Reactions As Ife Salako Said Peter Obi You’re The Only Hope For This Nation, Lead & We Shall Follow

Former Labour Party spokesperson for Lagos State, Ife Salako, has stirred renewed debate on electoral integrity and leadership reform with a strongly worded post shared on his X account on Sunday, December 21, 2025, following remarks by Peter Obi on vote buying.

Salako recalled what he described as one of the few decisive actions taken during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, noting that the 2019 directive to security agencies to “shoot at sight of ballot box snatchers,” though severe, had a visible impact on election-day violence.

According to him, the order “reduced drastically the madness of voter suppression and intimidation,” suggesting that firm enforcement can deter electoral crimes when the state shows resolve.

Building on this position, Salako argued that Nigeria has reached a point where citizens should be united in demanding legal consequences for electoral malpractice.

He said, “if anyone loves this country, by now, we all should be advocating for criminalization of vote buying, voter suppression and voter intimidation,” framing electoral reform as a patriotic duty rather than a partisan agenda.

He went further to directly address Peter Obi, whom he described as a symbol of hope amid widespread disillusionment.

“Mr Peter Obi, you are the only hope for this nation right now. lead and we shall follow you anywhere to achieve the new Nigeria devoid of a grossly corrupt and criminal system,” Salako wrote, aligning himself with Obi’s call to confront vote buying “at the roots.”

The comments triggered mixed reactions from users on the platform, with some questioning whether electoral reforms can succeed without addressing economic hardship.

One user argued that “Hunger makes votes affordable. Fix poverty or forget free elections. Then the real question come. Do they really want to make the poor free?”

Others expressed skepticism about enforcement, noting that electoral manipulation has merely evolved.

A user remarked that despite past crackdowns, “but of what use? Rigging went on underground. Voting buying was the order of the day. Make una dey try think matters through nau!”

There were also concerns about the role of lawmakers in driving reform. One commenter described and said “Expecting the criminal lawmakers who are a product of vote buying to make laws to Criminalize it is like looking for a pig inside a møsque. The New Nigeria we are looking for will take years to materialize because the rot in the system is very deep”

Not all reactions were favorable to Obi’s endorsement. Another user questioned “calling Mr Obi the only hope for democracy is nothing but sarcasm, this Man is a former governor, hope is track records speaks volume for this rating?”