Former governor of Anambra Mr. Peter Obi, on Thursday, declared his intention to run for president in 2023. The declaration comes after heightened anticipation as he has been touted as the best choice among others who have announced their intention to lead Nigeria.

“Dear Nigerians, I am here to inform you all that I will be aspiring for the post of president of Nigeria in 2023,” Mr. Obi tweeted on Thursday.

Mr. Obi was the running mate of former vice president Mr. Atiku Abubakar, who lost to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election. Mr. Atiku had earlier declared his interest to run for president once again, for the fifth time. Both of them declaring interest in running for president this time puts their political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in a tight position.

The two major political parties in Nigeria, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the PDP have been put under pressure by Southern governors’ decision to choose their presidential flag bearers from the South. The Southern governors had last year, in a bipartisan decision, agreed that the 2023 presidential candidates must come from the South.

While the APC has made the decision, the PDP is yet to say if it’s going by the North to South zoning. This, many believe will make PDP’s primary election a tight contest.

Last month, Mr. Atiku had bragged that he stood the best chance to win a ticket. “Have I ever failed to win the ticket? I’m confident,” he said.

Tired of years of failed leadership by old people, Nigerians, among other things, are clamoring for a younger president in 2023, and Mr. Obi 60, who is 15 years younger than Mr. Atiku Abubakar, appears to be the real deal.

“Peter Obi’s race is our own. We will queue, donate, mobilize grassroots, sponsor radio & T jingles & spread the word on the streets. Peter is not hero or the messiah. But with him, you & I will have that fighting chance. That’s a simple message. JOIN US IN THE MOVEMENT,” Nefertiti, a Nigerian Twitter user tweeted.

However, while there has been teeming support for Mr. Obi in the South, his chance of winning the PDP’s ticket is said to depend on the party’s bigwigs. When it comes to credibility, Mr. Obi is believed to be miles ahead of other candidates, especially Mr. Atiku, whose presidential ambition has been accompanied by allegations of corruption. However, Mr. Obi’s popularity is said to be limited to the South, which may scuttle the PDP’s chance of winning the election as a presidential aspirant needs also to be popular in the North in order to win.

The governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, who has also expressed interest in running for president under the PDP, said the party should forget about zoning and give the ticket to who has what it takes to tick the box.

“I’m appealing to party that we should be talking about how to win the election. Not just zoning of where the president is coming from,” he said.

It is not clear if the PDP has the intention of zoning its ticket to the South – that would eliminate northern aspirants and broaden Mr. Obi’s chances.

If we look inwards, we would observe that every individual within Nigeria’s political terrain is presently making a serious move in respect of the impending electioneering era in Nigeria.

In some quarters, some of these politicians have decided to transcend to the metaphysical space having apparently perceived that physical means might not be ‘reliable’.

The truth of the matter is that the ongoing scenario has succeeded in blindfolding some Nigerians who had allowed themselves to be cajoled. It’s even more pathetic and saddening that some citizens of the country are still hell bent not to listen to words of wisdom that are persistently knocking at their respective doors.

Most times, people assert that I talk or write not unlike a prophet. The point is that I invariably ensure issues are deeply thought over by me before commenting on, or analyzing, them. This is simply because I have understood strongly that well thought actions are often headed in the right direction. So, each time I hide under this philosophy, people are compelled to believe that I’m a soothsayer.

The above question is not unconnected with the fact that anyone who belongs to any society or group must regularly be ready to ask him/herself the direction the association is heading to. Failure to come up with such a finding, I’m afraid, the group in question might fade off without the knowledge of the member in question.

We must, therefore, always be willing to ascertain the state or wellbeing of any society we find ourselves in, enabling us to realize what we are expected to do in regard to the way forward.

Of course, no right thinking person would want his society, either immediate or wider, to be characterized by crisis. This is the reason we are all required to be careful and mindful of our thoughts and actions as they affect any society we are into.

In this case, we are solely concerned about Nigeria as an entity. It has become compelling for me to unequivocally state that I’m so displeased with some key personalities who the citizens or masses look up to. An elder statesman who refuses to be cautious of his actions at all times has as well refused to be recognized as one.

Nigeria can only get better when we have collectively agreed to make it so. No existing society gets better if its teeming subjects are not making any effort or moving in that direction. It is only by the common might of the members of a certain organization that such a group becomes stronger. In other words, a house divided against itself can never stand.

It’s the civic responsibility of the citizens to ask themselves where Nigeria is headed for at such a critical time like this when every rational individual is strongly concerned about the way forward.

It’s noteworthy that an outsider cannot do such a manner of thinking on behalf of Nigerians. It is the duty of the citizens to do the needful for themselves rather than allowing strangers to take actions on their behalf.

I must inform us that Nigeria will never forgive every stakeholder in the country if they failed to do what was expected of them. We must, therefore, not continue to sell our birthright for a mere pot of porridge yam.

We may have erred in the past, but the joy is that another time has obviously come for us to correct our mistakes. It suffices to say that a golden opportunity has eventually arrived to enable us to address all the wrongs we recorded in the past.

It’s pertinent to acknowledge that absolutely nothing should be for sale as far as elections are concerned. Your Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), which remains your only power at the polls, is not for sale nor is your vote. This was strongly and clearly stated in my previous analysis on this platform.

More so, your conscience isn’t meant to be sold for any reason whatsoever. Above all, you aren’t required to sell your right or franchise. Hence, all our belongings need to be safeguarded with the last drop of our blood.

Fellow Nigerians, it’s obvious that Nigeria is currently passing through a trial. One thing we shouldn’t take for granted is the need to take a meaningful and sound step that ought to be emulated by generations yet unborn.

Nigerians must therefore learn to contribute meaningfully towards the uplift of the country, rather than being part of any movement that would bring it down. We must invariably be prepared to make good decisions; the decision-making process is our collective prerogative, hence mustn’t be allowed to be hijacked by any one or group.

Thus, it would be very reasonable for each of us to sincerely answer the above question if we are truly determined to get it right, moving forward. The future of the country lies in our hands, hence needs to be handled with absolute seriousness.

All in all, if Nigerians want Nigeria to be headed for the anticipated arena, they must collectively be prepared to make a difference come 2023.