Nigerians are clearly sick of living between the devil and the deep blue sea. The attrocities of the unscrupulous pseudo-elites have ruined everything in the country. People everywhere are looking for alternatives. PDP has failed them, and the hope they placed in APC has proven to be even worse. It was like getting out of a frying pan and falling into a fire. It’s becoming unbearable for the average Nigerian, who is besieged from all sides. Insecurity has spread from the lower north-east to the upper south-east. Between the sub-regions, everyone has experienced the wrath of trial and error neo-liberal economic policies that failed even in the countries promoting them. The figures are there. As the value of our currency has declined, so have employment opportunities. People are trapped in a cycle of poverty because they are led by a person with the lack of know-how.
Anyone listening to the common man on the street and radio stations, or watching him laments on social media, can see that Nigerians have seen the failure that PDP and APC could offer. That miserable failure. Both parties have failed to meet the expectations of the average person, and he is now looking for a new ways of solving issues. The emergence of the NNPP is a source of hope for the common man, as evidenced by the way the party is gradually gaining national recognition, garnering support from gurasa sellers on Kano’s streets to shoemakers in Aba’s shops. This demonstrates the public’s desire for an alternative. A new party that can fulfill their dreams with an outright successful person. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has stepped forward to fill this void.
Kwankwaso is the ideal candidate for the job of presidency in Nigeria. He has the highest qualification of any major candidate in the country, and his governance skills have proven to be excellent. His time in the Senate was more than just a warm-up, and as a minister of defense, Nigeria experienced a peace that we still long for. His accomplishments are self-evident. His free education at all levels benefited thousands of Kano students regardless of their social status or economic background. His first and second terms as governor have demonstrated remarkable progress that has never been seen before. He expanded Kano city to unimaginable proportions, laying new roads and installing street lights in every nook and cranny. His insatiable desire for educational progress was demonstrated by the new schools he built across 44 local governments in the states. With Kwankwaso at the helm, the Nigerian university strike can be put to a total oblivion.
All Nigerians who have seen what he has done want a leader like him. However, some of them are imprisoned by the “wasted vote” myth. Because most people are more familiar with two major political parties that have proven to be failures, they believe that voting outside the party will result in an election loss. This clearly demonstrates that people who vote between evil and lesser evil are acting in fear. Voting for them is motivated by the fear that voting for another candidate will result in the failure to win the election. This is why we have remained in the same cage for so long. Despite the fact that Nigerian democracy allows for a multi-party system, some people remain trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea, even when they could escape to paradise. It is now our turn to act differently. To think outside the box and vote for a candidate who is perfect for the job, rather than candidates from parties whose main campaign is to instill fear in the minds of citizens. When many people think this way, it’s more easier to win together.
The South-east, like the Northern Nigeria, an NNPP stronghold, has begun to yearn for a new party. The promotion of Peter Obi and his online support base demonstrates not the candidate’s popularity, but rather the people’s desire for alternatives. With talks between the NNPP and the Labor Party, the merger will be more appealing to Nigerians. Kwankwaso, who is well-liked in Northern Nigeria, can count on Obi’s support as a running mate. My argument is that Kwankwaso should be the candidate because he has the most support from the 19 Northern States, while Obi should be the vice presidential candidate because he has the most support from the South-east.
Igbos in Nigeria have long claimed marginalization in Nigerian politics. We cannot dismiss the claim, but we can see that democracy is a numbers game. The North has the votes, and any political arrangement in Nigeria that excludes the region with the most votes will fail. It is critical to have Igbos at the top of things, but nothing is done abruptly without a gradual process. With this, I urge Obi to join Kwankwaso as his running mate in order to save this country from political vultures.
