NAIJ.com internet person of the year: Who is your politician of 2016? (POLL)

NAIJ.com internet person of the year: Who is your politician of 2016? (POLL)

NAIJ.com has put together a list of the most influential politicians of the year 2016 and now it is up to our awesome and devoted readers to choose the one politician who will be crowned the 'NAIJ.com Politician of the Year'.

Below is the full list of the shortlisted nominees, the reasons for the nominations and a poll to allow you vote the politician of your choice. Voting shall be also conducted on our main social media page (Facebook).

1. Abdulmumin Jibrin

Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin

Abdulmumin Jibrin needs no introduction. The All Progressives Congress (APC) member of the House of Representatives representing Kiru/Bebeji constituency of Kano state has unarguably dominated political discourse in the country in 2016.

This has been so ever since he became an anti-corruption self-crusader and a whistle blower who spilled the beans on his colleagues and the House's Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, over budget padding allegations.

For a brief period, as Jibrin continued his whistle blowing, Nigerians regarded him as the ‘messiah’ that would rid the House of the stench of corruption.

Abdulmunin, who was a former appropriation chairman, had alleged that the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, and three other principal officers ‘padded’ the 2016 budget.

He said this was a just cause as he insisted he would purge the House of corruption. But on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, the reps quickly moved against him and he was suspended for 180 legislative days for allegedly breaching the practices and precedents of the House of Representatives.

He was also asked to tender an apology to the House of Representatives before the expiration of his suspension.

NAIJ.com recognizes the legislator’s dilemma when he took on the powerful establishment in the House. But he who must come to justice must be with a clean hand. Was Abdulmumin a saint or a sinner who felt aggrieved?

For taking on his colleagues and putting the issue the of house corruption on the front burner, he got his name into the shortlist of the Person of the Year, politicians category.

2. Peter Ayodele Fayose

Governor Ayodele Fayose

The Ekiti state governor has become a sort of enigma. During the 2015 elections, Fayose's consistent attacks on the person of the then candidate of the APC, now president, Muhammadu Buhari, was thought to be one off.

He took up newspaper adverts, granted interviews and used the every available means to discourage Nigerians from voting for Buhari, the candidate.

Now, almost two years after the election, those who had thought the politician would back down have come to realize that it was more than a flash in the pan.

While other opposition to the ruling APC and Buhari disappeared, Fayose has remained consistent and constituted himself into a one man opposition figure against the Buhari-led administration drawing criticisms for his sometimes embarrassing statements.

But the man known as ‘Oshoko’ does not seem to care as he keeps haranguing the president and his family. Is Fayose an opposition figure or a man afraid of his own shadows? We leave you the readers to judge. But Fayose has earned his place as a politician-nominee in NAIJ.com person of the year award.

3. Femi Fani-Kayode

Femi Fani-Kayode

Who is the most talked about politician in Nigeria today? Or, let’s put it this way: which politician has talked himself into most trouble in the country these days?

Your answer is as good as ours. Fani-Kayode can be described in many ways but controversial would seem to be an understatement.

Maybe stormy petrel would be more like it. Love him or hate him, Fani-Kayode has turned out to be a man of his own conviction.

We are not going to go into his activities as the campaign director of Goodluck Jonathan's second term bid, which, of course, has got him into trouble of allegations that funds used for campaign were taken from the Dasuki security vote.

There is also no point repeating how this has got him on the wrong side of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

For the record, FFK was seized by the EFFC to answer questions about the Dasuki arms scandal, but after weeks in detention, he was released as usual. The case is still ongoing in the court.

But FFK has continued his social media activism. His legion of followers believe he is on a just cause while his detractors see him as a rabble-rouser, ethnicist who is poised to set up Nigerians against one another.

But for consistently keeping himself in the eyes of the storm and not backing down even when his public engagements seem to raise concern, FFK enters our reckoning for good or bad as a nominee in the 2016 politician of the year award.

4. Adams Oshiomhole

Adams Oshiomole

What can we say about 'Osho Baba', as he is popularly called? Love him or hate him, the husband of the beautiful Iara is one of the most important and influential politicians in the country today.

Let’s begin this way. After eight years as the governor of Edo state where he obliterated the power cabal headed by the Chief Tony Anenih of this world and the Igbinedions, he played a huge role in ensuring the former APC transit into power.

Never a man afraid to call or a spade by any other name, Osho has taken the podium many times to blast the Edo cabals.

But one act that earned Oshiomhole a place in our prestigious politician of the year category is his doggedness in seeing that his party continued in power in Edo thereby preserving his legacy with his hand-picked Godwin Obaseki as his chosen successor.

He has also reportedly transformed Edo state, making it easier for his party to continue its dominance in power.

You can vote below: