During elections, politicians try every strategy to win people’s hearts. From eating roadside boli to wearing school uniforms, they’d 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 symbolic references to the campaign of arguably Nigeria’s most popular politician, M.K.O. Abiola.
Some of the similarities are:
- Tinubu’s manifesto is titled “Renewed Hope”, similar to Abiola’s “Hope ’93”.
- 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 Tinubu himself
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’t 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.
And you can say that it’s a little too late for rebranding as many people already associate him with corruption and godfatherism. Proof of the internet staying winning is in videos of bullion vans entering his residence during an election and of him “charging” his team to snatch power at any cost.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket
Like we said earlier, this isn’t 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 Christian bodies and leaders have already discouraged their followers from voting for Tinubu, which can be detrimental to his campaign, especially if he has to worry about a “third force ” that has managed to achieve this religious balance.
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’t say the same about Tinubu. Although he has established himself as a powerhouse in the southwest, there’s 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.
Although we don’t know yet what the outcome of the upcoming general elections will be, it’s clear that when it comes to recreating Abiola’s historic June 12, 1993 win, Tinubu may still have a long way to go.
