By Charles Ogbu
Some of us find it extremely difficult separating idealism from realism. In a 3rd world country like ours, this is really not such a smart thing.
When you are aspiring to lead a multi-ethnic multi-religious and terribly polarized ‘nation’ like Nigeria with long years of mutual suspicion and distrust amongst her different peoples and regions, you don’t have the luxury of discriminating between who to visit and who not to visit neither can you afford to run your campaign with a puritanical mindset informed by your own idiosyncratic sense of piety.
Mr. Peter Obi visiting Sheik Gumi was a very good move expected of any presidential candidate who genuinely believe he is for all Nigerians. To be clear, I, Charles Ogbu will not be in the same room as Gumi but that is because I am Charles, a private citizen with the latitude to hold and demonstrate my personal prejudices and biases against anyone, group or region of the country. If I want to run for any national office which will place me in charge of the destiny of everyone from every part of the country, it becomes untenable, morally criminal, even! for me to DEMONSTRATE any form of prejudice against any Nigerian or group from any region or religion in the country.
STATECRAFT IS DIFFERENT FROM ACTIVISM.
These things really shouldn’t be so hard to understand.
Down south here, we see Gumi as a bandit enabler and dangerous ethno-religious bigot but up North especially in Kaduna, he is a very influential Islamic cleric with millions of followers and he hasn’t been charged with anything neither is he even being investigated by the authorities. Obi is running for the office of the Nigerian president, not southern president. And Obi is a Christian from the South on whose neck hung a cobweb of unfounded propaganda of being anti-North. If Obi had avoided paying courtesy visit to Sheik Gumi, to every logical mind, that would portray him as a man with a bigoted mindset thereby lending credence to the propaganda against his person.
You sef check am nah!
OBI IS RUNNING TO BE PRESIDENT FOR EVERY NIGERIAN INCLUDING PEOPLE WE SEE AS SAINTS AND THOSE WE SEE AS SINNERS. The world does not revolve around our perception.
A president cannot afford to view his people the way a private citizen can.
Please guys, Nigeria is bleeding profusely. In fact, there is a sense in which it can be argued that anyone taking over from Buhari deserve our pity, not congratulations because the damage the person would be inheriting is simply too much. By supporting Obi, we are not doing the former Anambra governor a favor. We are only doing ourselves a favor because it is our future that is at stake here. Yes, our future. No matter the economic situation here, Peter Obi will be fine. Even Atiku and Tinubu will be fine. Those three men are already too comfortable to suffer poverty and deprivation. And I kid you not. So 2023 is about us, not about Obi.
May Our Labour Not Be In Vain!
