It is now crystal clear that Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress is heading for a crushing defeat of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

There had been surprises and upsets in many states as the results were announced, but not predicted was that the APC candidate, vilified on social media by PDP warriors, on the pulpits by bigoted hate preachers, would return a resounding victory against PDP.

Here are some of the lessons learnt in the February 23 election:

1. Social media power overrated: If elections are won on Twitter and Facebook, President Buhari would by now be writing his handover notes and be preparing to tend his cows on his farm in Daura. But the limitations of the social media platforms especially Twitter have just been exposed by the results of the election. The candidate of the PDP got more retweets, more likes for tweets by supporters on Twitter, but such preferences count for nothing in the real voting. For information, although there are over 92 million Nigerians using the internet, not all of them are connected to the social media platforms.

According to some verified statistics, about 25 million Nigerians use Facebook, with 16 million being active users.

Twitter users are in several millions, representing just 8.83% of social media users. At 8.29 %, users of Pinterest are surprisingly close to users of Twitter. Instagram commands just 2.0 per cent and Facebook 78.47 per cent as at 2018.

This may explain why the orchestrated campaigns of falsehood and calumny against the APC candidate did not get much traction going into the election. As past elections had shown in Nigeria, the people who vote are the ordinary people, the peasants, petty traders, artisans who are not wired to the social media platforms. And they have spoken in favour of the candidate they believe is the greatest friend of the ‘Talakawa’.

2. Elite power, pulpit power has been smashed by the results of the election. Those hate preachers who abused the pulpit to command their congregation to vote for the PDP have been put to shame. Elite in the north and south who believe Buhari has been ‘bad business’ and worked vigorously to dethrone him, now also know their powers are limited. The ordinary masses hold the master key to ‘people power’. Buhari, like in 2015, has overcome elite gang up and conspiracy of the churches. In Abuja, the votes recorded in Kubwa, Garki, Mbappe and some other places with a wide Christian population and civil servants against Buhari were to some extent offset by farmers living in the villages around the capital.

3. Politicians who put a lot of score on endorsement now should know better. The Afenifere in Yorubaland and the various political groups largely failed to mobilise the votes for Buhari in the region, despite their endorsement. The results in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo were too close to show that the people did not heed the instructions of the groups. Ohanaeze was also rebuffed to some extent in the south east states. The Northern Elders Forum of Ango Abdullahi, the Middle Belt Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum need some reality checks about their power as opinion moulders.

4. The fourth lesson is that Igbo appeared to have learnt some lessons from their one-basket political disposition in 2015. In 2019, they did not put all their eggs in one basket, as they gave Buhari more than 25 per cent in Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and Imo. Only Enugu gave Buhari the snub as the opposition recorded a thumping victory here, 355,553 votes to Buhari’s 54,423. In Lagos, however, Igbo voting pattern like suspected in 2015, unsettled their Yoruba hosts, leading to threatening inter-ethnic hostility. Yoruba believe that Igbo should always support their interests, afterall ‘When in Rome, one is expected to behave like the Romans’.

5.All politics is truly local. Kwarans demonstrated this in the way they humiliated the PDP and its chief strategist, Bukola Saraki, rejecting the campaign of ‘better Nigeria’, ‘making Nigeria work again’, for home grown wild fire campaign of ‘O To ge’, which translates to “Enough is Enough’. The campaign dethroned Saraki from Kwara central senate seat and smashed the PDP into political irrelevance, with the APC recording 308,984 votes, two and a half times more than the 138,184 votes recorded by the PDP. In Daura, Katsina, voters showed the APC senatorial candidate that he needed to settle with them as they clobbered him, by voting for the Accord Party candidate, in the same polling unit, where Buhari recorded over 700 votes to three for Atiku. In Kogi state, Dino Melaye won a return ticket to the Senate despite all the controversies he generated. He will need to thank fumbling ex-police chief, Ibrahim Idris for making him popular with his people. And in Bauchi, speaker Yakubu Dogara survived his expected political demise and won fourth term ticket in his Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency.

