Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president, has stated that Nigeria’s leadership should not adopt the popular slogan “Emi lokan,” which translates to “My turn.”
This was stated by Obasanjo in his New Year’s message on January 1, 2023.
In a lengthy letter that his spokesman, Kehinde Akinyemi, distributed to journalists, Obasanjo also endorsed Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for the 2023 election, claiming that the LP front-runner had an advantage.
“Let me say straight away that ‘Emi Lokan’ (My turn) and ‘I have paid my dues’ are one and the same thing and are wrong attitude and mentality for the leadership of Nigeria now,” the former president said, appearing to be taking a swipe at Bola Tinubu, the APC’s standard bearer and proponent of the Emi lokan slogan.
“They are unable to establish a new pedestal on which to reinvent and invest in a new Nigeria based on an All-Nigeria Government for Nigeria’s liberation and restoration. All facets of our national life—public, private, civil society, professional, labor, employers, and the diaspora—must be represented in such a government.
“The answer should be in “we” and “us,” not “me” and “1.”
“Mind you, I repeat that no human being is an angel, let alone a Messiah. However, there are elements of these attributes, and we must evaluate judiciously and choose wisely based on what we know and what some of us have experienced from the front-runners.
“It will be up to him or her to prove to us if anyone claims to have anything to the contrary.”
Instead, Obasanjo stated that it was the youths’ turn and urged them to come together to decide their future.