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The news was received with shock by millions of Nigerians, especially his supporters. But for those who read the handwriting on the wall, called on the most popular candidate to jettison the party before it was too late. According to unconfirmed reports, the delegates of the Anambra chapter of the PDP were bought over. The Machiavellian Chris Uba, Wike’s henchman, had hijacked the whole delegate process and would not vote for his fellow Anambranian, Peter Obi. furthermore, within the inner caucus of the PDP, the presidential ticket was never going to be given on merit, but to the highest bidder. The whole powerplay in the PDP and the ultimate resignation of Peter Obi from the party have shown us a lot of things that we can learn about Nigerian politics.
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The first lesson to learn about the whole Peter Obi and PDP politics is that money is at the heartbeat of Nigerian politics. And the implication of this is that Nigeria’s journey to progress and liberty is a long one. Nigeria is a country where ideas certainly do not thrive; it is sacrificed on the altar of money, ‘dirty money’. Secondly, party delegates are the beautiful bride and by extension a major determinant of how Nigeria will turn out in the four to eight years. The stories we have heard about party delegates have been certainly ugly and unpleasant and painful. To illustrate further, delegates do not vote for those who share ideas on how to move this country forward. Delegates will cast their votes for those who dole the highest dollars, who oil their hands with the highest bribe. In fact, at party primaries, votes are for sale. This group of delegates are part of Nigeria’s larger problems who vote for problematic candidates as standard flag-bearers. Delegates will choose Barabas over Jesus Christ as long as it rains dollars. Finally, Peter Obi has changed the trajectory of Nigerian politics. His track record as former governor of Anambra state, his principles and the solutions he doles out during interviews and of course his frugal lifestyle have made him the darling of millions of Nigerians. His refusal to compromise his beliefs has cost him a lot. Mr Peter Obi has said over and over again that he was never going to bribe party delegates. He was willing to serve, to bring Nigeria out of its woes. Featured Image Source: Premium Times NG
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