[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne of the most special beings you can ever come across is HE Peter Obi, the man who as vice presidential candidate ran the election with the presidential candidate, HE Atiku Abubakar under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
I call Obi the man who came far ahead of his generation. I didn’t coin this definition because I loved dancing with words, rather I saw a man who is different in every aspect of life, a man who forever thinks ahead, a man who denies himself just for the good of his society.
I knew enough of Atiku and was quite certain he possesses every ability to rescue this nation from her present mess. I started supporting him for presidency even before he declared interest. And when he did, I threw the kitchen sink into it until he became the candidate of the PDP.
All the time I believed I was with the right man but it was after the Waziri Adamawa picked Obi as his running mate that he affirmatively confirmed he was serious in restructuring the entity called Nigeria and truly prepared to give a people-oriented governance. Even though Atiku would actually call the shots, picking a second-in-command whose record as the governor of Anambra State has been etched in gold, gave confidence that indeed they both will get Nigeria working again.
But though Obi, who had admirably restructured his Anambra State to excellent effects via his extremely disciplined approach to governance, his exemplary nature isn’t just centred around project initiation and execution. Neither is it all about his famous prudence in management of resources.
The man we fondly call Okwute is a man, who exhibits restraints to anger to unequalled degree. This is a man who has been maligned by all sorts of paid agents simply because he offered them the chance to power when he could have installed any friend or relative of his choice. But he never once responded with same manner of unprintable words.
They called him names including a liar for saying he left behind N75 billion in cash and investments for his predecessor but he never responded in like manner. Instead, he just provided the banks names, account names and numbers. And at the thick of it, he went to the Supreme Court to swear an affidavit to support that claim and many others regarding how he governed his dear state and what he left behind.
He never returned the curses and name callings either in public or private. Instead, if you had ever come close to him, he will always tell you that the reason God put our eyes in front instead of back is for us to always look ahead.
This man forever looks ahead. He doesn’t waste his energy dwelling on frivolous issues. Instead he is always seeking for ways to improve mankind. Here again, he would tell you that those who dwell so much on yesterday miss their tomorrow.
When Reverend Ejike Mbaka, for whatever reason, tried to ridicule this man, Okwute expressed to those that didn’t know him well enough that day on Mbaka’s altar how restrained to anger and disciplined he could be.
Is there any falsehood they didn’t fabricate and will still fabricate against him for simply proving that Nigeria has enough resources to effectively excel without borrowing a dime from any source? And he simply illustrated it by cutting costs of governance.
But guess what? Any article maligning this man generates over 10 articles from mostly unknown sources defending him.
Keen observers know that for any one person that hates this man out of envy, over 100 people reciprocate by loving him even more.
Though I’ve never heard him say it, this great man operates on same principle of, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
After the last presidential election and it’s dubious pronouncement by INEC, most Nigerians were devasted.
So when Atiku and PDP decided to embark on the journey to the Tribunal, many went back to history and hopes were rekindled.
The PDP presidential candidate might not have been known with political victories via the courts but his running mate can be described as a master of the game.
Okwute regained his gubernatorial mandate after three years through the courts. He came back from a kangaroo impeachment via the courts. He came back to complete his tenure through the courts.
So when he attended the first session at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja and attended every other session until adoption of final addresses, many marveled at his dedication to the cause. But those that knew him had no reason to be surprised.
Here is a man who pursues anything he is interested in, provided it is the right thing and for public good, till the very end. He never quits once he is stepping in the right direction and more, he hardly ever makes a step at all if he hadn’t measured it as a step in the right direction. Most people don’t even understand where he is going until you see him.
He never was late in all sessions in court and would always stay attentively until the court rose. I thought – here is a man very contented with what he has and who could easily have abandoned this country to sojourn anywhere on earth for peace regarding the undeserving names haters call him but here remains a man, who knows that the masses of his nation face a very bleak future if people like him abandoned ship.
And I add a warning – be very careful how you malign and destroy the character of an innocent man simply because he doesn’t respond to your stupidity. God effectively responds for such people.
Seeing him in court gave me confidence. Many times I’d look sideways at him. Whether he noticed it or not, I always did to draw inspiration. I knew the Petitioners have a very good case that was so tightly presented but I also knew the difficulty involved in proving election petitions, especially if it involves a president who is not interested at all in leaving office. Somehow, I believed that with Okwute involved, something would eventually give.
It was truly tough going until that moment Major General Paul Tarfa(Rtd) gave the mother of all answers to the mother of all questions in court. As far as I am concerned, that was the day President Muhammadu Buhari lost his case bothering on perjury.
I turned sideways to look at Okwute but his face was impassive, reminiscent of a man always in charge of his emotions.
When the court rose after the final address adoptions on August 21, 2019, I watched this man as he went straight to shake hands with his team’s counsels, starting with the irrepressible Dr. Livy Uzoukwu. And I saw a man showing clear satisfaction. It was for nothing that he finally betrayed his emotions. He has seen it all and believed the Petitioners’ counsels did an excellent job.
He wasn’t alone in that belief.
Even neutral observers also believe the Petitioners proved their case beyond every reasonable doubt. It is now left for the Tribunal justices to assure the world that Nigeria is not a lawless nation.
Nigeria needs more men like Atiku and Okwute as…
#HistoryBeckons
Tai Emeka Obasi is a trained engineer turned movie scriptwriter. He is a political and sports analyst. He is the author of The Senator. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
