A human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has stated that the only way to aggregate people’s opinion on anyone aspiring for a political post is to allow them contest.
Citing the examples of Hilary Clinton and President Goodluck Jonathan, Keyamo noted that loud voices of celebrities and elites do not count.
Recall that during the United States presidential election, the Hollywood industry backed Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama.
Also in Nigeria, in the buildup of the 2015 election, Nigerian celebrities were solidly behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election.
For the senior lawyer, its only Nigerians that have the power to make the final decision who should lead them.
He added that the joyous crowd welcoming President Muhammadu Buhari in different cities he visits indicates that there are two republics in Nigeria namely the republic of social media and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Keyamo wrote, “The most effective way to aggregate opinions on whether a person who is eligible to contest an election should run or not is actually to urge the person to run because Trump’s example tells us that there’s actually no other way to aggregate those opinions other than the actual election.
“There are two wrong assumptions that some make about elections: 1. That d loud voices of celebrities & elites are d majority view & 2. That no other world exists outside the opinions expressed on Social Media. Hillary Clinton & President Jonathan were victims of these assumptions
“The joyous crowd welcoming PMB in different cities (as it also happened in 2015) indicates we have 2 Republics in Nig: 1. The Fed Republic of Social Media where a few angry elites are always active & 2. The Federal Republic of Nig populated by everyday people who vote at elections.”
- Source daily post Nigeria
