16/07/2025
COALITION: ADC DRUNK WITH SUCCESS, BUT SICK WITH AMBITION.
By Benjamin Atu
The 2004 Presidential election in the United States of America witnessed a political circumstance that is about to play out in Nigeria in 2027, where leaders of each political party whipped Americans into such a hyperventilated frenzy that Republicans began to believe that "if Kerry wins the White House, America will cease to exist," while Democrats were certain that if George Bush retained the White House, all Americans were doomed. Ambition polarizes American politics, and a similar eclipse storm has already enveloped Nigeria's political atmosphere ahead of 2027 general elections with an unchecked ambition.
Our current political system is all about what stripes you wear and whose side you're on and where your bread is buttered. What astounds me these days is how far we've veered of a principled course of true leadership recruitment, how we've let things slip to where politics is no longer about service but about winning elections and destroying your opponent like Wike is already doing. This reminds me of the opening lines of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities --"it was the best of time, it was the worst of times." Nigeria have gotten to a tipping point where the middle ground has started collapsing around us, and we've been left on either edge of the precipice - afraid to take a step in any direction.
The current toxic utterances and uncompromising stand of Peter Obi and his Obedient members in the newly formed National Coalition are already threatening the coalition's existence and purpose. Uncompromising ambition is the only thing that can prevent the African Democratic Congress ADC from dethroning the APC in 2027. ADC is drunk with Success but sick with ambition. It is no longer in doubt that the National Coalition, ADC, will dethrone the APC in 2027, with the only impediment being its members' sickly ambition. ADC is drunk with success as it prepares for the 2027 general election, but it is sick with selfish ambition. Nigerians must not be manipulated into believing that the 2027 general election is the most important election of their lives.
The drunkenness with success of ADC with the current sick ambition of Aspirants, can only leads to the premature destruction of the party. If ADC is to succeed, we must all submerge our ambition and be willing to push the vehicle forward together, regardless of who is in the driver's seat. I was astounded to hear Peter Obi ask that the African Democratic Congress ADC Presidential ticket be reserved solely for him in 2027. That, to me, is ridiculous and violates the principles of democracy. Yes everyone have a dream but we must not all crashed the process with our ambition. When the APC was formed, former President Muhammadu Buhari served as a trailblazer, allowing them to dethrone incumbent former President Goodluck Jonathan. In the same way, The African Democratic Congress ADC should use the most powerful figure in its ranks to sweep APC aside before becoming obsessed with ambition.
Unlike America, we must not allow 2027 general election to be a polarizing time in Nigeria, where everything is reduce to black and white where candidates of Political Parties perceived one another as devil incarnate of their party with our National our fate hung on the balance.
Few days ago I listened to the live interview of the former Spokesman to Peter Obi who is currently the leader of the Obedient movement where he was insisting that " the ADC ticket should be given to Peter Obi and if not given to him, Peter Obi will go elsewhere to seek his Presidential ambition in a yet to be disclosed platform." I see such unguarded utterances as tantamount to what ADC stood for. ADC seek for unifying Members and not polarizing figures. Members of the ADC must have only one goal in mind: to take over the nation's leadership, regardless of who steers the ship. In my whole years of study within my chosen field of Media and Political Science, I have learn that "Power is not given in any clime and compromising makes politics alluring"
If indeed what Peter Obi seek is to rule this nation, then he should not be desperate about it. Nigerians recognize Peter Obi's worth and capacity, but he cannot unseat an incumbent President. A greater force than Peter Obi is needed. Even if all of the coalition's aspirants collapse their structures for Peter Obi, he will be unable to unseat the incumbent. Nigerians are religious and ethnically conscious, and their votes followed this pattern. Removing an incumbent President necessitates tactical technical calculations rather than simply promoting an economic blueprint, because the winners of any Nigerian election are determined by those who count the votes, not those who vote. You must first count the votes in your zone before relying on the support of other zones. What is the level of Support is Obedient enjoying from their zone? In all fields of play, all players target two things: "If you missed the ball, you struggle never to miss the leg." All ADC Presidential aspirants should keep in mind that it will take them another ten years to wield the same level of influence as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in Nigeria. It is not a curse; it is a statement of fact. During former President Muhammadu Buhari's burial ceremony in Daura, Katsina State, no individual commands the same level of ovation and followership as the former Vice President. We all witnessed this. So we must be careful how we hype those we are supporting.
I called on Peter Obi to take the lead of this Coalition and make himself the face of the Opposition Party without minding who becomes the Final candidate after the Primary. If Peter Obi missed the Ball (in becoming the ADC Presidential candidate ) he will surely not missed the leg ( in becoming the vice Presidential candidate ) What matters is the gratification of his expectations in removing a ruling party. If Peter Obi and Atiku's votes in the last 2023 presidential election were combined, I believe you would agree that the APC would be an opposition party by now. That is the same compromising vote and understanding that is needed in 2027. If they also run separately in 2027 then their faith can be foretold. I hope my leader His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi is reading?
To compromise doesn't mean to sell out, it doesn't mean that you sacrifice your principles, it doesn't mean that you bend to every special interest. It means you are smart. It means you are a good listener. It means listening to the opinions of others, and respecting those opinions, and recognizing the value in searching for solutions built on consensus. It's is the failure in doing this that birthed many of the root ills of our political system..
Henry Ford said Once "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business" Same thing a Politician that sees no one else as good enough but himself is a morally bankrupt politician. Politics, like sport must preserve the perfect illusion of innocence. It's the ceremony of innocence that fans pay to see, --not the game or the match it the ritual portrayer of a World in which time stops and all hope remains plausible, in which everybody present can recover blameless expectations of a child. The same thing I expected of the Coalition. Everyone aspirant must attain this Status of blameless expectations of a child where the Northern aspirant shouldn't attack the Southern aspirant and where the Southern aspirant shouldn't also expect the North to ceed power to them so to speak. Power is not given and in the sleepy Political field no actor is infallible. After a transparent Primary election all actors must fall inline to support the candidate and not exit.
In his book "Standing for Something" John Kasich said " It is not only our most visible leaders, our elected officials, who are failing us. The failure runs across Board. Yes, we tend to lead from top down, but we live and grow from the bottom up. We can point fingers and lay blame and rail against our fading moral values and rising cost of survival but we've got to look in the mirror and figure our own role in the mess." The Kicker here is that if we all concede that the incumbent administration is bad we must not recycle it. We should not see ourselves as the only saviour on board. We should support the Change and be ready to accept whatever be the outcome of the primary so long as it is done transparently. Threatening to seek your ambition elsewhere will only divide the vote but can't also take you to your destination. "Of what use is running when you are facing the wrong direction? John Mason once asked.
Finally, for far too long, our definition of good politics is that you must win an election. Good politics is beyond that myopic thought. It's standing by the value that defines you as a human. If you lose, that is okay as long as you were true to those value and true to your words and your true to yourself. If you don't get elected you can move on. There are worse things in life than losing an election. Life goes on, and there are bigger and better opportunities around every corner. John F. Kennedy stepped out of a Presidential race and was fulfilled about his decision. We must all find out fulfillment in both success a d failure. I hope all ADC leadership are readying. May God grant us all understanding. Amen.
Benjamin Atu
Supporter of ADC, Write from Agenebode Etsako East local Government Council Edo State.
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