The London-based Economist acknowledged Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, on Monday.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the journal acknowledged Peter Obi in a story headlined “Peter Obi, A Man Who Carries His Own Suitcases, Could Be Nigeria’s Next President,” which was posted on Monday.
The former governor of Anambra State’s unexpected rise to prominence, according to The Economist, offers Nigeria a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do things right in 2023.
REVEALED: Labour Party’s Lack Of National Assembly Candidates In Many States May Affect Peter Obi
According to The Economist, in three recent polls, Obi has pulled ahead of Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), respectively.
The publication, however, maintained that there is still much for the LP candidate to do to secure the required votes across the country.
The article reads: “As public campaigning was about to begin in late September, Nigeria was rocked by the release of three polls showing Mr Obi well ahead of the two candidates representing the main parties that have misruled Nigeria since the restoration of its democracy in 1999.
“In two of the polls Mr Obi has a lead of more than 15 percentage points over Bola Tinubu, of the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC), and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition.
2023: Why APC, PDP Should Be Kicked Out – Peter Obi
“What makes this even more extraordinary is that Mr Obi is standing for the Labour Party, whose candidate at the previous presidential election in 2019 won just 5,074 votes out of 28m casts.
“Mr Obi’s sudden ascent represents a rare chance for Nigeria. The country ought to be rich: it has huge reserves of oil, gas and other minerals, plenty of fertile land and a young population of go-getters. Yet Nigerians are poorer today than they were ten years ago and 40% of them survive on less than $1.90 a day.
“The reasons why Nigeria is poor are rotten politics, bad governance and corruption. Politicians in Nigeria have long stirred up ethnic and religious divisions by promising to direct state resources to members of their own group.
“Once in power, they have pursued contorted economic policies such as a fixed exchange rate and massive fuel subsidies. Some policies seem to make sense only as a way of allowing cronies to siphon off cash.”
Obi’s Surging Popularity.
The Economist said Obi’s surging popularity is due to perceptions of his character, adding that he would be the first politician in decades to show that a new sort of politics is possible in Nigeria.
The article makes reference to the LP candidate’s rising popularity, including among youths and on social media, while describing him as an “unlikely revolutionary”.
It reads: “Mr Obi’s surging popularity is due, above all, to perceptions of his character. In a country cursed by politicians of extraordinary ego and entourage, his supporters marvel that as governor Mr Obi queued at airports holding his own luggage.
“He also slashed the size of his motorcade when he found that 13 of the cars were empty, he says. This not only plays well with young voters but also annoys his rivals.
“Kashim Shettima, Mr Tinubu’s running-mate, grumbles that Mr Obi “tends to glamorise poverty” by claiming to own only one watch. (Mr Shettima, who likes smartwatches, says he “has more than two or three).”
2023: Oshiomhole Using Peter Obi’s Popularity To Seek Relevance – Group
The LP, Obi’s party, isn’t on the ballot for a sizable number of other seats in the 2023 elections, particularly in the National Assembly, which The Economist expressed concern over.
The journal expressed concern that Obi had not emphasized his suggested strategies on dealing with insecurity as if elected president in the article.
The story also highlighted a report from the Pandora Papers that stated the former governor reportedly failed to disclose his assets and engaged in tax cheating.
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.