The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on public campaigns by political parties officially on September 28, 2022 for the Presidential and National Assembly election, which has been scheduled for February 25, 2023.
But after the opening of windows, many of the parties, especially the three major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC); the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) seem to be unprepared for organised campaign as they were only able to put their presidential campaign councils together, an few weeks after.
A new dimension was however introduced into the campaign with the LP and later, APC moving to the streets to sensitise voters as a way of campaigning for the 2023 general election.
To shove aside the criticism by many Nigerians that the supporters of the LP presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, are only active on social media platforms, the OBidients threw themselves on the streets in a carnival-like event.
The OBIdients held a nationwide march on Saturday October 1, 2023 which was staged to coincide with Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Anniversary. The marches literally shutdown some capital cities, including Lagos, Benin, Uyo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Warri and Asaba. Rallies were also organised in Port Harcourt, Kebbi, Jos, Nasarawa and at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In Lagos, Obi’s supporters converged on strategic locations across the state in what was tagged a 4-million-man solidarity rally.
The rally, which was held simultaneously in Lekki, Surulere, Ikeja and Festac, on the country’s Independence Day, according to conveners, was to garner support for the presidential ambition of the former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and his running mate, Yusuff Baba-Ahmed.
The rally caused human and vehicular traffic around the Stadium axis, from Alaka and Teslim Balogun Stadium down to Ojuelegba. They walked down to Ojuelegba where some commercial bus drivers and conductors joined the rally then moved to Fadeyi.
The supporters were sighted chanting ‘Obi for President’, ‘We want good governance’, ‘We are tired of bad governance’ and so on, waving the Nigerian flag and the Labour Party flag.
The march was so orderly with agberos, drivers and passengers who have to endure slight inconveniences passing through the crowd hailing, applauding.
In Abuja, the crowd of supporters made up of a coalition of Support Groups as well as other well-wishers began their walk from the famous Unity Fountain in the Central Business District, through the city Centre through to the City Gate along the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport road.
The march in Ebonyi, unlike other states, ran into a hitch as the large crowd that gathered at Pastoral Centre of the Catholic Church in Abakaliki for the march was dispersed at the beginning of the event as fierce -looking policemen shot teargas into the air from different locations.
This development caused panic among the youth who are staunch supporters of the Obi movement for a better Nigeria, but it didn’t deter them from embarking on the march.
But Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State said he was not aware of any disruption of any gathering as he didn’t order any.
Reacting to the allegation that the state government ordered the police and other security agencies to disrupt the rally, Chooks Oko, Special Assistant to Governor Umahi on Media and Strategy, said the governor was not aware of any disruption.
“The attention of the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State has been drawn to some online publications and rumours making the rounds that he ordered the disruption of a gathering in support of one of the presidential candidates in the 2023 elections. This is not true.
‘The Executive Governor of Ebonyi State is certainly not aware of any disruption of any gathering as he didn’t order any. He is a democrat who believes firmly in the rule of law. He wishes every contending politician the very best and will insist on a level playing ground for all. If it is true that the police dispersed people, the answer will surely rest with the police”, Oko said.
Also in Anambra, no fewer than 60 groups supporting Obi organised a two-million-man- march in Awka, the state capital and brought economic and social activities to a standstill for some hours.
The groups, consisting of men, women and youths from different parts of the state converged at Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square in the state capital from where they marched through the capital city, singing solidarity songs for the LP presidential flag bearer.
In a similar march in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, there was gridlock on major roads as a massive crowd turned up for the Plateau Mega Rally/Fitness Walk and one-million-man-march to canvas votes for Obi.
This is even as Prophet Isa El-Buba of the Evangelical Bible Outreach Ministries International, EBOMI, and a group, Coalition for Better and Brighter Nigeria, joined in the walk which started with prayers at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium in Jos.
El-Buba, who addressed the crowd, called on Nigerians to be politically awake as it was time for power to be given back to the people, even as he admonished Nigerians to be wary of politicians who are out to use them for selfish gains.
The marches also drew wide reactions from Nigerians especially the leaders of the APC and the PDP.
While reacting to the OBidients rallies across the major cities in the country, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, said Obi with the rally has disrupted the political space in the country.
He described the rallies as great achievements and noted that the OBidient movement should not be disregarded by anyone who was politically conscious.
Daniel Bwala, a lawyer and spokesman for Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council said the rally by supporters of Obi in Lagos shows the decline of APC in the state, indicating that APC is losing ground to Labour Party in Lagos.
In his own reaction, the Minister of State for Labour who is also the Spokesman for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), said the marching Obidients were not more than a thousand people who were not more than the electorate needed at two polling units.
In a way to diminish the turnout during the Obi’s supporters’ marches which had created psychological fear into the minds of PDP and APC loyalists and to prove that the APC dominance is not a fluke, the APC also organized marches in support of its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
First of such marches was the one carried out by many APC women and supporters who came out on Monday, October 3, 2022 and shut down vehicular movement as they stormed various parts of Lagos in support of the presidential candidacy of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu/Kashima Shettima.
A similar one was carried out in the Eastern part of the country as thousands of APC women in the South East marched for the party’s presidential flagbearer, Tinubu and his running mate Shettima in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The women converged on Ndubuisi Kanu Square in Owerri where they were received by the wife of Imo State Governor, Barr. Mrs. Chioma Uzodimma after they had marched on the streets of Owerri. They defied the rains, singing songs of solidarity for Tinubu and Shettima.
Supporters and loyalists of Tinubu also held solidarity walks for him in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The supporters who bombarded the party’s secretariat in Oke-Ado took the rally across major roads in the ancient city walking towards Molete, Beere, Mokola and back to Oke Ado where the party’s secretariat is located.
The supporters carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Awa lokan”; ”Jagaban lokan”; “Tessy lokan”, “Road to Aso Rock”; “Vote Tinubu” and “Asiwaju is our man”.
On Sunday October 9, 2022, Lagos was again shut down by rallies, this time staged by the APC.
The chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo, led different groups on a 5-Million – man walk in support of the APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, and Lagos State governor, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, Dr. Femi Hamzat’s victories in 2023 general polls.
The march sponsored by MC Oluomo, witnessed a large number of supporters who converged on Teslim Stadium and National Stadium, Surulere.
Political analysts and watchers of political developments believe that the emergence of marches as a way of showing support for candidates has its downside.
One of such was the exposure of the public to dangerous attacks by political thugs. For instance it was reported in Ibadan that scores of APC members were allegedly attacked by PDP loyalists.
Confirming the attack in a statement, Yekeen Olaniyi, the media aide to Senator Teslim Folarin, described the attack as the height of lawlessness.
Can the large turnouts at marches resort to votes for candidates?
Speaking with THEWILL, Comrade Sola Olawale of the Campaign for Democracy said:” It hardly translates to votes. Most of the people that engage in solidarity marches do not vote on Election Day. But it serves as a morale booster for candidates.
“You can see that the high turnout during the Obi’s marches has boosted his perceived chance in the election. He is now being reckoned as one of the leading candidates in the presidential race”.
“The new method of taking campaigns to streets through public walks is a welcome development and I think it is even better to keep the momentum on, now that most of the parties are finding it difficult to take off their campaigns.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
