Reflecting on the 2023 general elections, Nigerian activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju puts President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar (former Vice President and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi) in the same category. .
Recall that in the last election, the trio of Tinubu, Atiku and Obi were the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labor Party respectively.
In a recent interview, Adeyanju said if he had to choose between three presidential candidates, he would vote for Peter Obi over Atiku and Tinubu.
But he said he would not include African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Omoyele Sowore on the ballot and would vote for Obi.
According to Adeyanju, Presidents Tinubu, Obi and Atiku are all “campaigning in defense of capitalism and calling for the abolition of fuel subsidies.”
“For me, if Tinubu, Atiku and Obi were on the ballot paper, I would vote for Obi. But what changed my mind is that I can’t put Sowore on the ballot paper yet I would vote for Obi. Ideologically, Obi is not that different from Tinubu or Atiku.
“They all campaigned for capitalism and argued for the abolition of fuel subsidies. Why can’t we abolish subsidies to politicians and the wealthy instead?
“Do you know how much we are subsidizing Dangote in this country? Nigeria is effectively subsidizing Dangote. He is using Nigeria’s resources to thrive. Do you know how much subsidy they are giving to Akpabio and other members of the National Assembly?” Adeyanju asked in an interview with DAILY POST.
He further asked: “Did you read that the First Lady said she traveled once and wanted to exchange naira for dollars?”I can’t remember the exchange amount. Didn’t you see the president buying a new jet? Have you ever seen someone say that the vice president needs a new jet? Why should the poor capital of the world buy new jets for unproductive politicians? Or?
“Why should we believe that Atiku, Peter Obi and Tinubu are any different when they all promote capitalism and kowtow to the IMF?
Asked whether Nigeria needs a new kind of politician ahead of the 2027 general elections, Adeyanju said: They’ve been doing the same thing over and over again. They all advocated the abolition of fuel subsidies. Only the sowore was different.
“But as bad as it is to consider these as options, I advise Mr. Atiku, Mr. Obi and Mr. Kwankwaso to unite, because division is harmful and I condemned it in the last election. That’s one of the things. After they lost, they came together and even held a joint press conference to protest the defeat.”
Asked if he had any issues with Peter Obi, Adeyanju replied: I’m just criticizing them. Nigerians don’t like being criticized. This is not just for instructors. Nigerians generally do not like to be criticized or held accountable. Nigerians generally have a “god complex” and that is why they treat those they support as demigods. In fact, we can see this God complex in our politics. Most Nigerians block people who criticize them, but I believe I am the only Nigerian who retweets criticisms and insults. Why should we not tolerate criticism? Why should we consider criticism as hate? Tinubu will say we hate him, no, we criticize you .
Paradoxically, what I was trying to say is that none of these people are saviors, and they are not like the bullion van conveners in the villa. they are all the same. That’s exactly what I was saying.
“After all, he invested Anambra State government funds in his family’s business. How much hatred does that lead to? I am just stating the obvious.”
