A Nigerian pilot, Captain Arinze Odira Onyiliofor, has stated that Nigerian politicians would have loved to be in Peter Obi’s shoes before the 2023 presidential elections.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, contested for the presidency under the Labour Party and got the backing of most young people in Nigeria.
The LP was generally seen as a third force to fight the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Onyiliofor, an aviator with Bristow Helicopters, says the political upset caused by Obi in the build-up to the election was what the average politician craved.
He wrote:
”If we are being honest, almost all politicians in Nigeria would love to have the kind of followership and support Peter Obi enjoyed in the 2023 elections.
”They all wished it was them, but they won’t be prudent with taxpayers’ money like Peter when he was governor.
”The best way to predict the future is to create it. If you want people to trust you in the future, try being honest today.”
Before the elections, Obi’s support base increased astronomically after his spartan lifestyle and achievements as Anambra governor came to the fore.
He also defeated the big political parties in their traditional strongholds after the election results were announced.
Obi and his supporters insist that the elections were rigged and the LP should have declared the winner.
They have since proceeded to the presidential election tribunal to reclaim the mandate given to the incumbent Nigerian leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.