Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, PeterObi
By Jimmy Enyeh and Adebayo Obajemu
At last, today, February 25, 2023, the day assigned for Nigeria’s presidential election is here.
Expectedly, the frontrunners are currently putting finishing torches to their gameplans.
Although, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), campaigns have ssince ended 24 hours to election date, the stakeholders will be doting the i and the t regarding logistics to ensure victory at the poll.
The 18 registered parties are fielding candidates in today’s election, the most keen in Nigeria’s contemporary political history..
The presidential candidates and their parties are Christopher Imumolen (Accord), Hamza Al-Mustapha (AA), Omoyele Sowore (AAC), Dumebi Kachikwu (ADC), Yabani Sani (ADP), Bola Tinubu (APC), Peter Umeadi (APGA), Princess Ojei (APM) and Charles Nnadi (APP).
Others are Sunday Adenuga (BP), Peter Obi (LP), Rabi’u Kwankwaso (NNPP), Felix Osakwe (NRM), Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Kola Abiola (PRP), Adebayo Adewole (SDP), Ado Ibrahim Abdulmalik (YPP) and Dan Nwanyanwu (ZLP).
Despite the array of the presidential hopefuls, analysts and watchers of Nigeria’s democracy have, however, dubbed the election a five-horse race between Messrs Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso and Prince Adewole Adebayo
Regardless, whoever emerges the winner of today’s contest will be sworn in on 29 May for a four-year term to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari whose second term in office lapses on that day.
The #Endsars Protest of 2020 , has occupied a seminal place in Nigeria history. It was a movement, a youth movement that started out as a protest against police brutality before it morphed into a movement against injustice and poor governance.
Echoes of the protest still reverberate across the land with positive outcomes in Nigerian life. Unlike the violent storming of Bastille which signalled the French Revolution of 1789, the Nigerian youth protest at Lekki, Lagos has unleashed a revolution of sort, a mental revolt against old order, which has produced an avatar, a rallying point and political symbol in Prince Adewole Adebayo, a front line lawyer and a man who believes in equity and justice.
The #Endsars generation, which saw Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate who played a major role in the struggle.
This #Endsars generation who by demographic are in majority have decided to change the political balance using Adewole Adebayo. How far can they go? What are their chances,and what hurdles await them?
The above questions and many others will decide who will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023 among presidential hopefuls in a race featuring the main contenders: former vice president,Atiku Abubakar; former Lagos State governor and APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi and Social Democratic Party presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo.
For now, we should leave the pretenders out in the analysis.
Now that political parties have come up with their flag bearers for the 2023 presidential election, we take a critical look at how the epic battle among the four serious contenders, former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, vying on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and a leader of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party and and finally SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo will be won come 2023.
With the emergence of Ibrahim Shettima , former governor of Borno State as Tinubu’s running mate, the Atiku’s camp has enough reason to squeam in fear. One, Atiku’s stronghold is in the Northeast, the same zone of Shettima.
The implication is that the zone’s votes which could have been the advantage for Atiku will now be shared with Tinubu.
The epic battle has many contexts under which to situate the analysis. One, the two visible contenders are Tinubu of the APC and Atiku of PDP, the serious challenge to the ascendancy of the twosome is Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Adewole Adebayo of SDP. They come with thier own preponderant strength and downside.
On the whole, it is a view widely held by many that the 2023 presidential contest would not just be the fiercest, it would be the most unpredictable and intriguing election in the democratic history of Nigeria.
Secretly, former president Olusegun Obasanjo is said to be backing power shift to the southeast and is one of the powerful hands marketing Obi to Western Powers, ensured his appearance in UK to parley with officialdom in Downing street.
It was Obasanjo that is also marketing Obi to northern establishment, picked a northern vice presidential candidate for him.
However, many analysts believe the Obi phenomenon is for 2027 by then he will have built enough good will and structure to challenge political orthodoxy and entrenched conservative political establishment.
Peter Obi: the ultimate dark horse
Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate who left the PDP few days to the party’s presidential primary in which Atiku emerged the candidate, is currently a social media sensation.
