From the day Mr Peter Obi appeared on The Platform in 2016, I started realising a startling fact about Nigerians: we still have upright people in their numbers in my beloved country. I had wrongly assumed that ours was becoming a lost generation of evildoers, liars and propagandists who revelled in distortion and corruption. I had believed that our leaders had succeeded in making dishonesty appear normal.
But I became shocked by how people started following Obi and how rapidly his popularity grew. Because I accompanied him to many functions, particularly different fora where he often delivered keynote addresses, I witnessed that growth first-hand. The support continued to expand until he declared his interest in contesting for Nigeria’s presidency in 2022.
Then came the real surprise! The surge of support became so overwhelming that even his media handlers could hardly keep pace with it. Social media provided the perfect platform and supporters took ownership of the movement. How the name OBIdient emerged remains something of a mystery, but it stuck and spread like wildfire. Anyone seeking to understand the true meaning of organic political support would do well to study the OBIdient Movement.
Fast forward to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC primaries of May 30. POEM was present at several venues and I marvelled at the crowds across the country. Let me also acknowledge the equally organic influence that the Kwankwasiyya Movement has brought into the coalition with its equally organic growth. The convergence with OBIdient into the Obi/Kwankwaso, OK Movement was as swift as its effectiveness. Yes, there may have been pockets of rowdiness at a few locations, as is common with large gatherings, but the scale of participation barely a month after the entry of Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was remarkable.
Remarkable may even be an understatement. More importantly, it reinforced my belief that Nigeria is filled with honest and hardworking people who are tired of the old order and its politics. They remain the silent majority, waiting for leadership they can trust and a direction they can believe in.
Many of them appear to have found that hope in Peter Gregory Obi, especially with the added support of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The enthusiasm visible across the country suggests that they are prepared to commit themselves fully to the pursuit of political change.
Peter Obi continues to open my eyes to a truth I once doubted: that despite years of disappointment, millions of Nigerians have not surrendered their belief in honesty, competence and a better future.
A New Nigeria is indeed POssible.
