Thread by @RealOlaudah

Politics is a wonderful game: it yields the fruit of goodness or adversity. It brings progress, development or retardation/retrogression. Politics can raise a person's social worth or diminish it. It has the capacity to raise people's standard of living or diminish it altogether.

Politics exposes one to honour or dishonour. One who gets involved in the game of politics either experiences a Pull-Him-Up or Pull-him-down syndromes sometimes.
When the Pandora revelations came to light through the the PRIME TIME publication, it took many Nigerians by surprise.

Mr. Peter Obi, the amiable and soft-spoken ex-governor of Anambra state has earned for himself the toga of a disciplined achiever among his peers in Nigeria. This must have formed one of the considerations for his choice as the Vice President on the platform of the Peoples...

Democratic Party in the 2019 election which they lost.
As the governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi will be remembered as an astute administrator who came, saw and conquered.
Before his coming, Anambra used to be in the news constantly mainly for the wrong reasons.

But, his frugal principle of raising govt's earnings and reducing expenditure brought financial health to his government and state. Through deliberate policy and good security network, social miscreants, who had constituted a govt of their own, especially in Onitsha the...

commercial city were reduced to the barest minimum. This was complemented with good infrastructure and network of good roads.
As a fall out of his wise economic policies, there was enough money and political will to pay state govt workers and pensioners as and at when due.

During his reign, his administration saw the return of the glory of public as well as private schools in the state. This has paid off with the excellent performance of Anambra State students in school enrolments and performance in external examinations.

When however, Pandora Papers revelation broke out, making Peter Obi the major subject, one's sixth sense couldn't but beep continuously. Why now? Why is Peter Obi singled out, of all Nigerian politicians?

Has it got a political undertone? Or, is it merely the mischievous handiwork of those who engage in the Pull-Him-Down game? It may be difficult to get a satisfactory answer to these barrage of questions. But, looking at the environment, some motif could be examined.

For some time now, many people, both in the South and even North, have been saying that power ought to shift to the South through zoning by 2023. South East region and some people from other zones who believe in fairness clamour that coming to the South, the presidency should...

be zoned to the South East, since the zone has not produced the President as a major ethnic group since 1999.

Now that the zone is being considered, and Peter Obi is a major contender, the Pandora Papers revelation smacks more of a witch-hunt or Pull-Him-Down syndrome that for the love of discipline. Why now?

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Peter Obi's breaches include:
1. Engaging in a business other than farming.
2. He failed to declare his assets "immediately after taking office."
3. Failure to declare offshore holdings and operating foreign account as a public office holder.

The ex-governor had explained in the interview that "he was unaware that the law expected him to declare assets or companies he jointly owns with his family members or anyone else."

What is the position of the law on this, considering that in law, members of his family are separate entities?
Mr. Obi also explained to PREMIUM TIMES that "the offshore entity (Gabriella Investments Limited/PMGG Investments Ltd. as later renamed, registered overseas)...

is the holding company for most of his assets, and that the biz structure he adopted was to enable him to avoid excessive taxation." No Nigerian entrepreneur or biz man will not fall to this tax reduction/waiver bait.
Peter Obi has made his mark on the Nigerian political scene.

Those in authority today should emulate and not vilify him. As of a truth, what are we doing with more than two jets on our Presidential Fleet, when we are crying for lack of funds and even mortgaging our future through mindless borrowing?

While not holding brief for Mr. Obi, those who are making this revelation now are playing politics and do not have the love of Ndigbo or Nigeria at heart. How many Nigerian politicians today can stand cleaner than Peter Obi, even with these so-called breaches by the ex-governor?

It is not hard to see that this is a treacherous witch-hunt to paint Peter Obi black. If we are out to investigate all politicians or citizens who have held political offices before, let there be a wholesome exercise.

Enough of all these one-sided application of rules and policies, if we hope to build a strong nation of patriotic citizenry!

© Prof. D. C Opara
University of Jos.