By Hon. Ogbobe Chidera Stanley
In 2023, a large number of individuals rode on the extraordinary wave, popularity, and emotional acceptance of His Excellency Peter Obi to secure political relevance and electoral victory.
Many who could not independently command political credibility suddenly became beneficiaries of a movement driven by the frustrations and hopes of ordinary Nigerians.
The painful reality today is that some of those same individuals have shamelessly abandoned the people’s mandate and defected to the very political establishment Nigerians resisted with passion.
An example is the popularly discussed commercial motorcycle rider turned lawmaker, Hon. Donatus Matthew, whose emergence symbolized the “ordinary man can rise” philosophy that energized many Nigerians during the election season.
Yet,
political history continues to remind us that occupying office is different from possessing ideological conviction.
As Winston Churchill once stated, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”
Unfortunately,
many entered power without any philosophical responsibility to the people.
Today, under the APC-led government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, millions of Nigerians are facing unbearable economic hardship.
Inflation has destroyed the purchasing power of citizens, insecurity has become normalized, hunger has entered homes that once survived comfortably, and abuse of power now walks openly in broad daylight.
The average Nigerian now lives from hand to mouth while political opportunists continue negotiating personal survival at the expense of public trust.
What is even more dangerous is that another set of political opportunists have activated the same strategy ahead of future elections.
They will borrow the popularity, structure, emotions, and sacrifices of genuinely accepted leaders only to pursue selfish ambitions.
Their objective is not service to the people; their objective is access to power, after which many of them will predictably defect to the APC for personal comfort and political protection.
That is precisely why I refuse to be part of those who will unknowingly help elect selfish mandates disguised as liberation.
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Only a politically unconscious society allows itself to be repeatedly manipulated by desperate opportunists wearing borrowed garments of reform.
This is why the ADC remains different.
African Democratic Congress, based on its current structure and ideological direction, remains one of the few political platforms where genuine individuals who truly understand the pains of the people can still be found.
Men and women who do not merely seek office, but who understand governance as a moral obligation to society.
A practical example is *Obodoeze Ocho*, a leader whose political philosophy reflects empathy, courage, and genuine concern for the ordinary citizen.
Leadership is not noise, propaganda, or expensive media packaging.
Leadership is the ability to feel the pain of the people and possess the courage to confront the systems responsible for that pain.
As Nelson Mandela rightly said, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
Nigeria does not merely need politicians; Nigeria needs leaders with conscience.
The era of emotional manipulation must end.
Citizens must become wiser, more politically vigilant, and resistant to recycled opportunists who exploit public frustration for personal gain.
History is watching, and posterity never forgets those who betrayed the trust of the people.
