Today marks another landmark in the annals of Nigeria’s history as we transit from a democratically elected government to another democratically elected government.
In the wake of the endSARS protest in 2020, I wrote an article where I spoke about the real revolution. I charged Nigerian youths to take their protest from the street to the polling booth.
The article is here attached for reference. I titled it the pains, the gains and the nation:
In that article, I charged the youths to put a face to their struggle. I reminded them of the enormous power in their hands which they use for the wrong reasons.
In the 2023 general election, His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, happened to be the face of the aspirations of angry youths who desire a better Nigeria, albeit with exaggerated assumptions.
I remember admonishing the youths in that same article that power is not served a la carte. Thinking that the youths can displace the experienced politicians at the centre appeared achievable but it is not a tea party.
The 2023 general election was not a usual election. The Obi phenomenon was markedly a paradigm shift in the history of presidential election in Nigeria. Not allowing the gains to slip will be the turning point in our polity.
For once, the establishment was shaken, the political class was rattled. Pundits could not say with finality who the winner would be until the final whistle was blown. I bet that Nigeria and Nigerians should be the better for it.
True to my postulations, many things changed but just like I admonished, the youths overestimated their reach and gave themselves victory even before any vote was cast.
The biggest erroneous assumption was to think that only one candidate personifies the collective aspirations of all Nigerian youths. No one has that clout. The second error was to think that only those who believe what you believe are the true patriots. That is a judgement error.
The 2023 election has been won and lost. The beauty of it is that aggrieved parties have toed the line of honour by challenging the results in the law courts. It is a testament to the fact that Nigeria’s democracy is truly evolving.
The bigger lesson for me in the 2023 general election is that whether young or old, learned or not, abled or physically challenged, Itshekiri or Nupe, Kanuri or Ibiobio, none of us can go it alone. The candidate with the greatest regard for Nigeria’s multiplicity wears the crown today. Politics is local.
As the new dawn unfolds, it is a good time for me to congratulate His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON as they take the mantle of leadership.
The real revolution will be when we all admit that our diversity, though a strength, could also be a weakness. It is either we sail together or we sink together. The choice is ours.
Truly, Nigeria can rise again.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA.
©️Akin Oluwadare Jnr
29 May 2023.
