The candidate of the Sultan and the Yoruba pastor, By SKC Ogbonnia  

As noted from the beginning, the call by His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), highlighted the character and unity made as a public statement because of the principle of standing in. caliphate. However, his statement is in line with the leaders of other apex socio-cultural groups in the country, such as the Afenifere (Yoruba), Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), Central Belt. Forum (MBLF)…

His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) is known to have good influence in the country. This explains the wide variety of fake news making the rounds about his chosen candidate for the 2023 presidential election. But anyone familiar with the Sokoto Caliphate will know that the Sultan prefers to talk about his chosen candidate rather than reveal it.

Lo and behold, on Thursday, January 19, the Sultan himself stood up and finally spoke. He spoke volumes. He talked about the type of candidates that citizens should vote for. And he spoke in parables. The Sultan told Nigerians to elect “leaders of credible character in the 2023 general elections.” He challenged fellow Nigerians “to think and rethink who they are going to vote for.” He told them not to “consider the religious or ethnic background of whoever they elect, but Nigeria comes first.”

Please read the above statement as many times as is convenient – and carefully.

finished?

Now, who, among the top three presidential candidates: Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party), Peter Obi (Labour Party), and Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress) do you think the Sultan is referring to? I mean the candidate with “reputable character”?

Whether the candidate with “reputable character” is Atiku or Tinubu – both are now in different courts, suing each other for various shameless offenses ranging from drug peddling, massive corruption, kickbacks, vote buying, questionable biodata, including fake birth and education certificates, and shady sources of income?

The answer is simple: Any sincere supporter of Atiku or Tinubu will agree that there are no two options – that credible character is the criteria for a Nigerian president. In short, it is a well-known fact that no Nigerian – whether military or civilian – has ever assumed the governance of a country with the kind of background well known to Atiku and Tinubu. never!

Enter Peter Obi and his character: No need to say much here! Even Obi’s worst enemies would swear that the man was sent by God wherever “reputable character” was an attribute. Case closed!

However, the discussion was not a discussion, because the Sultan’s words did not stop at the character. Yes, he added that we should not vote based on religion or ethnicity.

So, could the Sultan be referring to the former vice president who has campaigned on ethnicity? I mean Atiku who will go down in history as the first presidential candidate in history to openly warn fellow Northerners not to vote for a candidate of Southern extraction for the presidency of the country?

Or, can the Sultan contradict himself by promoting Tinubu, a very Muslim man, who seems to have staked his hopes of winning on the dangerous belief that the election will be reduced to a war between Muslims and Christians? Can Sultan Abubakar consider the same candidate who will be remembered in history for boasting that it was his turn to rule Nigeria, based on his arrogant claim that he “was Buhari’s president”?

What about Peter Obi on religion and ethnicity?

Let’s call a spade a spade. Voters who have listened to Mr. Obi will think Sultan Abubakar adapted his speech from the Obi-Datti Baba-Ahmed campaign manual. Labor candidates have indeed become famous for their slogans not to vote on the basis of religion or ethnicity. He never fails to remind us that Christians or Muslims cannot buy food or fuel cheaper because of their religion or ethnicity.

As noted from the beginning, the call by His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), highlighted the character and unity made as a public statement because of the principle of standing in. caliphate. However, his statement is in line with the leaders of other apex socio-cultural groups in the country, such as the Afenifere (Yoruba), Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), Central Belt. Forum (MBLF), and many others – all have given open endorsement to Mr. Peter Obi.

Time to call by the very famous Sultan. This was made a few days after the consequential sermon by Bishop Samuel Olumakinde Alawode of Maranatha Lord Cometh Ministries, Ibadan, Oyo State, now famous across the globe as the “Yoruba Pastor”. Like the Sultan, the Bishop can enlighten the people of the country on the essence of character when choosing leaders in Nigeria’s 2023 election. The man of God recognizes that the character of the people is as good as their leaders. But that’s not all.

In a life-changing sermon, Bishop Samuel Olumakinde Alawode stood up and asked the congregation to raise their hands – if they knew who they would vote for. Most of them answered and raised their hands. She told him she wanted to pray for him.

Bishop Alawode then said a simple prayer: “The person you want to elect, may your children have character and destiny… The person you root for, shout on Facebook and shout, may your grandchildren act like him.” May the leader “be the image of your children … the image of your future.”

Surprisingly, most of the pilgrims became nervous, scared, afraid, and petrified. They are so shy. They are ashamed and embarrassed that the motivation is not for “Nigeria first”, as the Sultan has admonished, or for character, as Muslin leaders and Yoruba pastors have prayed.

Bishop Alawode’s sermon and his style of delivery may emerge as the most God-fearing and sincere religious speech that can save the country. This sermon has become a litmus test for our sincerity as Christians, Muslims, and other religions. It strikes deep in our conscience as Nigerians.

Final Exercise: Now, in accordance with the advice of the Sultan and Bishop Alawode, please put aside the influence of ethnicity, religion, bribery, money or party, and answer the following questions:

Who among the top three presidential candidates in Nigeria’s 2023 election: Atiku, Obi, or Tinubu, do you want your children and future generations to be role models, including the type of background, character, behavior, and destiny?

Let me lead by example and answer: Although I am a bona fide member of the APC; the candidate – among the three – who can be a role model for my children and the next generation is Peter Obi of the Labor Party.

The candidate with “credible character” is really PETER OBI: He is truly blessed with character, competence, capacity and, of course, vigor and a sense of equality and justice ideal for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

SKC Ogbonnia, 2019 APC Presidential Candidate, writes from Houston, Texas.