From obedience to obedience, by Semiu Akanmu

Obedience was an understandable social response to the pressing issues of youth unemployment, police brutality, stark economic realities—yearnings for that change that has remained continually elusive.

But this agitation must remain grounded in democratic ideals of freedom of choice and debate based on issues. For a movement that comes with a claim to moral superiority, this is an irreducible minimum.

Unfortunately, recent events clearly show a massive metamorphosis from Obedience to Obedience. From hope to deception. Mental acuity in hypnosis. Impressionable youths and immolating adults have become the engine oil to keep Obi’s political engine running. Loss can be a truly devastating experience.

Let’s start with the hoax that Obi’s mandate—the third position—was stolen. No amount of political analysis, based on our historical voting pattern and elements of national election victory, would ever give Obi a victory. The math isn’t just there.

But its popular appeal, justifiable or not, was evident in its impressive performance, if we want to reflect on the prediction based on data. Stretching it now to “stolen mandate” is wishful thinking and blatant ambition.

To put it in proper context, Obi’s party had operatives in every constituency. This means that by now they should have irrefutable evidence, based on the results posted on iReV, to show that there are irregularities that are sufficient to nullify the election. Now it is purely a legal battle.

But Obi’s fascist mob boss, a running mate named Datti, said the only acceptable judgment is his own. And instead of sticking to the issue of the incendiary language that Wole Soyinka did, the supporters of the governor of Panama, who also has no basic ethics of conflict of interest, and did not apologize for using state resources to improve the heritage of their company, they want to question themselves. Soyinka’s Morality. Because he is Tinubu’s friend. Not because I have not called out the Buhari government in the past. This is a friend he did not campaign for or endorse. This is a friend he referred to indirectly, in the same interview, as the “other movements”, the movements that don’t interest Kongi.

Do the Obidios look in the mirror? Consider your candidate, even if we discount his association with Atiku and all members of the establishment till date, they still came forward to be baptized by Obasanjo. Can you really stop this moral position? Can you question someone’s morals because they have a history with Tinubu?

The Kongi action of 1965, possibly an equally fascist trend, and the declaration of APC’s “parallel government” have been drawn to justify Datti’s unguarded words. While I leave the introspective view of the 1965 event to Soyinka’s responsibility, are we still not clear that APC’s standard is not an acceptable standard?

Assuming that it is a real equivalence, one justifies the other and if the so-called movement really offers a breath of fresh air, the past that we want to discard should never be a reference of responsibility. What is the value of opposing APC to support LP if the reprehensible action of the former will become acceptable because it is done by the latter? These are soul-searching questions for Obidiots who have not yet completed their metamorphosis into Obidiots. They need to revise their standard.

Well, Wole Soyinka has called for debate to argue that the fascist label is justifiable. This is an O-call, and one that says more about Soyinka’s belief in Datti’s intelligence. The ball is now in Obi-Datti’s court.

The second point of the transition to Obidiocy is the fan flip in the “Yes, Daddy” clip. A supposedly idealistic movement would prefer to shut up, admit and apologize, or worse, turn aside and let events play out. Rather, they tried to obfuscate with some amateur forensic analysis. Denials that insult public intelligence. And when those don’t work, they appropriate and arrogate, turn it around to applaud and some printed shirts and dressed as a symbol of solidarity with a “war of religion” that Obi wants to pursue.

Obi’s policy is an instrument for Croats at the national level; an instrument for Catholic supremacy in his state. This conversation with Oyedepo, a cleric known for his Muslim-hating sermons and open assault on hijab-wearing women, is not fresh air. This stinks more.

The potential victims of Obi’s religious war, who still have the presence of mind to line up behind this fascist-Croatian movement, need to re-examine their self-respect.

There is a point to draw the line. That’s all.