When former President Olusegun Obasanjo tore his PDP membership card in protest of the candidacy of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan years ago, many who were blinded by ethnic and religious sentiment felt the elder statesman meant well for Nigeria and Nigerians. Fast forward to December 2022 and Obasanjo is out again with another political hit letter. This time he is supporting probably the most unlikely of candidates. From Shehu Shagari to Muhammadu Buhari and even Atiku, Obasanjo has been consistent in his support of Fulani Presidential candidates. But a deeper look into Obasanjo’s support pattern and records will also reveal a trait that Tinubu and Atiku supporters might want to use to dismiss Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi. Obasanjo is highly acrimonious. He is also very petty. These attributes of his are enough for him to dismiss any of the other candidates in favor of Peter Obi. It might sound incredulous to some, but the fact former President Goodluck Ebele was on his path to becoming Nigeria’s best or longest-serving president or Tinubu becoming Yoruba’s most influential leader of all time, is enough to influence Obasanjo’s thinking and support. The beef Obasanjo has with Atiku no matter how many times he has asked for forgiveness, is sufficient to sway his support elsewhere even if Atiku is the most competent to lead Nigeria at this critical point.

But the question before us in this election transcends who Obasanjo is supporting. The question to me is, who is the most competent Presidential candidate for the 2023 Presidential election? For the ethnic bigots among us, the answer is Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose mental and corruption health is highly questionable, to say the least. Every public outing for Tinubu’s handlers and supporters is a nightmare because of his obvious signs of dementia. Any right-thinking Nigerian knows without a shred of doubt that Atiku cannot lead a Nigeria where Islamic and Fulani-engendered insecurity is one of our top three challenges preventing us from experiencing a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive Nigeria presently. Among the fringe candidates, the publisher of Sahara Reporters – Omoyele Sowore seems to be the only one we can take seriously if not for his antecedents of publishing fake news and the questionable motives in his write-ups and utterances. This brings us to Peter Obi – Obasanjo’s preferred candidate.

Supporters of the candidate Obasanjo has not supported are very fast to dismiss Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi. If they are wise, they will not be so dismissive. Historically, most of Obasanjo’s candidates have won the presidential election – Shagari, Yar’Adua, Goodluck, and even somehow Buhari. So, this will most likely not be an exception. Nevertheless, it is not over until it is over. Before Donald Trump trumped Hilary Clinton, most pundits believed Hilary will become the first US female President. With this in mind, Peter Obi and his supporters must not leave any stone unturned because Tinubu even with his obvious signs of incapacitation, is still a formidable opponent who continues to boast that he has never lost any election in his political career. He should be taken seriously. Atiku is a serial loser, but he should be taken seriously also. Remember Buhari the former serial loser? We have too much at stake in this coming election to be ethnically or religiously sentimental. We must get it right this time by voting in the most competent men or women for the job of leading us in the next four years. We must also do all to make sure the outcome of the election is free and fair because the two major unendorsed candidates are most likely banking on election malpractices to win the election.

Ata Ukuta – Editor, Towncryyers.com