I just read a piece about how Nigerians have been so abused that they can’t relate to what’s normal again, and it really hit me.
Many see Peter Obi’s inherent humility as showmanship because they have been so abused with exposure to so many Wikelike characters in leadership that it has become normal. You’ll see Nigerians make excuses and defend for abuse of power and bullying daily, and you’ll wonder how they are easily conditioned to it.
Before Buhari took over, Baba OBJ, as stubborn and personally powerful as he was, never took THE PEOPLE for granted. He was always on NTA talking to Nigerians and even answering phone calls. Nigerians were that close to the presidency. Yaradua was even closer and then came Jonathan. These men made Nigerians feel so close to Aso Rock.
And then the arrogant Buhari came, a man who sees people who voted for him and whose money he manages as irritants. He came across as someone who looks at Nigerians with disdain, and like a people he owes no explanation but rather who owe him gratitude for even agreeing to lead them.
It didn’t just happen; it started when he got elected without any public debate. APC made sure of that. This was how the culture of disrespect for the electorate crept in.
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And then came PBAT, the oga patapata of it all. These are men who feel like you owe them gratitude for offering themselves to lead you. The relationship became inverted; those who should be feared are now the ones who are afraid.
The electorate is treated with utmost disdain and disrespect because their power (their votes) is gradually being taken away from them via the compromised electoral process. They are lied to, told nobody owes them any explanation, and their sensibilities have been taken for a ride; after all, nobody needs them to get to power anymore. Just INEC and the judges will do.
So it’s not a surprise when these people can’t relate to Peter Obi’s humility. Man has been like that for ages, and not because he wants to contest for president. Down to earth and with no air of arrogance. I’ve been in very close proximity to him, and you can feel his pleasant, humble yet powerful energy.
Since APC took over, George Orwell’s book “1984” has continued to make sense to me. Humans are the same yesterday, today, and will be the same tomorrow.
Abd Festus Yinka writes from Ibadan
