When Swallowing One’s Pride Becomes Golden

By Akin-Ayoade Omotayo

The political terrain of our motherland has never been this eventful and charged as the most vibrant layer of the voting pyramid demonstrates such an interest as never in the history of our nationhood.

This has made the upcoming 2023 General Elections more popular and very interesting than ever, if not in the entire continent of Africa, at least in the 63 years of our existence as a Nation.

The much-awaited contest has not only dug up some debutants to join the league of serial contenders, it has also fished out the Kingfish who has changed the face cum the pattern of the Game completely so much so the hitherto apathetic members of the once docile Nation woke up overnight to be counted like never.

The Tsunami-like wave of the new registrants, the would-be registrants and the would-have-been registrants all pointed to one undeniable fact that it isn’t going to be business as usual in the history of the very funny cum unpredictable Nigeria politics. The enigma that brought this overnight awareness is indisputably the candidate of the hitherto relatively unknown Labour Party and the Name is Gregory Peter the Illustrious son of Obi, sorry, the Illustrious son of the entire continent of Africa, the 61-years whose fame has taken the whole continent by surprise (many polls conducted by both local and international bodies are pointers to this and at least one of Adeola Fayehun’s Episode – a US-based Nigerian journalist affirmed this as a Fact).

He had been a child of destiny from the time he dared the popular large parties of APC and its twin brother from another mother, PDP and against all odds, he became the Executive Governor of Anambra State even though the powers that never wanted him there did all to remove him from the State’s number one seat, he saw the challenges from the detractors as surmountable and because of his unprecedented desire to touch lives so positively to the Glory of God, he got the backings of Heavens and got victory even as many times as he was illegally removed from office.

This uncommon politician now popularly referred to as GPO has done a good number of firsts that made him stand out in the very unpleasant terrain of our polity.

The last times Nigeria ever had something close to this political strong wave blowing across the land were in the 70s/80s when the late sage and Legal Luminary, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory vied for the presidency under the umbrella of the then Unity Party Of Nigeria (UPN).

The Ikenne-born technocrat had done marvels in the administration of the Western region of Nigeria by putting the Yoruba Nation ahead of others in terms of education-based development.

Awolowo deployed his God-given abilities, gifts and talents to move the West from “nowhere” to the forefront where and when the West became the desire of all and the quantum of followership and support given his presidential ambitions in 1979 and 1983 was unprecedented in the political History of Nigeria.

Another Illustrious son emerged in 1993 in the person of an international business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawoo Olawale Abiola.

Chief MKO Abiola as he was fondly called by the majority broke Chief Awolowo’s record of popularity by penetrating deep into the difficult-to-reach areas of the North and became a relevant force to reckon with when he came out to put an end to the then seemingly endless transition of the then dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

MKO Abiola enjoyed overwhelming followership and support like none of his oppositions did and though he had never held any constitutional political office, his good works of touching lives so positively and provisions of succour to many despondent people across Nigeria paved way for him into the difficult-to-reach hearts of millions of insatiable Nigerians.

He became loved by all from the Centre of Excellence to the Seat of the Caliphate, the Niger Delta, the East, the West, the North and the South and this eventually translated to his electoral victory at the polls in the most popular but truncated Presidential elections in the history of our Nationhood on 12th June 1993 when about 14 million Nigerians gave him the Mandate to run the Affairs of the country with the most significant number of people of colour in the whole wide world, Nigeria, the Giant of Africa.

The election was so peaceful it was generally described by all (except by the few spoilers) as the freest cum the fairest in the history of elections in Nigeria.

Popular as he was and his mandate, the northern oligarchy did not allow him to enjoy the benefits of unleashing his God-given potential to Get Nigeria Out Of The Woods and not only was he denied his right as a winner of the Best elections in the political History of Nigeria, he was also incarcerated, dehumanised, bullied, humiliated and eventually murdered in detention. No thanks to the evil collabo between the West led by the “almighty” America and the military junta of the then dark era all in an insidious bid to keep the citizens in abject poverty, an unfortunate scenario that could be likened to the defeathered fowl and its owners.

