This is Zikoko Citizen’s Game of Votes weekly dispatch that helps you dig into all the good, bad, and extremely bizarre stuff happening in Nigeria and why they’re important to you.
Subscribe now to get the newsletter in your email inbox at 8 am every Friday instead of three days later. Don’t be LASTMA
In the popular Game of Thrones series, power was obtained and kept through alliances. And regardless of the lies, betrayals and deaths, people did everything to maintain these alliances because of the benefits attached to them. We can easily say Nigeria’s political sphere is a game of thrones.
For 16 years, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) dominated the political scene; until, in 2013 the major opposition parties: the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), assembled to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) –the Presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections– was one of the brains behind this merger. To ensure his victory at the 2023 polls, he is again rumoured to be seeking an alliance with other parties. Tinubu’s presidential campaign can be described as “interesting”.
Although he has repeatedly proclaimed himself as Nigeria’s long-awaited saviour, some team members aren’t turning a blind eye to the many holes in his campaign. For instance, the absence of some APC members from his campaign and lack of endorsement from APC chieftains. So, to boost his chances, they plan to form alliances with smaller parties.
Some political parties, such as the African Action Alliance (AAA) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have said a big God forbid to the possibility of such an alliance.
However, a faction of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is more than ready to accept Bola Tinubu with open arms.
I wonder how their presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, feels about this.
What Else Happened This Week?
The Cancel Train Is Here For Brymo
The election season is known to bring out the absolute worst in people, and sadly, the Nigerian singer Brymo finally let his intrusive thoughts win.
Brymo, over the years, has made himself known for more than just the music. From showing us how well he can rock a g-string to self-proclaiming himself “Nigeria’s artiste of the decade”. Unfortunately, over the past few days, his actions have left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths.
Brymo kicked off this year by claiming Igbo people aren’t ripe for the presidency, and against better judgement, he is yet to refute this statement. Instead, he has continued what seems to be an endless rant justifying his views, even going as far as cussing the entire tribe out.
Many people, including celebrities like Paul Okoye, have called him out on his comments, but we’re in the cancel era and just talking isn’t enough. A petition has been filed to ensure he doesn’t win any award in the 2023 All Africa Award Music Award (AFRIMA), and so far, it has over 12,000 signatures.
Everyone is entitled to their choice of candidate, but we should draw the lines on bigotry.
Video of the week
Question of the week
With less than three weeks till the old naira notes become illegal, have you gotten a hold of the new banknotes yet?
Ehen, one more thing…
On January 10, 2023, the federal government dispelled all doubts and reassured us that the 2023 general elections would definitely be held. But here are some of the issues INEC’s been facing so far.
