2023 election: Nigerians mock politicians with 'structure' losing to rivals with 'no structure'
The unprecedented defeat of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in his stronghold, Lagos State by his Labour Party (LP) rival, Peter Obi, in the Saturday election has continued to generate different reactions from bewildered responders over a feat the country never witnessed in its 23-year democracy.
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According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Obi Obi secured 582,454 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Tinubu of the APC, who scored 572, 606 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP came third with 75,750 votes.
INEC said a total of 1,347,152 people were accredited for the election in Lagos, a state where Mr Tinubu has a lot of political control, influence and structures.
As a result, many Nigerians on social media channels have continued to make a mockery of the political 'structure' narratives that are constantly being peddled by Nigerian politicians following the massive electoral defeats of some political heavyweights within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who either failed to deliver their polling units across the country or lost out outrightly.
The excellent show of the Labour Party (LP), said to have no structure, at the ongoing 2023 national elections has wowed the whole of Nigeria as its candidates in different political posts continue to pull the most memorable upsets in this year's polls, against the so-called politicians, especially from the major political parties, who had boasted of having structures.
In what appeared like a political revolution across Nigeria that has enabled the Labour party to win some sizable number of seats at the national assembly despite being dubbed a party without 'no structure,' there have been widespread reactions by many Nigerians and political observers on social media.
Out of many political bigwigs that have suffered electoral defeats across the states is the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, who lost his polling unit to the Labour Party.
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Mr Adamu cast his vote at Angwarimi Ward, GRA A1-PB Polling Unit, Keffi, Nasarawa State. Labour Party’s Peter Obi won in the polling unit with 132 votes while Bola Tinubu of the APC came second with 85 votes.
It was not only the presidential election that the APC lost in Mr Adamu’s ward. The party also lost the senatorial and House of Representatives election in the unit.
In the senatorial election, the APC came second with 55 votes. The SDP won with 184 votes while the Labour Party came third with 42 votes.
In the same vein, the APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu lost his local council, Ikeja Local Government Area, to Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
While Mr Obi scored 30,004 votes at Polling Unit 85, Ward 3 in Ikeja Local Government Area on Saturday, Mr Tinubu had 21,276.
Likewise the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and son of the former Governor of Abia State, Chinedu Orji has lost his ambition to represent Ikwuano, Umuahia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The candidate of the Labour Party for the seat, Chief Obi Aguocha, won the election after polling a total number of 48,199 votes to defeat Orji, who polled 35,196 votes.
Others who lost either their polling units, wards or seats to Labour Party candidates include: the Plateau State Governor and Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong, who lost his polling unit to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila failed to deliver his polling unit 04 to APC presidential candidate, The Governor of Enugu State and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi lost the Enugu North Senatorial District election to Okey Ezea, of Labour Party, LP amongst others.
Reacting to the development, many Nigerians bared their minds by taking to Twitter, in several posts, to ridicule the usage of the word, 'political structure' in electing the best man in leadership positions.
Expressing his mind via his official Twitter handle, Folarin Falana, son of renowned lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana wrote, "What really is the “structure,” if not the will of the people?"
Another Twitter user commenting via David Ben wrote, "A structure that is built on Voter Suppression, Disenfranchisement, Corruption, Blatant Incompetency, Bribery, Disregard of the law, and Thuggery WILL, MUST & CAN NEVER thrive in Nigeria. Let the people's will be done. This is OUR country and not some people's personal property."
Source: Legit.ng
