SPECIAL REPORT: 2023 and Epic Political Events that Shaped 2022 By Ozumi Abdul
As Nigerians bask in the euphoria of witnessing another New Year, it is now just a matter of a month, and three weeks for the electorate to pick President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, in the first round of the 2023 general elections, come February 25, 2023.
But ahead of the epic 2023 polls, Politics Digest, in this special report hereby recalls some historic political events and activities that shaped the polity in the outgone year – 2022.
*’Electoral Act 2022′ Was Assented*
The signing of the Electoral Act 2022 into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, February 25, 2022 was one of the biggest political events of the outgone year. This is because the new law is widely considered an improvement on the old one, in many aspects.
One, it provides a legal framework that empowers INEC to determine the mode of voting and transmission of results, as well as to review the declaration of election results made under duress.
The new Act also empowers the country’s apex electoral body to review the declaration of election results, where it determines it was not made voluntarily or contrary to the law or guidelines. The review must be done within seven days of the declaration. This is to address the problem of the declaration of results made under duress.
However, INEC’s review is subject to judicial review. Again, Section 65(2) of the new Act also alters the timelines for the conduct of elections and creates new time frames for political parties to fulfil various requirements and activities, concerning the nomination of candidates for elections.
*Tinubu Birthed ‘Emilokan’ into Nigerian Political Dictionary*
The Yoruba word “Emilokan”, which loosely translates to mean “it’s my turn” was birthed in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on June 3, 2022, by the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, while canvassing the support of Ogun delegates ahead of the ruling party’s presidential convention, last June.
The obviously-emotional Tinubu, who felt surcharged politically decided to come out swinging, sharing some unpalatable truths with the audience about his role in the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as the incumbent Nigerian leader. Since it was a gathering of his kinsmen; an arena of maximum comfort for him, the Jagaban threw away all pretensions to decorum and political correctness and went ‘native’. He deployed the best of Yoruba idioms laced with biting sarcasm.
Tinubu did not only want his kith and kin to hear him, he wanted them to feel him from their underbellies with nothing lost in translation. In much the same way as he was instrumental in engineering the ‘O to Ge’ (Enough is Enough) movement that toppled the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State in the 2019 general elections, ‘Emi Lokan’ has become Tinubu’s revolutionary rallying cry, in his march towards the seat of power in 2023.
*Tinubu Emerges APC Presidential Flagbearer*
After weeks of political intrigues and horse trading, the APC presidential primary was held on Saturday, June 9, 2022. It was an eventful one that was characterized by top contenders who brought in their A-game. Many of the presidential aspirants resisted attempts to shut them out of the primary through subtle pressure in the form of “screening”, “pruning down” and “consensus”.
The highpoint of the event was when the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won the coveted ticket after weeks of high-wire intrigues and horse trading. He emerged as the party’s flagbearer, after a keenly contested election with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Transport Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
*Heightened Rambunctious Antics Of the OBIdient Movement*
“Obidient Movement” is a term coined from the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate’s name to represent a people that have pledged allegiance to his presidential ambition.
The OBIdients, however, have been reported to be doing outlandish things to project their man – Peter Obi – in a way that reminds us all of what is called youthful exuberance. They are mostly uncouth and aggressive on the social media platforms to dissenting political views and opinions from their own. For instance, One Abuja lady with twitter handle @jojoNitq reportedly dropped her boyfriend for refusing to see the light in Obi and preferring to remain with the ‘old order’.
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Though some have argued that the ‘Obidient’ uproar is merely social media braggadocio, others are of the opinion that the movement has what it takes to rock the boats of the APC and PDP come 2023, and even stands a great chance of unseating the ruling party.
Obi’s entry into the presidential race appears to rekindle the hope of the youths who are avidly in dire need of a ‘Third Force’. His loyalists who described him as the authentic ‘Third Force’ said they are declaring support for him as the man with the track record to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria.
These youths who tagged themselves as ‘Obidient Nigerians’ have vowed to use the power of their votes to enthrone him as president in 2023. To achieve this, they have been creating mass awareness calling on Nigerians to go get their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) so that they can exercise their civic rights in the 2023 presidential election. Many of them have replaced their social media photographs with that of Obi and the Labour Party logo.
*PDP Lingering Crisis and the G5 Umpteenth Demand*
Wahala no dey stop. If there is anything close to this Nigerian local parlance expression, it is that of the lingering crisis in the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
If it’s not the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar against the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, then it’s Wike versus the former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, or the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu or even the former national chairman of the party, Uch Secondus.
In fact, the ‘wahalas’ are back to back, and already handing the party a short end of the stick in the race for the 2023 presidential election, because of how wide the cracks in its walls have become.
An unsettled home of course is an easy target for an enemy or enemies from outside to wreak havoc, and this appeared to be one of the All Progressive Congress (APC)’s tactical jigsaw, deducing from the London Safaris between its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Wike in recent times.
The crisis in the PDP which had grown into many layers, began since Wike lost the party’s presidential primary in June, last year. After he lost the presidential ticket to Atiku – which he and members of his G5 camp believe was because of a decision by Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to step down late in the race, Wike accused the party of betraying him and breaching its constitution.
Efforts made by the two men (Atiku and Wike) to meet, either in person or through emissaries, were either stalled, deadlocked or not entirely fruitful.
*Senator Adamu’s Emergence as APC National Chairman*
Another major political event of the outgone year is the emergence of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He emerged at the party’s national convention held at the Eagle Square in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Saturday, March 26, 2022, about a year and nine months after the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) was dissolved.
Adamu, who was a serving member of the Senate representing Nasarawa West then, was President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice for the job. He was returned unopposed. He had gone into the election as the consensus candidate, following the withdrawal of his co-contenders from the contest.
He took over from Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, who had served in an interim capacity. Buni’s headship of the party had generated mixed reactions within the party and beyond.
*Biodun Oyebanji Won Ekiti Governorship Election*
The Ekiti State governorship election was held on June 18, 2022, where Biodun Oyebanji, the anointed candidate of former Governor Kayode Fayemi won the election. Oyebanji who contested on the platform of the APC secured 187,057 votes to defeat his closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who polled 82,211, and Bisi Kolawole of the PDP who scored 67, 457 votes.
*Adeleke Won Osun Guber Election*
After losing out in 2018, Sen. Ademola Jackson Adeleke won last year’s Osun gubernatorial election, held on July 16, 2022, in 30 local government areas of the state.
The chief returning officer, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, declared the PDP candidate, Adeleke, the winner of the election in the early hours of Sunday, July 17, 2022.
He won in 17 of the 30 local government areas, while former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola triumphed in the remaining 13 local governments. Adeleke garnered 389,984 votes in the overall results, while Oyetola who ran on the platform of the APC polled 360,500.
