Otunba Segun Showunmi, convener of the National Opposition Movement Coalition (NOMC), a platform aimed at fostering grassroots consensus for the selection of future leaders has advised supporters of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, popularly known as ‘Obidients’, against use of hate speech while promoting their preferred choice.
Otunba Showunmi, gave the advice in a social media post on Saturday and made available to newsmen, including Veracity Desk (veracitydesk.com).
Showunmi who was once Ogun State governorship aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also urged ‘Obidients’ to properly moderate their emotions and embrace propriety in the defending Obi added that healthy and constructive criticism helps in strengthening democracy.
According to him, “I am not your enemy, I suggest ideas that will make people more comfortable with whatever your messiah is preaching. I do not expect you to listen, I can criticize my own brother, President Tinubu, criticize my own leader, Waziri Atiku. You all must be joking if you think I cannot criticise Peter Obi.
Showunmi in his message captioned “Note to my Obedient Friends” said his advice was important, due to the manner Peter Obi’s supporters were going about fiercely forcing Obi on people with dissenting views, stressing that “Hate will never win any election, especially for the opposition!” He maintained that, “Hope is what will.”
Below is the full text of Showunmi’s message to the obidients reproduced hereunder:
Note to my Obedient Friends
Hate will never win any election, especially for the opposition!
Hope is what will.
With this see no good in Nigeria attitude, the best you will bring is frustration, some violence and maybe destruction of the country that is if those incharge are stupid enough to let you do that.
No one in the world will help you destabilise a country of over 220 million people.
The world does not have the framework to cope with that, obedient or whatever delusional names you call yourselves need to get that.
A multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-language country will not be handed over to those who see the place as a zoo.
I am not your enemy, I suggest ideas that will make people more comfortable with whatever your messiah is preaching.
I do not expect you to listen, I can criticize my own brother President Tinubu, criticize my own leader Waziri Atiku. You all must be joking if you think I cannot criticise Peter Obi. All this mob madness is nothing but grand delusion.
Those numbers you boast about are ebbing.
You don’t control the aces. You need to get onto the #NigeriaWillBeGreat mindset.
Why do you think our rival came with Change the Hope and then Renewed Hope, never mind that they lied, for the last 10 years has not lived up to the billing.
This nonsense you do on X especially, is so lame that one has to wonder who is in charge of this madness.
Post-2023 there has been no evidence of movement on the field of play which is the polls, neither in Edo, Ondo, Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo and there is no suggestion anything will impact Anambra and Osun which are in view.
Elections don’t take place on X.
Do not destroy all the efforts of Peter Obi.
When we offer opinions they are to help us all.
Thank you Peter Obi for your prompt call last night.
If I am to lose the next election the only person I am willing to lose with is Peter Obi for I see his efforts and I believe strongly that we cannot have a country where Ndigbos will have a glass ceiling over them real or imaginary.
This country must work and it must work for us all.
A New Nigeria is Possible if you all let us work together.