6. Buhari is the only politician in Nigeria today with a solid home base. President Buhari has proven once again that he is the Awolowo, Aminu Kano of our time, posting overwhelming victory in his home state of Katsina and other states, such asd Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Jigawa in the North West that he had consistently won since 2003, when he made the first bid for Nigeria’s presidency. Buhari also showed commanding presence in the North east. Atiku failed to show such political force in his state of Adamawa that he won with a few thousand votes. Then to show how Buhari has gathered much political traction since elected in 2015, he had a strong showing in states, such as Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, with high Christian population, that Atiku thought he would have won convincingly, based on the propaganda that Buhari is anti-Christian. Buhari similarly cut inroads into South South and South East states, denying Atiku any Tsunami effect from the zones.

7. Finally, lies, falsehood do get their comeuppances in the fullness of time. This election has proven this. Buhari in the run-up to the poll was the target of so many vicious lies and propaganda. The most reprehensible lie was that he was a clone from Sudan planted in Aso Rock. He was also painted as a hater of Christians, who allowed Boko Haram to seize a Christian girl Leah Sharibu. They accused him of promoting an Islamisation agenda and of being an ethnic bigot who favoured his region in appointments. Some even said he had finished Nigeria with foreign debts, a claim that was not supported by available facts. The opposition will need to invent new lies now as the President has posted a most crushing defeat of their candidate.

http://www.nta.ng/news/politics/20190226-some-great-lessons-learnt-in-nigerias-presidential-election/

lalasticlala

Chai

Writer forgot to mention that Red caps don't bring votes

midolian:
Writer forgot to mention that Red caps don't bring votes

But they do bring likes and shares...

HappyPagan:

But they do bring likes and shares...

HappyPagan:

But they do bring likes and shares...

una no good o , but credit must go to the opposition, they made the ruling party really sweat, reality checks need to be done by the ruling party in the south west, a silent revolution is going on

Very apt, Midolian. I won't be surprise even after this election. Many Nigerians will still not have learnt the lesson that there's no polling unit on social media.

I tell you, the easiest thing for the average Nigerian youth is to run his mouth, but, when it comes to running their legs to go and vote, it becomes more than a herculean task.

It's a shame.

joseph1832:
Very apt, Midolian. I won't be surprise even after this election. Many Nigerians will still not have learnt the lesson that there's no polling unit on social media.

I tell you, the easiest thing for the average Nigerian youth is to run his mouth, but, when it comes to running their legs to go and vote, it becomes more than a herculean task.

It's a shame.

True bro!

Long time..Hope you are good

Look at this fool, Buhari will not be declared as the winner

midolian:


True bro!

Long time..Hope you are good

I am. Just came out of a 15 months ban.

joseph1832:
I am. Just came out of a 15 months ban.

15 months?

Which kain crime you commit like that?

4. The fourth lesson is that Igbo appeared to have learnt some lessons from their one-basket political disposition in 2015
Igbos and their leadership did well. Much oil to the elbows of Orji Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha and others. Whether they rigged or not for APC is not out business. If other Nigerians say they want Buhari who are we to say No. We cannot continue to suffer for another man's failure. Kudos to my SS brothers too for doing likewise. We suffered together in 2015 and both the SW, NE, NC, NW enjoyed the spoils of our absence from national government. We were called 5% by a sectarian President bent on punishing his opponents. Nigeria died in 2015!
Kudos to our SW brethren, we don't fault you guys anymore. You guys rock for teaching us your style of survival in Nigerian politics.

great lessons... let's hope it's well learnt by the haters of Nigeria... God bless Nigeria

For politicians!

Other lessons;

The North wants morality, religion and tradition ...

