Harry-Possible

You guys should stop now. If we divide votes between obi and makinde, apc will win We need to unseat this man, please

If I were a Seyi Makinde supporter today, I would actually vote for Peter Obi. Now, let me make something clear: this is directed at those who genuinely care about good leadership, not APC supporters who are simply using Seyi Makinde to gaslight people. My reasoning is simple: I believe Seyi Makinde can only win a presidential election overseen by Peter Obi or someone like him as president. I have watched Seyi Makinde campaign, and I have read his manifesto as well. He's a textbook gentleman. He's articulate, composed and appears to understand governance. However, I don't think he has demonstrated the ability to play retail politics on the scale required to win a presidential election in Nigeria. What is retail politics? Retail politics is a form of political engagement that prioritizes direct, personal interaction between politicians and ordinary voters rather than relying primarily on party structures, political intermediaries, media campaigns or large-scale publicity. It is politics at the grassroots level, where a politician goes beyond making speeches, mounting billboards and appearing on television to physically meet the people whose votes they seek. It involves visiting communities, interacting with traders in markets, speaking with students, listening to farmers, engaging ordinary families and showing up in places where politicians would ordinarily send representatives. The idea is simple: instead of expecting voters to know you through your political party, advertisements or endorsements, you make yourself known to them personally. You build relationships, earn trust and establish a connection with ordinary people. Over time, your name becomes familiar, your face becomes recognizable, and your political identity becomes something people associate with their own experiences rather than just campaign promises. Now, let me give you an example. Since 2022, Peter Obi has consistently demonstrated this approach to politics. He has travelled across Nigeria, visiting communities, markets, schools, hospitals, internally displaced persons' camps and places many prominent politicians would ordinarily avoid. Rather than constantly sending delegates to represent him, he has made personal appearances a central part of his political engagement. He has visited all 36 states and campaigned directly to Nigerians. His engagement has been so extensive that even women, men and children in some of the most neglected communities and displacement camps have become familiar with his name and face. Places where a sitting president might hesitate to visit, even with an extensive security detail, Peter Obi has made efforts to reach. And this is important because politics is not just about having good ideas or presenting an excellent manifesto. It is also about making the people believe that you understand their struggles and genuinely care about them. This is one of the reasons I believe Peter Obi remains Nigeria's most popular opposition politician today, even without the enormous resources, billboards and political machinery available to those in power. That is retail politics. Also, I believe they actually need the sacrifices Peter Obi is making today to produce results, not just for his own political ambition but for theirs as well, and for millions of Nigerians who are suffering under the current system. Seyi Makinde, with his gentlemanly approach to politics, cannot, in my opinion, win a presidential election conducted under Tinubu's administration. And I suspect he knows this too. I also understand what Seyi Makinde appears to be doing right now, and I respect it. He is introducing himself to Nigerians. He is essentially saying, "I want to be your president," not necessarily, "I want to be your president right now." He understands, or at least I believe he does, that you cannot simply begin campaigning two months before a presidential election and expect to win in a country of over 200 million people.