During elections, politicians try every strategy to win people鈥檚 hearts. From eating roadside boli to wearing school uniforms, they鈥檇 do everything with bright smiles for photo ops.
For the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, the presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has decided not to use the all too popular method of pretending to be a commoner. Rather, perhaps to invoke the spirit of June 12, 1993, and tug the hearts of the older generation, he has made to the campaign of arguably Nigeria鈥檚 most popular politician, M.K.O. Abiola.
Some of the similarities are:
- Tinubu鈥檚 manifesto is titled 鈥淩enewed Hope鈥, similar to Abiola鈥檚 鈥淗ope 鈥93鈥.
- Like Abiola, Tinubu is also from the South-West and running a same-faith campaign with his running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe.
- Similar to Abiola, Tinubu also kick-started his presidential campaign in Jos.
Many people, including , have taken this opportunity to reiterate that this is a chance to. However, this isn鈥檛 the ’90s, times are different, and Nigeria has changed in many ways. So while Tinubu may posture himself and his campaign similarly to Abiola鈥檚, here are some reasons why he might not get his desired outcome.
The internet never forgets
In 1993, M.K.O. Abiola had a massive influence on the media, especially as he owned the Concord newspaper, a leading publication in the country that formed public opinion. While Bola Tinubu also owns media bodies like The Nation newspaper and TVC news station, he doesn鈥檛 have as much media privilege, as he now has to deal with social media and the ever-present bone in his neck: the gen-zs.聽
And you can say that it鈥檚 a little too late for rebranding as many people already associate him with corruption and godfatherism. Proof of the internet staying winning is in of bullion vans entering his residence during an election and of him 鈥渃harging鈥 his team to snatch power at any cost.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket
Like we said earlier, this isn鈥檛 the ’90s. While the same faith ticket may have worked for Abiola, Nigeria today is deeply divided along religious lines. Many people are uncomfortable with the lack of representation, especially since many churches and Christians have suffered attacks in previous years. Some have already discouraged their followers from voting for Tinubu, which can be detrimental to his campaign, especially if he has to worry about a 鈥渢hird force 鈥 that聽has managed to achieve this religious balance.聽
Nationwide influence
One of the peculiar things about Abiola was his political relevance on a national scale. Due to his philanthropy, he was loved widely. Sadly, we can鈥檛 say the same about Tinubu. Although he has established himself as a powerhouse in the southwest, there鈥檚 still much distrust from people from other parts of the country. Another thing to remember is that Abiola faced opponents who he could have easily defeated if the elections were repeated twice over. But as it stands, the story is very different for Tinubu as he is facing candidates equally strong in their own rights.聽
Although we don鈥檛 know yet what the outcome of the upcoming general elections will be, it鈥檚 clear that when it comes to recreating Abiola鈥檚 historic June 12, 1993 win, Tinubu may still have a long way to go.
