ATIKU, OBI AND PHANTOM VICTORY

Remi Adelowo argues that Bola Tinubu clearly won the 2023 presidential contest

Glaringly, but rather sadly, losers of the 2023 presidential election are doubling down on their claims of a phantom “victory.”

For all their worth, these claims put on a test of rationality and common sense, are as dubious as they are befuddling. The outcome of the presidential election could not have been otherwise. The events that played out before the exercise clearly showed where the pendulum of victory and defeat was swinging.

That Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect won the 2023 presidential contest came as no surprise. It was a reward for a man who, for over three decades, has built a formidable network oiled and tested for the fiercest political battles.

Many qualities stand Asiwaju Tinubu out against his major contenders: his age-long fidelity to progressive politics, loyalty to friends and associates, bridge-building capacity, excellent grassroots networking, large-heartedness, painstaking preparedness for tasks, delayed gratification in preference for the big picture, and an insatiable appetite to take calculated risks. Can any of these major opponents boast all of these? The answer is an emphatic NO!

Many would easily recall Asiwaju Tinubu’s first formal statement of intent to contest for the nation’s number one seat at the Presidential Villa shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the same. Brimming with confidence, he had declared: “Contesting for the Presidency has been my life-long ambition. I believe I have the vision, the capacity, and the track record to lead this country.”

From that auspicious moment till the election day, Asiwaju Tinubu worked his socks off by knocking on doors, selling his candidacy to the high and low in near and far-flung places, mobilizing and galvanising his support base, while preaching messages of renewed hopes, unity, and reconciliation.

Can the same be said of his opponents? Again, the answer is No! For Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), all he banked on to win the election was an “implosion” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after the presidential primaries and ethnic solidarity with his candidacy by Northerners.

But it turned out that the “implosion” Atiku wished for the APC happened right in his camp. Five of the governors were up in arms against him. The Northern solidarity he expected fell far short of his projections. Of the 18 Northern States, he won his home state of Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, Sokoto, and Kebbi by a narrow margin, with Asiwaju Tinubu not only coming a close second but also won in Jigawa, Benue, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Zamfara and Borno.

In the South East, which hitherto was a PDP stronghold, Atiku lost abysmally. In the South-South, he won in just two states: Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa and lost in Edo, Delta, Cross River, and Rivers States by a reasonable margin. In the South West, only Osun gave him a narrow win. He lost scandalously in Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, and Ekiti, all of which Asiwaju Tinubu won. The Waziri Adamawa was literally stripped bare. There was simply no clear path to victory for him.

For Mr. Peter Obi, his claim of a “stolen mandate” sounds hollow and puerile. Here was a man, whose campaign mantra was premised on religious and ethnic sentiments, but hoping to win a country of diverse ethnic and religious plurality. How he hoped to win a national mandate indeed beggars belief. 

A thorough analysis of Obi’s performance in the election clearly attests to the fairness and credibility of the elections. Outside his South East region comprising Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi, which he won resoundingly (though a question mark still hangs on the bogus figures he recorded), the LP also won in Nasarawa, Plateau, Cross River, Edo, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In the North East, North West, and South West (with the exception of Lagos he won), which boast the highest number of voters, Obi scored less than five percent, but yet insulted the sensibilities of right-thinking Nigerians by claiming victory. What a grand delusion of epic grandeur!

In contrast, Asiwaju Tinubu won four out of the six states in South West, won four out of six in North Central, came a close second in North West and North East, and came second in South-South. Overall, he not won clearly in 12 states, but also scored over 30 percent in 30 out of the 36 states of the federation. What more can a national mandate be?

Rather than accept their self-inflicted defeat with utmost grace and equanimity, the opposition leaders and their deluge of supporters are crying foul, baying for blood, and wishing for Armageddon. Even more ridiculously and unpatriotically, Obi’s supporters are calling for an Interim National Government (ING) or a military takeover. Not surprisingly, Obi has not reined in his supporters, most of whom are obviously suffering from a meltdown of his election loss.

There is news for Obi and his unhinged followers: none of these asinine wishes will come to pass. 

The elections have come and gone. A winner emerged and he is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now the President-elect. And come May 29, 2023, he would be sworn in as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

The earlier the Obidients and the Atikulates stop being sore and destructive losers and accept this reality, the better for their well-being and sanity. The majority of well-meaning Nigerians, are willing and ready to join hands with Asiwaju Tinubu in his age-long desire to take this country to a pedestal of growth, prosperity, and development in the foreseeable future.

Adelowo writes from Lagos