He is the most talked about presidential contender in the current dispensation. His appeal has demographic advantage being largely driven by the youth that cut across geopolitical zones.
The Obi fever is fast spreading like wildfires. Sources say his support base has a broad swath that includes some Diaspora Nigerian intellectuals abroad.
The youth in their thousands are raving about his candidature on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other platforms, but there are concerns that that may not translate into votes during the 2023 elections as most of them do not have voter’s cards.
But that fears are fast dissipating as thousands of youths have gone for the acquisition of their PVC.
He is expected to have significant advantage in Southeast, notwithstanding that Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi State has vowed that his state will pitch tents with Tinubu.
Though Obi is a former two term governor of Anambra State and was the vice presidential candidate for Atiku in 2019, it is believed that his lack of political influence beyond his home state would be his greatest undoing in the election. Besides, his party platform, the LP, being devoid of national presence, will be an anathema to many voters willing to help his ambition to become the first Igbo man to ascend the presidency of the country.
But for his eloquence and ability to communicate explicitly, his plans on how to tackle insecurity, the economy and youth unemployment, as well as his relatively ‘young age’, largely regarded as representing the new order, compared to Atiku and Tinubu, who are perceived as belonging to the old political stock, Obi is bound to get swing votes from citizens who are shorn of religious, regional and ethnic sentiments that becloud Nigerian politics and define voting patterns.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu: the Jagaban of Nigerian politics
Tinubu is a political phenomenon. Aside from Atiku ,he is the most experienced politician and arguably the most connected with a network of loyalists across many geopolitical zones. Though it is doubtful if he has enough political goodwill in the southeast and south south.
Tinubu will win his native Southwest, will have larger chunk of the north central many of whom share his belief on the need to restructure the country on the path of equity and justice. The Middle Belt are yearning for a change given their sad experience of killings, kidnappings and threat to their farmlands under Buhari the People’s Democratic Party’s candidate being another Fulani as Buhari will be a hard sell. Tinubu is most likely to win larger chunk of the votes, while the rest will be shared by Kwankwask and Atiku.
In the Northwest, the votes will go for a split but given the preponderance of APC governors in the zone, much of it will go to Tinubu with a threatening challenge from Atiku.
The Kano votes seen as deciders will be split but the larger share is expected to go to Tinubu given the influence of Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State. An astute politican and Tinubu’s loyalist. He has proved in the past that he was in charge as he routed the duo of former governors Kwankwanso and Shekarau in 2019 election.
In the Northeast, Atiku will win Adamawa and Taraba with wide margins, but in Yobe and Borno, Tinubu is most likely going to carry the day given the support of former governor Shettima of Borno and the current governor Zulum who are Tinubu’s loyalists.
In South south, the Atiku phenomenon may have been dimmed by the treatment metted out to the Rivers State governor,Nyesom Wike by PDP who has enormous influence.
Only last week, the triumvirate of Fayemi the Ekiti State governor, Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos State and the Ondo State governor with former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose tagging along visited Wike in PortHacourt.
We don’t need a soothsayer to know that the visit was to seek Wike’s support for Tinubu.
Tinubu is expected to fare better in the south south than Atiku. Obi is also going to get some votes in the zone.
Atiku Abubakar: the foxy politician
Atiku Abubakar, no doubt is an old political war horse with wide experience in politics. As Influential as he is he may turned out weaker in his current attempt to be president come 2023.
With emergence of Ibrahim Shettima former governor of Borno State as Tinubu’s running mate, the Atiku presidential bid may not be easy as it seems given that Tinubu is an old political foxy who is not known to lose political battles. By picking a running mate from Atiku’s region, he has given the latter a deadly political upper cut.
Atiku going by facts on the ground has not been able to replicate that kind of advantage.
The party whose flag is flying is divided, unhelped by bitter primary election, which has pitted the party and Atiku against its biggest financier , the Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike.
This development will impact negatively on Atiku’s chances in the south south where Wike is a larger than life figure.