About thirty years later, another complete gentleman, an Enigma whose popularity and followership have dwindled that of the duo earlier mentioned, has emerged and without paying “shishi” (a dime) for his rallies, he has enjoyed the largest crowd followership, the majority of whom are in their youth like never in the history of elections in Nigeria.

This candidate found his way into the hearts of millions of Nigerians both within and outside Nigeria, many thanks to his passionate approach to governance top amongst which is his NO NO NO to any attempt aimed at pilfering into the common patrimony of the people.

He also did another first by rejecting his after-service entitlements as a former governor which run into billions of Naira and also wickedly made renewable every three years in the form of choice properties in the state capital and another in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, new SUVs and more, an additional conduit pipe devilishly reconnecting a former governor to the state Treasury for inexplicable pension after majority of them had milked the state dry during their constitutional eight years of misrule.

This man called Gregory Peter Obi in his characteristic manner said he would NOT take a dime from such evil allocations not only because it is NOT done anywhere in the world but also because God Almighty had blessed him before he became a governor.

This can only be traced to Awolowo’s Generation and his then-able lieutenants who served only with passion and Godly desires to make life meaningful for the governed, talking about the likes of Professor Ambrose Alli of former Bendel State, Chief Bola Ige of Oyo State, Chief Bisi Onabanjo of Ogun State, Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin of Ondo State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa of Kaduna State and Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakannde of the popular Centre of Excellence, Lagos State of Aquatic Splendor.

GPO came into more prominent limelight following the rejection of the best APC could have offered, an erudite Professor of Law and a man with a human face, humble and humane, the Ogun State-born Oluwayemisi Osinbajo popularly called PYO who also happens to be an in-law to the family of the late sage, the first in the series of uncommon species mentioned earlier in this Article.

The dramatic events of electing (selecting) the party’s flag bearer began with a lot of intrigues and the watchers of events who are somewhat gifted with the 3rd eye knew that the insistence of Mr EMILOKAN on open primaries may not be unconnected with his game plan of sponsoring a number of political stooges who would deceitfully parade themselves as serious contestants gunning for the Nation’s number one seat running in a fluke-like race only to step down for the behind-the-scenes sponsors of such nonexistent contests.

The primaries came and went but not without leaving some bitter tastes in the mouths of millions of impoverished Nigerians who had hoped for a PYO era of peace, good and Godly government judging from his undeniable records of exemplary performances whenever his principal that Nigerians now wish they never had, jetted out of our shores.

The Holy Bible Says “… He who sits in the Heavens will laugh at them and truly the One Who Rules in the very Delicate affairs of men swung into action and propelled the hitherto unknown star boy GPO into the limelight of Global Political Reckoning and ever since GPO joined the race after storming out of the Cash and carry PDP primaries, the political atmosphere of not only Nigeria but the entire continent of Africa has become continuously electrified with mammoth crowds greeting his appearance wherever he goes.

Research has also shown that the unprecedented upsurge in voter turn out compared with the apathy of years past is born out of the spontaneous desires of the people and most, especially the younger generation to see that True Change takes Nigeria and Nigerians out of the Woods so that the erroneous definition of Change as given by APC in 2015 could be corrected once and forever by a near spotless GPO.

The two old cargoes, sorry, the two old contestants who are now facing each other in the ‘Battle of The Titans’ could have saved themselves the avoidable embarrassment that has brought shame and reproach to them if only they had done the needful by withdrawing honourably from the race; give their FULL support to the Divinely anointed candidate which would have written their names in GOLD as not only respected King-makers but also honourable Elder Statesmen whose multiple iniquities would have been forgotten thereby writing their names in Gold in the Hearts of several millions of Nigerians who would now only remember them for their good, a singular act of stepping down for the most active of them all for the Political Atmosphere of Nigeria to heave a sigh of relief and just like God through the Holy Bible Says that when a wicked man repents and changes his way, his sins of yesteryears would NOT be remembered again, the survey done across and beyond Nigerian shows that the Next thing that would charge the Political Atmosphere of Nigeria like NEVER is the much-anticipated withdrawal of these two grandpas one of which has plundered the nation to a coma with the proceeds of the loot invested outside the shores of Nigeria and the other still plundering the richest state of aquatic splendor where mediocres with little or no Education are controlling the fortunes of other Lagosians who do not know from where their next meal is gonna come.

