Pulse Picks: The 5 biggest political winners in 2022

In Nigeria’s political scene, this year started with politicians announcing their interest to contest for political offices in the 2023 general elections. 

The development gave Nigerians a lot to discuss as politicians were all over the place consulting and seeking the support of political leaders, groups, and traditional rulers to solidify their aspirations. 

In the end, those who got their strategy right got their party tickets and are now looking forward to greater wins in February 2023.

Here are the five biggest political winners this year:

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Starting the year as the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is undoubtedly very close to actualising his long-life dream of becoming Nigeria’s president. 

After announcing his presidential bid to President Muhammadu Buhari in January, he made some strategic moves and went on to win the ruling party’s presidential ticket for the 2023 election.

Prior to 2022, Tinubu was not often in the news despite his political popularity and influence across the country, but since he threw himself into the contest for the presidency, he’s been one of the most popular searched keywords on search engines. 

As the flagbearer of the ruling party, the former governor of Lagos State is currently one of the most-talked-about politicians in Nigeria. His candidacy gets him in the news, for drama, allegations, controversy, and his plans for the most populated country in Africa if elected. 

Peter Gregory Obi

Peter Obi’s defection to the Labour Party from the Peoples Democratic Party in May marked a remarkable turnaround in his political career. 

In the last election, the former governor of Anambra State was a running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but because of his passion for Nigeria, he thought it wise to dump the PDP for the LP. 

Shortly after he joined the party, he became the presidential candidate of the party. Obi’s populist posture endeared him to young Nigerians on social media as he appears to be building his political structure around the youths ahead of the election.

According to Google, Obi is the most searched politician in Nigeria this year. In fact, most of the online polls conducted in respect of the 2023 election tend to favour the LP presidential candidate. 

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar has been in the race to become the President of Nigeria since 1992 and he’s never been able to actualise his dream.

30 years after he registered his aspiration to lead the country, Atiku clinched the PDP presidential ticket to try his luck again.

Getting the PDP presidential ticket was a big win for the former Vice President and his supporters because the 2023 election might be his last effort at leading Nigeria. 

However, the ticket might have possibly won him some enemies within his party, but his desire to be his party’s flagbearer in the forthcoming election is no doubt already in the bag.

Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke

Against all odds, Ademola Adeleke actualised his dream to become the Governor of Osun State. 

His feat was a big win for the PDP in the Southwest state where the dancing senator defeated the incumbent governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, during the September 11 gubernatorial election.

Having contested against Oyetola for the same office in 2018, Adeleke’s victory defied many people’s perception of his person as an impulsive dancer. Adeleke also known as Jackson can whine his waist at the sound of any musical instrument.

The biggest story about him in 2022 is the fact that he danced his way to the Osun State Government House, thanks to his singer cousin, David Adeleke, better known as Davido, who offered him more than the proverbial dance-on-I’m-behind-you kind of support. 

Bashir Sherrif Machina

The victory of Bashir Machina this year is like the famous story of David vs Goliath in the scriptures, but in this case, Machina is the little David, while the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan is the arrogant Goliath.

The battle between the two Yobe politicians started shortly after Lawan lost his presidential aspiration to Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the APC 2022 primary in June.

After losing the election, Lawan who did not participate in the Yobe Senatorial primary asked Machina who won the Yobe North Senatorial to relinquish the ticket to him but the latter refused.

The matter was taken to the Federal High Court sitting in Damaturu and Machina emerged victorious. Dissatisfied with the judgment, Lawan proceeded to an appellate court to seek a reversal of the judgement but Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen on the ground that his appeal was lacking in merit.