

Youth unemployment should be a critical issue this season. The current unemployment rate is put at 33%. It is really concerning. There is no doubt that this is a vector of a spectrum of social anomalies. With a youth population of over 120 million, it is imperative that young people are at the heart of policymaking in Nigeria.

In his Action Plan concepted as ‘Renewed Hope’, Tinubu delineated seminal elements to harnessing youth potential. He says, as president, the youth will not be exploited to do the bidding of the government. He says his administration will aim to cut the youth unemployment rate in half within four years through entrepreneurship and job creation, as well as through social and political empowerment.

On the entrepreneurship and job creation plank, Tinubu says his government will work with the Central Bank of Nigeria to develop suitable incentives to encourage commercial banks to target low-cost loans towards a given quota of youth-led enterprises.

He says commercial banks will also be encouraged to ensure their loan application processes are simplified and give greater priority to young people with marketable ideas, and that federally owned and affiliated banking institutions will immediately be mandated to develop similar schemes for young entrepreneurs.

This is clearly a plan and an antiserum to the contagion of youth restiveness and delinquency. It is disturbing that young people on the internet resort to promoting ethnic and religious prejudices, and passing sentences, threats, and curses on those whose political choices are at variance with their preference.

The APC presidential candidate says there will be an increase in intergenerational, business mentoring and cooperation, with two million volunteer entrepreneurs and professionals across the nation committed to working with the youth to find employment, hone job skills and create businesses.

This is clearly a plan and an antiserum to the contagion of youth restiveness and delinquency. It is disturbing that young people on the internet resort to promoting ethnic and religious prejudices, and passing sentences, threats, and curses on those whose political choices are at variance with their preference.

Concerning are the chronic onslaughts by supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), against citizens from the South-east who do not support his bid. They threaten to cause harm, curse, and use every vile instrument in Frankenstein’s toolbox to drive fear and intimidate differing voices. Such hate and prejudice should not be found among well-meaning citizens.

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra State, became a casualty of the Obi Red Army when he only confirmed the obvious. In an interview in 2018, Peter Obi had claimed he invested $20 million in Inter-national Breweries on behalf of Anambra State while he was governor. This is a company he has interest in.But Soludo said Peter Obi’s purported investments in Anambra are worth next to nothing.

It is disturbing that despite the promise of issues-based campaigns by contending political parties, the entire political expedition is dissolving into a free-for-all with divisive methods, slander, and fake news deployed, particularly by opposing parties.

He said: “I think there was something I read about somebody speculating about whatever investment. With what I’ve seen today, the value of those investments is worth next to nothing. So, let’s leave that aside.”

It is disturbing that despite the promise of issues-based campaigns by contending political parties, the entire political expedition is dissolving into a free-for-all with divisive methods, slander, and fake news deployed, particularly by opposing parties.

The rippling of a fake statement purportedly emanating from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alleging a probe of Tinubu is a clear breach of the sanctity of the campaigns.Although INEC quickly torpedoed the fake statement, the attempt underscores the predatory and sinister complexion of our politics.

As I often say, if we divide the country during the campaigns, we will have to live with the consequences of presiding over a divided people. If the purpose of seeking power is for the good of all, then we must begin by keeping the campaigns clean.

What is the good of power when the next government will spend the next four years struggling to mend fences and managing diversity without success? We will only be reinventing a parlous wheel.

If we sow hate during the campaigns, we will reap hate afterwards. The travails of the past years should teach us not to make campaigns about ethnic and religious prejudices, threats, curses, slander, and fake news.The parties going down this scorched and serpentine path, must beat a retreat.

Fredrick Nwabufo, a.k.a Mr OneNigeria, is a writer and journalist.

Giving Obi a chance in 2023 would not be largesse to the bespectacled ascetic what is at stake transcends one man he is just a catalyst for the new Nigeria we desire. It is more about the things his emergence would represent: that the people come first, that democracy must indeed be of the people, by the people and for the people.

That anyone can emerge as president no matter what part of the country they come from or how they worship, as long as they are best suited for the job; that people with the sheer power to vote can sack the stale politicians with their shopworn ideas and toxicity.

Nigeria at this time needs a visionary, not an emperor. We must wrest ourselves from the manacles of those who have held us bound and have become entitled to our commonwealth. We must shun prejudices as we forge ahead to become a prosperous nation. We must make this Obi experiment now and turn the tide against the political elite because fortune only favours the brave. It is in our hands.