In Delta State whose governor, Okowa he (Atiku) picked as vice presidential candidate, the chances of Atiku getting massive votes are slim given Okowa’s breached relationship with James Ibori, and the latter’s hostility to Okowa’s emergence as vice presidential candidate.
In the south east,Atiku is dead on arrival as the Igbo will not leave their own and vote for Atiku given the region’s long time quest for Igbo presidency.
In the Southwest, given the liberal nature of southwest politics,Atiku will get a sizable votes but marginal and not strong enough to make any impact given the clamour for power shift to the South
With the different permutations heralding the emergence of Atiku, Tinubu, Kwankwaso and Obi as prominent presidential candidates in the 2023 elections, it is a long shot from now to say with any iota of certainty, who would emerge victorious in the contest. Perhaps what is certain is that it will be the most fascinating presidential election in Nigeria’s wobbling democracy.
Overall, while Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu may have better name recognition, national spread, and the presence of political party structures across the federation, other candidates like Peter Obi and Kwakwanso, resonate resoundingly among young and middle-class voters, and those who are looking for an opportunity for a shift from the status quo and established system.
Though religion and ethnicity have always played strong roles in the North, it is doubtful if Atiku can coast home on those parameters now given current scenario, shifting political dynamics and the desire of the APC governors out of enlightened self interest to support the APC presidential candidate for their own relevance and political future.
Supporting Atiku on the basis of sentiments will put them out of political circulation for eight years, a spectre they don’t want.
It is likely given all the permutations that Bola Ahmed Tinubu may win the presidential election come 2023. Shettima’s emergence is a plus for him as it’s a politically correct move.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) though angry at Muslim/Muslim ticket will still vote for him, being liberal and having the frame of mind that understands nuances, they are not known to harbour fundamentalist streak.
They may not be able to stomach the idea of another Fulani succeeding president Buhari,a Fulani given Nigerians’ experience with insecurity and herdsmen issues. The lesser of the two evils for majority of Christians may be Tinubu, Muslim/Muslim ticket not withstanding
The Game Changer; Prince Adewole Adebayo
Although he`s new in politics, he has vowed to do things differently from the old horse, Prince Adewole Adebayo is gradually warming himself into the heart of people on account of his desire to wipe out poverty in the country. His major campaign slogans are eradication of poverty, providing security and employment.
The highly intelligent entrepreneur turned politician made himself so relevant and popular that virtually all the top contenders want an alliance with him but Adebayobdistanced himself from any form of alliance.
He has vowed to stop oil theft in Nigeria.
Adebayo also has plans up his sleeves that will take the country out of the doldrums
Adewole was born in Ondo City, Ondo State, on January 8, 1972. Between 1978 and 1983, he attended St. Stephen Primary School in Ondo. From 1983 to 1989, he attended St. Joseph College in Ondo. From 1991 to 1997, he attended Obafemi Awolowo University, where he earned a law degree. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2000 after graduating from the Nigerian Law School in Lagos and passing his bar exams. Adebayo later attended law school in the United States of America, where he passed the New York Bar Exams. Adebayo is licensed to practice in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, California, New York, and federal courts in the United states
Adewole Adebayo began his legal career as a litigation lawyer at Tunji Abayomi and Co in Lagos, Nigeria. After two years of legal practice, he founded his own law firm, Adewole Adebayo & Co., House of Law, in 2002.
One of the cases handled by his law firm in Nigeria was the case between Femi Falana and the Federal Government, in which Femi Falana (SAN) contested the constitutionality of the contract between the Ministry of Interior, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and Continental Transfert Technique Limited for the collection of Combined Expatriate and Residence Permit Aliens Card (CERPAC) fees. Adebayo represented Continental Transfert Technique Limited in the case.
In 2016, Adewole Adebayo established KAFTAN TV.
Adebayo sponsors nearly 2,000 young Nigerians in Nigerian and foreign tertiary institutions, in addition to numerous people he has financially empowered across the country.
Adebayo is a public affairs commentator who provides advice on national issues on occasion and participates in Nigerian politics as a member of the Third Force.
On January 15, 2022, Adewole Adebayo declared his intention to run for the office of the Nigerian president.
