As the political circle gets busier with activities in preparation for the former lunch of the campaign period for the 2023 presidential election in line with INEC`s guideline, things have continued to unravel that gives each campaign organization of the political party candidate a lot of talking points in the campaign season.
The voting public are also not denied these continuous flow of information, talking points and things to ponder about as they consider their options on the choices of candidates to elect come February 2023.
What seems outstanding on these talking points lately appears to be the spiritual side of the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party flagbearer, who seems to be demolishing all obstacles on his way to fame, against all odds and contrary to human expectations.
The strangest part of his recent rise in the political circles comes from the fact that most of the people who have spoken critical of the former governor of Anambra State seem to each be getting adverse and embarrassing repercussions.
First was Mr Reno Omokri, a lawyer and self-styled human rights activists, but best known for his social media presence, where he had a very large following and was well respected until recently.
Reno who is based in the United Kingdom and the United States was a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was defeated in 2015 by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Jonathan served under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but unlike his boss, Reno Omokri has remained a diehard PDP loyalist, more than 7 years his party fail from power.
According to a Clariform report, Reno caused uproar on Instagram recently, when he tried to talk down on Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), while promoting his own party PDP`s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“My only issue with Peter is that I prefer Atiku to him. If this election was like a JAMB form, where you pick your first, second and third choice. Atiku would be my first and second choices. Peter would be my third choice!” said Reno.
He also went further trying to justify his preference for Atiku over Obi, saying, “I support Atiku because he is a job creator. He founded Intels in 1988. Before he became Vice President in 1999, Intels was the biggest port logistic firm in Africa and was worth close to a billion dollars.
“Please research it. Through that company and other companies in his Priam group, Atiku employs more people than many state governments. Nigeria needs jobs for our youths to end unemployment, without which we can’t end insecurity. And I believe Atiku is better placed than Peter Obi to achieve that.”
Only a few people who understands the issue Reno talked about will take him seriously, and surely, his claims did not go down well with his own Instagram followers.
They quickly called him unprintable names. Some accused him of hunting for favour from Atiku, which accounts for his support for the PDP presidential candidate and certainly not because he is better than Peter Obi.
Further, the experience of father Ejike Mbaka is also another example of how not to mess with “God`s elect” or perhaps the “anointed of God”, which is what most Peter Obi`s supporters now describe him (Obi) as.
According to another Clariform report, the fiery catholic priest rose against Peter Obi, making negative comments against the LP flagbearer and his presidential run. He did not only suggest to his church members not to vote for Obi. He also was suggestive of Atiku as the preferred candidate.
“A stingy man cannot be our president, we are very hungry — we need a generous person, Nigerians are hungry, are we not hungry?” said the very controversial Father Mbaka in reference to Peter Obi.
This very “unwarranted lies least expected from a man of God against a person as charitable and responsible as Peter Obi” was a very derogatory comment and “unbecoming” of the founder and spiritual leader of the Adoration Ministry Enugu (AMEN).
This earned him immediate recrimination from the Catholic Dioceses of Enugu. He was not only cautioned, but also had his ministry declared excommunicated from the church for an indefinite period.
Nigerians across the country also lambasted Mkaba for his comments against Peter Obi, until he bowed under the intense pressure and apologized to Obi.
Governor Nyesom Wike of River State is also another known personality who have fallen from height after speaking against the Labour Party candidate. In the contest for the PDP presidential ticket, Wike went aggressively against the LP flagbearer branding him as unfit and without “capacity”.
Wike did not only loose the PDP primary, but ended up being betrayed by a friend and ally, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, whom he supported both morally and materially to clinch the PDP ticket in 2019.
The betrayal and loss of the presidential ticket was not all the negative wind that hit Governor Wike. He (Wike) also was again dropped by the PDP flagbearer, Abubakar Atiku as a running mate, even after the party big wigs supported his candidacy.
The outspoken Governor Wike, who is very well known for speaking his mind at all times have not been able to speak in public since after the snubbing from Atiku, who dropped him as a running mate against all expectations. He has since then gone underground.
Some say this is out of humiliation, while others say the River State governor could be strategically hibernating, while weighing his options for his next political move, before speaking out again.
The latest in this club of Nigerians who have fallen from grace is the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who on Thursday was arrested alongside his wife in the United Kingdom.
Senator Ekweremadu and his wife have been accused of facilitating the travel of a minor to the UK for the purpose of organ harvesting. This is a serious offence in the UK and the Enugu born senator might be in for a very tough time in his political carrier.
The Senator is known to be anti-Obi candidacy, and instead supports his party man, Atiku Abubakar.
He has spoken against Mr Peter Obi, claiming that the Labour Party Candidate is playing the spoiler to the aspiration of the Igbos to produce the president of Nigeria.
In a press interview, Ekweremadu said, “I can assure you that the South East will vote for PDP. We ask ourselves if Obi will win the election and the answer is no.
“Can the East afford to throw away our votes and be sentimental about a matter that concerns our people, our children and future? No.”
What is remarkable is that in all the above attacks against Peter Obi, he has never responded in kind against any of the attackers. He has either remained silent or cautiously rebuffed the attacks, and explained to Nigerians his own details on the issues surrounding the attacks.