Of the two just mentioned immediately above, the presidency of the 1st (God Forbids) would most likely see the remaining national assets of Fatherland sold at giveaway ridiculous prices for personal gains as could be verified from his past performance from 1999 whilst the later’s presidency (God Forbids) would see charlatans popularly called Agbero of Lagos State becoming empowered by his government that will never be and they might be so legitimized to the extent of raping women in the open if they presently do broad daylight operations of extorting commercial vehicle operators with the State government turning deaf ears as if that is the norm.

Once beaten, twice shy says the adage and by implication, beaten more than once means shy for long if not forever, hence this double-edged appeal is going to the grandpas to heed the VOICE OF REASONING and do the needful that will make them both Honorary Presidents of prestige and to the Millions of the Nigerian Youths, PLEASE, PLEASE AND PLEASE troop out in your numbers with the indefatigable spirit of #EndSARS and RECLAIM YOUR FATHER’S LAND so that the popular but unpopular saying that the Youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow could be rewritten and the Youths of today can now become the Leaders of today since that tomorrow has refused to come, no thanks to the grandpas who got there as Youths but refused to vacate at the expiration of their tenure even when it’s crystal clear they have outlived their relevance.

Right from the days of John the Baptist the Kingdom of God has been suffering violence and only the violent do take it by force. The Force to be exerted here is the Power of Our Votes, to cast our votes for the Beginning of a New Dawn for Nigeria and Nigerians whilst we vigilantly (but not violently) guide and guard our votes to ensure they count.

If these grandpas refuse to heed this Divinely Inspired call for reasoning, they can as well do every unthinkable before, during and after the polls having forgotten that even if the two of them are good by virtue of their records (which they are NOT) the two of them can NOT be there together and now that they obviously are both birds of the same feathers, it is ONLY wise that they both adopt GPO as their Beloved son and reap till they die, the enormous benefits of such a valiant decision

Do NOT say I warned you not when HAD I KNOWN becomes your song with NO rhythm. The consequences of remaining adamant are better imagined than experienced.

The windows of opportunity to rewrite your names in GOLD are still wide open but am pretty confident the shame of losing the game will definitely live with you two till you bid the Planet goodbye whereas on the flipside the joy of doing the needful in the interest of your personal health, clans and generations yet unborn but most importantly the Largest interest of Nigeria and Nigerians might possibly elongate your lives for longer years of respect to the latest and the living Elder Statesmen of Modern Nigeria.

Besides, with or without your honourable withdrawal, the Heaven-anointed Candidate of GPO is gonna give you guys the clearest margin ever in the history of Election Victory in Nigeria as Gregory Peter Obi has practically won the hearts of every right-thinking adult of voting age and if the Electoral Umpire called INEC refuses to do the needful by cleaning up the Register of the lately added millions of illegal cum nonexistent registrants all of whom carry antagonistic details of masculine names attached to feminine images with unbelievable statistics where registered names outnumber the totality of the residence in the unit, the promise by the aggrieved Nigerian Youths to re-enact and re-ignite the temporarily rested #EndSARS might NOT be far from actualisation after all.

God bless everyone seeking the Peace of Nigeria.

God bless the millions of Nigerian Youths. God Bless the Federal Republic Of Nigeria.

Yours Sincerely,

Akin-Ayoade Omotayo Chris aka Akindgreat

Telephone: 08063714753

Email Akindgreat1@gmail.com

AKINdGREAT is a Clergyman-In-Training, a Gifted Writer, a Consultant or simply put, a man of many parts.

Akin-Ayoade Omotayo

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