Today is the day Nigerians have been waiting for. World leaders, lovers of Nigeria, members of the diplomatic corp and Nigerians in diaspora have been preparing for this great day. And now the day has arrived. February 25, 2023 will go down in history as the day Nigerians went to the polls and elected a president where three prominent candidates featured.
Nigerians have prayed for this day to come. Many have complained of the pains and sufferings they have gone through in the hands of the ruling government and they yearned for a day to elect a new leader to take over the affairs of this country. For many, it has been long eight tortuous years, loaded with challenges of varied forms. Many groaned and sighed.
They heaped the blame on the failure of the ruling government to secure the people of the country. There have been issued of unabated insecurity, food crisis, high cost of living, hunger and poverty, joblessness, visionless leadership, kidnapping, university strikes and other national maladies. And Nigerians have continuously prayed for a day to change the leadership of this great nation where dashed hopes will rise again. And now the day has arrived.
Three men among the eighteen gunning for the office of the presidency of this nation are front runners to clinch the golden crown. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party PDP are the front runners in the presidential race.
While the PDP and APC have ruled and still ruling the country, the Labour Party which was hitherto one of the less known parties came into prominence following the projection of Peter Obi as the party’s presidential candidate in 2022. The entrance of Obi into the race brought Labour Party into limelight in Nigeria.
Atiku was vice president during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007 when Obasanjo handed over to Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who has been adjudged by most Nigerians as the best president so far in the history of Nigeria, though served for a few years and died.
The PDP had ruled the country for consecutive 16 years but was seen by many as having leaders with heavily corrupt tendencies. The government was accused of corruption and mismanagement of funds in trillions between the years of 1999 and 2015. At the entrance of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, many PDP leaders and appointees were committed to prison for various crimes against their states or nation.
There were heavy diversion of funds meant for human development and security projects. While the Nigerian people groan in pains, the few powerful men wallowed in wealth and glory. However, living conditions were a bit better while security of lives and property was at the lowest ebb.
At the entrance of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, many of the former leaders were jailed following their involvement in different shades of money laundering and theft. While people hoped that the Buhari’s administration would better their lives and curb insecurity, it further exacerbated the pains and sufferings through high level of insecurity, kidnapping, robberies, clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsman, high cost of goods and services, sporadic increase in the cost of fuel, heavy devaluation of the nation’s currency and the attendant strikes in the nation’s higher institutions.
While the Nigerian masses groan in pains, the authorities maintain a mute stance, giving the impression of being uninterested in the pains and welfare of the Nigerian people. Hence, Nigerians openly and silently prayed for February 25 election where a new leader will be elected by the mass of the people, who, it is believed will have a human face in his government.
The emergence of Peter Obi as presidential candidate of the Labour Party seems to be answer to the yearnings of the people. His emergence in 2021 was greeted with mad rush for PVC registration across the country. The hope for a new Nigeria was elicited because many had lost hope in the country due to the bad leaders who rotate leadership positions among their cronies.
So, today Nigerians are going to the polls to vote a new leader. This election will witness one of the highest turnout of voters in the history of elections in Nigeria. All eyes all over the world are on Nigeria. Who among the three top contenders will emerge? Will the hope of Nigerians be dashed? Will their prayers be held? Will the anticipated messiah win the contest? Will the old blocks who have lost sense of economic reality emerge as president? Who wins the presidential election? Is it Atiku, Obi or Tinubu? Within the next few hours this question will be answered.