Why is Fedrick Nwabufo obsession just only with Peter Obi Labour party supporters. Are the hoardes of APC miscreants with abusive, violent and coercive agbero-mentality also not culprible?

Rodolf may choose to hero-worship Bola Tinubu, hence his biased write up( because it is not only Tinubu that have a political manifesto for the youth) but must everyone who fails to succumb to his warped political inclination be automatically termed a threat? I don't get it. Now I have some questions for you sir;

-1).-Where were you when members of the present sitting APC government( then in the opposition including Bola Ahmed Tinubu that you're fronting for here) openly denigrated not only the office of the President but also went ahead to insult the person and family of the then President Goodluck Jonathan?

Meanwhile, the same Jonathan the APC have vilified for almost 8 years of their disastrous regime is the same person Bola Ahmed Tinubu and gang of vallians went to seek his endorsement for the moribund muslim-muslim ticket of the APC.

-2).Where also were you Fedrick Nwabufo when Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and other party stalwarts openly threatened that APC will form a "paralleled government" in the pre-2015 era of politicking and they have not apologised for such a treasonable statement nor Amaechi punished for it.

-3)-Where again were you sir when the Oba of Lagos openly threatened Igbos that they will be drowned in the Lagos Lagoon if they failed to align themselves with the present disastrous APC regime both in Lagos and national.

While their miscreants were disenfranchising Igbo in their dominant areas from exercising their constitutional and democratic rights? So where is the rights to freedom of expression, association and to vote your choice or to be voted for?

-4).-Was Mr Fedrick Nwabufo fully aware the Bola Ahmed Tinubu openly asked those demanding for better governance and change of government away from the present catastrophe the APC is to "shut up?"
Didnt Bola Tinubu APC asked for chain that gullible citizens mistaken for change in 2015? Are we still practicing democracy let alone the participatory type?

Bola Tinubu also recently said "mentioning Funke Akindele's name in his presence is an insult" to the cheering and clapping of his supporters during a townhall meeting in Lagos.

Can you imagine the dehumanisation a mere mortal is subjecting another mortal to because of politics? So Tinubu is a god that deserves worship? Hope you're not doing same?

If I may ask you sir, why didn't do a write up or fact check on these open abuse of the rights of Nigerians to freedom of choice include some APC members who are also tired of the tyrannical griphold of one Emperor on a state?

-5). Furthermore, this was the same Tinubu who openly sided the present oppressive government stance to allowed security agencies open fire on youth demanding for good governance and political reforms across this nation especially on 20-10-20 @ Lekki. Are you comfortable with that?

The truth is that, though it may be a sad development, the precedence for overt abuse and intolerance in Nigerian politics was initiated by the military but Bola Ahmed Tinubu's APC have reinforced it.The APC have no regard for due process, orderliness or the rule of law.

Hence as former South Africa prime minister (Bogtha) said and I quote; "these uprisings will bring out the beast in us." I rest my case.

Fredrick Nwabufo, a.k.a Mr OneNigeria, is a writer and journalist.

"Apologise for saying you do not believe in one Nigeria" - APC Chieftain to Tinubu
https://www.google.com/amp/s/dailypost.ng/2022/01/24/apologise-for-saying-you-do-not-believe-in-one-nigeria-apc-chieftain-to-tinubu/%3famp=1

Racoon:
First of all, I am fully a Peter Obi enthusiast but I don't subscribed to jaundiced propagation of open malicious lies or use of coercive power to convince anyone who does not agree with my political views. However, the truth must never be disputed.

As a journalist with a reputable newsprint media of Premium Times calibre, absolute fairness & balancing is expected of Fredrick Nwabufo. However, he chooses to remain the efulefu that he has ever been. Others Igbos in this class include Joe Igbokwe, Chimaroke Nnamani, and recently Charles Soludo among many.

The good thing is that, the average Igbo man speaks his man with or with fear or favour hence when we reject evil or brace good, we do it with gusto and sense of sound judgement.

The mods as usual will swiftly moved this biased piece to the front page as Myn d44 selectively did on a thread yesterday, but the revolution is still loading.

Racoon:

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/565770-the-tyranny-of-the-vocal-minority-by-fredrick-nwabufo.html