As the race for the 2023 presidency gets hotter, supporters of the Labour Party’s (LP) Presidential candidate, Dr. Peter Obi are seriously dominating the social media, especially Twitter. It becomes annoying whenever something else is trending, supporters of Obi will find their way in there to advertise their candidate. While there is nothing wrong with that, the supporters are vociferous in nature.
To them, it is either you support Obi or you are a ‘demon’ as they believe that he is the only man that can take Nigeria out of the doldrum. Those who have had encounter with Obi’s supporters on Twitter can tell you that this is not the way to drum campaign for an individual with no structure.
Critic, Reno Omokri had a bitter taste of Obi’s ‘swarm of bees’ as they feasted on him and cowed him to submission. Omokri was abused, insulted and one of Obi’s supporters threatened to kill his child.
Omokri tweeted: “In my life, I have never been insulted the way @PeterObi supporters insult me.
“Yet, this same Peter lobbied me when he wanted to be Atiku’s running mate in 2019. I supported him over others.
“Yet, he watches as his people insult Atiku and I. Nobody knows tomorrow.”
In another post, Omokri shared a video where Fr. Mbaka said Peter Obi cannot be president.
Reacting to the post by Omokri, an Instagram account with the name @realex_2x said: “Reno don’t get me upset. Now delete this post or you’re going to see what I gonna do to your daughter.”
Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka had Obi’s supporters pouring out their venoms on him when he described the Labour Party’s candidate as a stingy man who would not be president. He was insulted and called all kinds of names by Obi’s supporters.
Wike mocks Peter Obi before Primaries & lost the Primaries + VP ticket Fr. Mbaka makes jest of Peter Obi & he lost Adoration Ground Ike Ekweremadu says igbos won’t vote for Peter Obi & he gets arrested for Organ Trafficking in the UK Don’t Touch God’s anointed.
lugbe INEC Hijab pic.twitter.com/HjMj6f7Evr— James Daniel (@JamesDa28417209) June 23, 2022
The social media is awashed with Obi supporters demonising the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, calling them all kinds of names. Anyone who dared to write negative things about Obi is demonised and insulted. Is this how to build Nigeria?
Bilionaire businessman, Ned Nwoko summed up Obi’s ambition by saying that he is only good to become a minister of the economy and cannot be president as his party does not have the structure to make him president.
He was insulted and called all kinds of name by Obi’s supporters. Aliyu Babangida said Obi cannot become president in 2023 and should wait till 2027 or beyond. They feasted on him for saying the truth.
Below is what one of Obi’s supporters tweeted:
I saw Ned Nwoko on the trend table and thought he must have acquired a brand new wife to increase the harem. I was only disappointed to read that he made a half baked opinion on Peter Obi and Igbos. Small yansh wan shake🤣
— Nnamdi Ani (@AniNnamdiChris_) June 21, 2022
Another Obi supporters tweeted:
Someone should tell Babangida Aliyu that Peter Obi would be President of Nigeria by 2023. If he cannot stand it, he should go into a comma and wake up by 2027
If you Obidient retweet aggressively!
Internetdown borno lagos abuja staged abraham adesanya pic.twitter.com/HvdUwUgUoH
— Tweetlawyer (@Tweetlawyer3) June 21, 2022
The truth is that election is not won on social media which Obi’s supporters are currently doing. When the campaign starts, the game is expected to change. Obi’s supporters should learn to drum support for their master and not to insult others. What they don’t know is that 85 percent of those who will vote in 2023 are not on social media, many are outside the country and are setting the internet on fire for Obi, but they will never vote.
Being vociferous is never a way to win election in Nigeria. Demonising other candidates will go nowhere and thriving on falsehood which Obi’s supporters are currently doing will lead to nowhere. Issue-based campaign is key and not demonising others. Election is not won that way.
