By Saad Umar Esq.
The big lie is an invention of Adolf Hitler. It is “a deliberate gross distortion of the truth used especially as a propaganda tactic” as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Currently, the big lie is used in America to mean the false claim by Donald Trump, that the 2020 United States presidential election was rigged and stolen from him, in his efforts to overturn the election.Now, what is the big lie in the 2023 presidential election? It is the false claim by both Atiku and Obi that the election was fraudulently won by Tinubu and that the election was rigged and stolen from them.
Like Trump, they want the results of the election cancelled. In a press conference, after INEC declared Tinubu winner, Obi falsely claimed he ‘won’ the election and will go to the courts to prove that. Well, good luck. But even Atiku thought Obi was delusional or lying. He didn’t win.
Atiku has since counselled Obi to not waste his precious time in the courts because he didn’t win and wouldn’t meet the constitutional threshold of at least a quarter of the votes cast in two-thirds of the states of the federation. Adams Oshiomole, Edo north senator-elect mocked this confusion in the ranks of the disparate opposition by saying either Atiku or Obi lied. Actually, both lied and they know it. None of them won. They both lost in the most credible, fairest and freest election Nigeria ever had.
This election was the best. And anyone not interested in the deliberate distortion of the truth of the 2023 presidential election knows that and believes same, regardless of the small lie by Atiku that the election was the “worst in our history”. Or was it? No. Certainly, not worse than the 2003 and 2007 elections conducted by the Atiku/Obasanjo PDP government. But why did Atiku and Obi decided to engage in the big lie? They are sore losers. They want to destroy our democracy; they want to destroy our country, and because big lie works. This is attested to by psychologists and psychiatrists such as Ramani Durvasula, a professor of psychology and professor Brand X Lee, an American psychiatrist. To be sure, the big lie works with catastrophic consequences. Here are few examples. Remember, the big lie is an invention of Hitler. He used it to justify the Holocaust where millions of Jews were reportedly murdered.
Besides, there was Trump’s big lie. Trump, like Atiku and Obi, knew he lost the election but falsely claimed that the election was fraudulent, rigged and stolen from him by Biden and the Democrats. This big lie led to the treasonous and terrorists January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. The riotous mob nearly stopped the lawful democratic transfer of power from Trump to Biden. And many people lost their lives and limbs.
These two examples clearly show the consequences of the big lie – death, destruction, chaos and war. Is that what Atiku and Obi want for our dear country?Atiku and Obi claim to be democrats. If indeed they are, they must not be seen in the company of Trump and Hitler. Company of facist and autocrat – the worst company since the beginning of creation.
Therefore, Atiku and Obi must stop the big lie. The consequences will be dire. This election was free, fair and credible. Tinubu won and they lost. How could Atiku and Obi win when they divided their house. Isn’t it the gospel truth that a house divided against itself cannot stand?
Saad, a lawyer, is the Deputy Chairman of APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi State and former Director-General of BASEPA. .
