Peter Obi As the 2023 calendar year is winding up, the Round Table comes up with a list of five (5) Nigerian politicians who shake the political atmosphere of the country the most in the year.
Interestingly, the year in view hosts the general election of the country and many factors have to be put into consideration. Among the factors that were considered in picking the list of the top five Nigerian politicians who hit the country’s political space the most in 2023 are the party’s primaries, the 2023 presidential election, and post-election politics. The names of the 5 topmost politicians who rock the 2023 political space in Nigeria are therefore as listed below.
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
Rabiu Musa KwanKwaso
The former Executive Governor of Kano State and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is a known politician with deep influence in the politics of Kano, his home state, and a few other political districts within the Northwest geopolitical zone.
During the 2023 presidential election, he displayed his political sagacity, and at a time, he became the topic of discussion among both traditional and neophyte political gladiators in the country because he refused to merge with other political parties.
Kwankwaso made the trend of the five topmost politicians in Nigeria in 2023 because of arguments that featured his name on how his influence frustrated the chance of the presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; how he refused to be a running mate to the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi; argument that he sponsored by the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu; his political hostility with the former Kano State Governor and the current National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; and his refusal to challenge the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February election.
Nyesom Wike
Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara
The former Executive Governor of Rivers State and the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is counted among the top five Nigerian politicians who shake the political space of the country the most in 2023.
Although Wike was not a presidential candidate in the year in view he was more of a placeholder for a presidential candidate and he built on his political audience to influence how the 2023 presidential election was decided.
Wike’s opposition to the PDP’s violation of the Power Rotation principle, his antagonism to the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar; his reaction to how some of the Southern PDP Governors went against their agreement on Power Rotation regardless of their political party; how he influenced who took what at the National level of his party (PDP); argument on how he boldly declared support for the presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; general elections in Rivers State, his ministerial appointment; the latest crisis between him and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara; and his activities as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have made Nyesom Wike to feature in the Round Table Five Most Trended Nigerian politicians in 2023.
Peter Obi
Mr. Peter Obi
The former Governor of Anambra State and 2019 running mate to former Vicalso e President Atiku Abubakar on the platform of PDP, Mr Peter Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 after he dumbed PDP for the Labour Party ahead of the presidential election.
Mr. Peter Obi is one of the most trended Nigerian politicians in 2023, not only for his presidential ambition but his endorsement by neophyte politicians who could easily be said to have, out of inexperience, taken political contest for social media hype.
Mr. Peter Obi made the list of the five most trended Nigerian politicians in 2023 because of his endorsement in the majority of the churches across Nigeria where he turned to the “words of God” they preached in the churches during the electioneering campaign; his regional endorsement by almost every person of his ethnicity which could be summed into his ethno-religious political ideology; “Not too reliable” statistics; his Labour Party membership; legitimacy of his presidential candidacy; relationship between his party and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and his legal battle against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the latter winning the keenly contested presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar
Nyesom Wike vs Atiku Abubakar
The former vice president of Nigeria and presidential candidate of PDP both in 2019 and 2023, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is undoubtedly one of the most popular Nigerian politicians in 2023, and as it could be red, he was mostly attached to all the trended politicians above.
Atiku Abubakar made the list of the most popular Nigerian politicians in 2023, not only because of his presidential ambition but personal relationship with other trended people on this list and, most especially, the threat that his political career if he lost the last presidential to Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was projected to be the only candidate that had [ though narrow] any chance of defeating Atiku in the election.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar made this list for many reasons including how he pocketed other Northern presidential candidates to deny the presidential aspiration of Nyesom Wike, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; how he outsmarted other PDP National Leaders to hijack the loyalties of the erstwhile National Chairman of PDP, Senator Iyorcha Ayu; his decision to pick Ifeanyi Okowa as presidential running mate; alleged alliance with some Northern APC National leaders including some Northern State Governors; pre-election litigations; post-election litigations and his interest in the academic profile of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The former Governor of Lagos State and Presidential candidate of the APC during the 2023 presidential election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is unarguably the most popular politician in the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.
Ask anyone about how Bola Tinubu could be unarguably given the trophy of the most popular politicians in Nigeria; without minding a word, they will remember Bola Tinubu as a man who was in the 2023 political space as if he was the president of Nigeria since 1960 and needed to convince the populace why he should be reelected for an Office he has never occupied
Bola Tinubu’s popularity is not influenced by his presidential ambition in 2023 but by the proximities surrounding his personality, relationships with other presidential candidates the strategic structuring and scheduling of his presidential campaigns, and the hostility his presidential ambition faced from almost all other presidential candidates and their supporters; and the uncertainties that surrounded Bola Tinubu, a man who never lose an electoral contest since he joined politics. Top of the issues that make Bola Tinubu the most popular politician in 2023 include the argument about his age, name, paternity, educational background, and even religion. Another point of argument was the story of a “Kingmaker who wanted to become a King” despite a parallel argument on who Bola Tinubu made and who made him in politics. He was also brought into the limelight of discussion for every inhumane policy made by his party-led Federal Government of Nigeria including the Oil Scarcity, Naira Redesign, and Cashless policy.
The King of the kingmakers, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was academically compared with every politician in this list, and the review of his performance as Lagos State Governor between 1999 and 2007 was never spared. He trended the most because he was seen as the central threat to all the other presidential candidates and the cabals within his party-led Federal Government. Before and after the election, his biological, citizenship, and academic records have never escaped the hook of every discussion forum in the country. Above all, being the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is being mentioned, countless times at every tick of the clock across the nation may be in appraisal, criticism, or expressing indifference about the policies of his administration.
Category: World-News
Tag: Bola tinubu Atiku Abubakar Peter Obi Kwankwaso Wike Nigeria politics news
Written by Author (author)
Published 12/7/2023 10:01:19 PM