“What we have consistently done in this country is to consistently hire vehicle drivers to fly the Nigerian airplane instead of hiring qualified pilots.” – Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the New Nigerian People`s Party (NNPP), Mr. Rabiu Kwankwaso stirred up the hornet’s nest recently when he was asked about the possibility of a merger between his New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party (LP).

Kwankwaso who was on a Channels TV political program dismissed the possibility of any merger with the Labour Party, unless it is on the bases of the LP presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi stepping down to become his (Kwankwaso`s) running mate.

The dust this demand of Kwankwaso raised in the national circle was not only because of the audacity of even having what many analysts could describe as a ridiculous thought, but also mostly because of the pedestrian reason behind it.

What Rabiu Kwankwaso said:

In response to why he (Kwankwaso) wants Peter Obi to step down and join him as a running mate, Kwankwaso said the following:

“The implication is if you put somebody from the south-east, unfortunately, there are many issues in the south-east. You see, northern voters are the worst hit by this country’s maladministration issue.

“Even under that circumstance, a northern voter also believes that he is better as a one united Nigeria. Most of the things happening in the south, especially in the south-east, people are not too comfortable with that and as long as we have anyone from there in any party, it will be very difficult for northern voters to vote,”

“And that’s the situation now, and those workers that are working against LP, south-east and so on, what they believe is if you put anybody under this arrangement from that side of the country, the northern voters will not vote; and who will they go to? Their own candidate in the north.”

“What I am telling you is if anybody now from the south-east under this circumstance becomes the presidential candidate of our party or any other party, the implication is that the activities and many other issues underground, northern voters will certainly go for their northern candidate in another party.”

Therefore, by the reasoning of Mr Kwankwaso, this is how the next president of Nigeria will be chosen – on the bases of tribal sentiments, and nothing more. To him, there is no other challenge fencing the country today that matters.

Every other thing must be sacrificed at the altar of tribalism, the same politics they have been playing for years. More than fourty years after, Rabiu Kwankwaso is still stuck with, and stokes the flame of tribal sentiments for political gains.

The NNPP candidate had reasoned that Peter Obi should step down for him because he has no chance of winning the presidential election simply because he is an Igbo man QED.

It goes without saying that Mr Kwankwaso and his supporters understand without doubt were the merit and credibility lies between him and Mr Obi. They have no argument about where things stand in terms of the personality of both individuals in relation to suitability for the office and job of a Nigerian president.

Having indirectly admitted his inferiority to an Obi candidacy, what was left for Mr Kwankwaso was just one thing – play the ethnic card and what and see what it gets him in his political gamble for some form of recognition.

What was Peter Obi`s response?

Mr Peter Obi had a chance to directly respond to the above comments by Mr Kwankwaso a day after the comments were made. Speaking on Arise TV channel, Mr Obi said the following:

“The comment from my respected elder brother Kwankwaso is the reason why we have 100 million Nigerians living in poverty, the reason why we have 18 million Nigerian children out of school.

“It is the reason why we have over 55% of Nigerians either unemployed or under employed. It is the reason why we have all the problems, why Nigeria is unsecured, because rather than vote for competence, we chose to vote for incompetence based on a primitive belief of religion and ethnicity.

“Tell me, today you can’t travel from Abuja to Kaduna by air, by road by train. Is it because someone from the southeast is in charge? You can’t travel from Abuja to Minna by road.

“Is it because someone from the southeast is in charge? Yesterday we had an attack by bandits on the presidential convoy, in Katsina, is it because a president from the southeast is in charge?

“Show me where you can buy food cheaper, you have uninterrupted electricity, or people are prospering in the north because northerners are in power, in the southwest because they are in power or in the southeast?

“What we have consistently done in this country is to consistently hire vehicle drivers to fly the Nigerian airplane instead of hiring qualified pilots. My commitment is let us campaign and deal with issues of solving the problems of the country.

“There is a lot of problems beseeching this country. If you don’t know, this country will soon default on their debt servicing, and it will be reduced to junk status. That is what should be preoccupying us now.

“Our schools are shut down, and we are talking of who will vote for who. Let`s deal with the issues. This election will not be based on my turn. It will not be based on ethnicity. It will be based on the Nigerian agenda to save this Nigeria.

“Nigeria is in coma and you need a specialist and that is what am offering, to safe Nigerian`s life or it will die. I am appealing to people to save Nigeria, and to save Nigeria is to higher the best.

“I don’t want people to vote for me because I am from the southeast, or south-south or southwest, or northwest, or north east or north central. I want Nigerians to vote for Peter Obi because he is a Nigerian who is competent to start pulling Nigeria out of the mess it is in today.”

Clariform Verdict

In considering the comments by these two individuals, that is Kwankwazo`s initial comments and Obi response, it is rather obvious what both candidates are made of in terms of the content of their character.

We understand that there are some other candidates vying for the office of Nigerian president in the 2023 election, but specifically between the LP candidate, Peter Obi and that of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, it is rather crystal clear who the cap fits.

However, at the end of the day, it is all left in the hands of the Nigerian voters. It is left for the people to decide who truly wears the cap. Come 2023, Nigerians must decide and it is left for them what choice to make.