The south wants commerce, industrialization and freedom

This life is unpredictable. A whole Senate president feeling funky while gallivanting across the country to form political Don dada has been relegated to oblivion just because of stupid pride and greed. His last hope of political resurrection would have been an Atiku presidency which will never happen. Saraki has become an ordinary Nigerian like you and i in a jiffy all because of a miscalculated defection. No more sirens, armed convoys, no more access to Abuja and kwara treasury. When he colluded with opposition to emerge senate president, he thought he was doing Buhari not knowing he was digging his political grave. Humility and tactfulness is key in politics. Asiwaju has been out of power for over a decade but still relevant and powerful. The overrated pompous saraki whose political sagacity has been about his ability to betray and backstab has been deleted into the trash can of national politics. I hope the Federal government bares it's fangs on saraki and use him as a scapegoat for upcoming dubious charlatans

PASTORS SHOULD LEARN TOO

4. The fourth lesson is that Igbo appeared to have learnt some lessons from their one-basket political disposition in 2015. In 2019, they did not put all their eggs in one basket, as they gave Buhari more than 25 per cent in Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra and Imo. Only Enugu gave Buhari the snub as the opposition recorded a thumping victory here, 355,553 votes to Buhari’s 54,423. In Lagos, however, Igbo voting pattern like suspected in 2015, unsettled their Yoruba hosts, leading to threatening inter-ethnic hostility. Yoruba believe that Igbo should always support their interests, afterall ‘When in Rome, one is expected to behave like the Romans’.

What is this supposed to mean? In what way does giving APC 25% benefit Igbos in anyway? Is it so that APC and Buhari will remember Igbos? So the percentage of votes you give the winning party is a reflection of how you will be treated? If So, what is the point of "one Nigeria"?


When in Rome, you do like the Romans? And when you are in Nigeria, you do like who? What is the point of "one Nigeria" if an Igbo man has to live by the dictates of Yorubas while in Lagos, or the dictates of Hausa when in Kano?


Where is the Nigeria we are talking about?

gidgiddy:


What is this supposed to mean? In what way dies giving APC 25% benefit Igbos in anyway? So that APC and Buhari will remember Igbos? So the percentage of votes you give the winning party is a reflection of how you will be treated? So what is the point of "one Nigeria"?


When in Rome, you do like the Romans? And when you are in Nigeria, you do like who? What is the point of "one Nigeria" if an Igbo man is live by the dictates of Yorubas while in Lagos, or the dictates of Hausa when in Kano?


Where is the Nigeria we are talking about?

Can a Yoruba be voted into anambra state assembly? If not what is the essence of one Nigeria?

midolian:


15 months?

Which kain crime you commit like that?

help me ask dem oh. Lol.

gidgiddy:


What is this supposed to mean? In what way dies giving APC 25% benefit Igbos in anyway? So that APC and Buhari will remember Igbos? So the percentage of votes you give the winning party is a reflection of how you will be treated? So what is the point of "one Nigeria"?


When in Rome, you do like the Romans? And when you are in Nigeria, you do like who? What is the point of "one Nigeria" if an Igbo man is live by the dictates of Yorubas while in Lagos, or the dictates of Hausa when in Kano?


Where is the Nigeria we are talking about?

Sure it play a big role in the life of everything one does if u so much believe in one Nigeria give to others the way u give your own

Nonsense

midolian:
Writer forgot to mention that Red caps don't bring votes

Red cap is a SCAM....

herdsmen media failed woefully and integrity always wins.

Hopefully APC will get their acts together this time around, Buhari won't be on the ballot come 2023.

THIS IS A VERY GREAT THREAD.

Buhari is the only politician in Nigeria today with a solid home base. President Buhari has proven once again that he is the Awolowo, Aminu Kano of our time, posting overwhelming victory in his home state of Katsina and other states, such asd Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Jigawa in the North West that he had consistently won since 2003, when he made the first bid for Nigeria’s presidency. Buhari also showed commanding presence in the North east. Atiku failed to show such political force in his state of Adamawa that he won with a few thousand votes. Then to show how Buhari has gathered much political traction since elected in 2015, he had a strong showing in states, such as Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, with high Christian population, that Atiku thought he would have won convincingly, based on the propaganda that Buhari is anti-Christian. Buhari similarly cut inroads into South South and South East states, denying Atiku any Tsunami effect from the zones.

Ok

wailers ............ biko give them water