It has become bothersome the rate with which Christians are using social media to pass religious messages. The sermon asking Christians to get their PVC’s in order to vote out the current leadership of the APC led government in Nigeria. I ask a simple question, who are you presenting as a Christian candidate?
My major grouse is simple. Heaven helps those who helped themselves. If we continued to wait on God without human efforts, all candidates of major political parties in 2019 may become people from the other side of the divide and those campaigning on the strength of religion will be disappointed.
We have well respected General Overseers (GO’s) with massive followers who can turn things around politically, yet church differences and denominations will not permit us to be unanimous for ones, to rally round an aspirant, mobilize support and canvass for votes for him or her. Politics and purposeful leadership is not all about talking and preaching on the alter alone. It must be supported by practical exemplary lifestyle until we reach a point of equilibrium where the usual balance of error in the choice of a genuine leader will be utterly defeated.
We have had leaders who were brought by circumstances not necessarily because we needed them by their leadership quality, calling or royalty. Hafsat Abiola, daughter to the great politician and business tycoon Moshood Kashimawo Olawole (MKO) Abiola in an interview on channels TV made it crystal clear that President Mathew Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo (OBJ) was not duly elected in 1999 election by Nigerian. Rather, he was simply coronated to cushion the devastating effect of June 12 annulment on the Yoruba race. Obasanjo was a Christian president for eight years. Can one in all sincerity adjudged him as a good leader divinely backed up by God Almighty to take us to greater height?.
President Obasanjo had wonderful opportunity to lay a very solid foundation for the growth of this democracy but floundered it. President Musa Yar’dua rightly admitted his emergence as a president of Nigeria was through a very corrupt means – rigging etc. At the demise of Yaradua, Goodluck appeared as a circumstantial leader to fill in the gap, changed the political algebra, the PDP zoning formula from North to South South and thus was denied second term by the electorate. In fact, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan non performance gave birth to the current woes. Can we say their emergence as leaders were from God? You will agree with me Muhammad Buhari victory at the poll was facilitated by the fear of insurgents and the alleged statement credited to him that he will make Nigeria ungovernable if not made president. With this systemic disequilibrium in the choice of leadership, nobody can claim we have had a leader born of, and purely from the productive mindset of God. God is still speaking through the ones He has chosen to hear, it is high time we began to rally round such mouth piece to put record straight. Delay is dangerous.
Political campaigns have gone beyond rhetoric and propaganda. It has reached the point where the masses are empowered to drive your campaign, policies and programs. When campaign becomes people-driven, victory is assured and guaranteed.We cannot continue to capitalize on the strength of social media with the potency of youths to gain relevance and emancipate ourselves from the current democratic disempowerment and maladministration. Politics has become so technology driven. However, the winning philosophy must be warped through a well articulated political program with a scintillating and captivating political blue print which is developed out of a well researched work that dwells on the primary needs of the electorate.
In the previous eight years of my political inertia, I have learnt so much as an analyst and operating from the background, all my predictions about President Muahmmad Buhari has become a reality. I have never been his fan. It is not because of our religious differences but for lack of his intellect. When Buharists started the movement of Buharism for presidency in 2014,I was one of the very few persons who campaigned vigorously and ferociously against his candidacy on the grounds of poor intellect,low Intelligent Quotient (IQ), poor and weak manifesto of what to do with power and his bias for the people of his region. This was highly evident in the way Muhammed Buhari ran his election campaign between 2003 and 2011 wherein he could not build political bridges across river Niger towards the Southern Nigeria until Bola Ahmed Tinubu used personal pedigree and command of influence-contacts, network – to galvanize support for him. Worse still, Muhammad Buhari had never for ones told us what he will do with power beside fighting corruption. I can go on and on.
We need a leader with deep intellectual capacity. As matter of urgent national importance we demand a leader who has full grasp of political cum physical and infrastructural knowledge of Nigeria in this modern era to drive our economy and put the country on the world map, development wise, technology driven like China and the Asian Tigers regardless of his or her religion or ethnic background.
The vicious cycle or pattern where some people are aiming at the moon others are hell bent on returning to the village in the search of leadership is playing out with most analysts wanting Muhammad Buhari to go on the allegation of trying to Islamize Nigeria. Thus;advocating for a Christian president regardless of his competence. Is it how we will be going round and round? Giving excuses for our incompetence and wrong choices. I choose to differ in 2019.Competence, versatility, past records, exhibition of intellectualism, and program of what you can achieve in four years will be the basis of my support for a candidate. I get bothered the more when I see Christians using social media to pass religious messages asking Christians to get their PVC’s in other to vote out the current leadership. I ask a simple question, who are you presenting as a Christian candidate? Every lost day in providing legitimate answer to the is national question will retard us from, and keep everyone in the ostrich game of choosing a leadership that will not meet up the yearning and aspirations of the masses in the country.
– Sylvester Ukwumonu Ojogbane, a Political Analyst & Strategist wrote from Abuja FCT, Nigeria
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